As we continue to focus on our goal of Total Commitment there is one thing I am reminded, life doesn’t always go the way we expect. We have hopes, we have dreams, we have our own idea of what will happen next but many times things turn out totally different. There is wisdom in the Proverbs when we read Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
You ask, “What does that mean?” Simply put we can plan anything we want but ultimately the path life takes us will be determined by God’s will. Well one might say, “why should I plan anything at all if God is just going to mess it all up with what he wants?” Well not exactly.
We must do our part to embrace life in all the fullness it has to offer. We have been given a brain and the ability to use knowledge in order to live according to word of the Lord. Scripture is our guide, our instructions on how we should live. Psalm 37:23 says, “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.” As human beings we should be seeking God and His desire and direction for our lives. But even as we do that often life still doesn’t make sense. I know it’s difficult. We pray to God for help and guidance. But sometimes it seems like even though we pray with faith, God doesn’t do what we've asked. We seek Him, but don’t feel His presence. We go through pain, but our cries for relief seem to go unanswered. I will admit that sometimes, our lives just don't make sense.
This coming month we will begin a new sermon series that will takes a close look at what we can do "When God Doesn't Make Sense." I hope you will plan to be with us. This is a critical time of the year as we enter the season of Lent and preparation for Easter. Within this season is the opportunity for much prayer and introspection. We have the opportunity to focus on what God desires from us, what changes need to take place in us and perhaps where God is leading next as individuals and as a church. We are here to fulfill the Great commission and we need to take seriously the charge that God has given to us. I believe God will indeed ordain our steps and align our will to His as we follow Him and seek Him with all of our heart.
I want to invite you into a season of prayer as we head toward Easter. I have already challenged you to begin praying for at least three people God is leading you to invite to church and to share the Gospel with them. Do you remember? God has called us to be a disciple making church. I believe we have shrugged off that responsibility thinking someone else will do it? The problem with thinking like that is it rarely gets done. We must be willing to step up and say, “I will do it!”
I would ask that you prayer for us as a church to discover how we will reach people for Christ. Remember the definition of insanity, “doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Someone else once put it this way, “If we do what we have always done, we will get what we have always got.” It’s important that we ask the Lord what His direction is for His Church. After all He is the one that has been guiding it for 2000 years and things have turned out well.
I would also ask that our couples would enter into a time of praying for their spouse during a 31 day prayer challenge for March. You will be seeing in the newsletter, bulletin and online specific instructions regarding how to sign up. Please wait to do so until Sunday March 1st. If you start early it’s okay, but I would like us to be doing it all together. For those who are not in a marriage relationship I would ask that you prayer for the marriages in the church to be strengthened. I believe these relationships are often most targeted by Satan himself. If he can destroy the marriage, he will destroy the family, the lives of children, the church and community as well. Much heartache is caused by the destruction that is caused by failing and broken marriages.
Once again, life often doesn’t make sense but just recently I saw a great analogy that compares our lives with a puzzle. A pastor said, “If you can trust a puzzle company to make sure every piece is in the box to complete the puzzle, than why can’t you trust God that every piece of your life is there for a reason.” Yesssssssss!
Trusting God With You All!
