I had a rude awakening the other day on how my will can sometimes conflict with God’s will and the things He wants me to do in my life. He did not ask me to go to Nineveh and preach to the heathen or anything like that. It was subtle, and yet when I finally stopped what I was doing and listened, I was not happy with what I heard.
It is easy to follow God’s will for my life when the path is simple and the message is plain. I can get up and go to church on Sunday morning with no problem at all. I can even say grace before I eat a meal and I often study my Bible. I’ve also made it a habit to pray a few times here and there as I go about my day. Living a Christian life in such a manner is part of being in a ‘comfort zone’ where the mundane can creep in and make things appear to continue on in the way they always have. As a Christian, I have a tendency to get fat and lazy in that situation and sometimes God has to step in and stir the pot a little.
“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
Jonah, as an example, had that problem and I’m sure you know the story. He had a pretty straightforward life as a prophet and had probably been serving in that capacity for many years. We do not know any of his earlier work – the good things he did and the messages he delivered. All we know about is the time God asked him to break out of his own comfort zone and do something unusual for a change. When that happened, Jonah ran the other way. The Bible says he went ‘down’ to Joppa, and I believe there is symbolism to be found here. When I run from God’s will in my life, I am always going not only in the wrong direction, but I’m going down instead of up.
But saying that I’m stuck by living in a spiritual routine is maybe oversimplifying the matter entirely. My problem with not accepting God’s will in my life will usually revolve around my desire to be in control of my own life. I like to make my own decisions and set my own course, even if that course appears to be on a bearing that will end in the belly of a fish. I disregard His way and believe I know the right way – a careless victim of my own deductions and rationale. I’m proud to boast, “I once thought I was wrong, but I was only mistaken when I did so.” Voila! That’s me in a nutshell - that’s my problem. (Don’t you just love those French interjections?)
So what can I do during those times when I ponder on a situation, study it, and plot a course of action only to discover much too late that God’s will for me was leading in another direction? The answer is back at the beginning. I need to seek His will ahead of time, before I begin making plans and sorting through the details. I can guarantee success in nothing I undertake if I only base it upon my own wisdom and power. But He knows the way and the plans He has in store for me in my life. A total reliance on his guidance and protection will go a long way toward keeping me on the straight and narrow path.
That comforts me. It will also keep me from wasting a lot of money on a boat-fare to Tarshish.
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