So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. Jeremiah 18:3 NLT
This verse reminds me of countless others in the Bible where men obeyed the command of God, simply because He is God. “Noah did just as the Lord commanded” (Genesis 6:22) for example. We can read similar verses about Moses, Abraham, Joseph and Mary, the disciples, Paul and others. God is still looking for people like Jeremiah who will obey God and do what He commands. I have always suspected that God knew the hearts of the people He spoke to enough to know what their response to His command would be prior to asking them to obey.
If you want to hear from God, you will have to do what God commands. You’ll have to let God’s path be your path. You’ll have to quit resisting His prompting and surrender to the will of God. God works through people who will give up their selfish motives and humble themselves to God. I believe even today He is looking for that kind of heart in people.
If you are trying to hear from God on an issue, examine your life to see if you are walking in obedience to God’s commands, as best as you know how today. Then examine your heart to see if you will continue to be obedient, regardless of what He asks you to do. If you aren’t sure, consider these questions. If God told you to do something that would cause you to have to give up your plans, would you still obey? If God called you to let go of something of great importance to you, even though you may not want to do so, would you still obey?
God speaks and works through people with this kind of heart.
What is something God has asked or encouraged you to do that was difficult at first to do? (Sharing your story will encourage others.)
Most of my adult life, I've been a Christian. Recently it's come to my heart that I've been less than a mature Christian, which is the cause, I think, of many of my problems. The biggest thing that's He's asked me to do is to trust Him. For years I'd hear other Christians, including my wife, say to just give it over the Him and trust. That was incredibly hard. I am a fairly self-sufficient man. I've always prayed for things and I've always thanked the Lord when He's helped. I've never looked at any of this as my own doing. But, when the crisis times have come, I've tended to fall into a state of fear or uncertainty, like a ship adrift. I liken it to Peter and walking on the water. I took my eyes (trust) off of the Lord and I started to sink and became fearful. I really believe that this is at the root of most of my problems. And anytime I heard someone espouse this trust thing, I always looked at who was saying it and would think: "Yeah, that's easy for you to say. Look at the amount of money you make, or the way in which you've been blessed." I don't think that I ever heard those words from someone who was in the midst of severe trials; or if I did, they fell on deaf ears… mine. Even heard that from my wife. And in like manner I'd look at her and think: "Well of course you say that. You depend on me to be the primary provider and you know that I'll work my butt off to take care of you and the kids".
Thankfully over this past year He's worked in my heart and mind to change that attitude. Like Christ reaching in and pulling Peter out of the stormy sea, He's shown me how to trust Him. I'm still working on that, but I can already see where things that would have put me into a spin are now just other items for prayer. I'm probably most still affected by the things that I've shared here about my wife and my marriage…but I try every day to just trust in His plan. Guess He's calling me to really work on letting go of that one last concern…that He'll take care of my marriage in ways that I can't even imagine.
But the bottom line is that, even in the midst of disaster, I've learned to just trust in Him and give it over to Him.
That's certainly a process…to "trust in Him and give it over to Him." Thanks for sharing.
Ron, let me ask you a question. Where does one draw the line between prayer and letting God work? In spite of everything that's happening and that has happened, I am totally committed to my marriage and my wife. I love her pretty much unconditionally. This relationship is so important to me that I pray for it every day; some days quite a bit of the day. So, prayer is good, but does concentrating on it as much as I do keep me from giving that over to Him? Where does one cross that line between praying as we are commanded and praying because we feel that if we stop we lose?
Jon, that's a great question. I'm not sure I have a perfect answer for you, or if there is one, because at some level we are discerning the heart of God here, and His ways/thoughts are not like mine or yours. I guess my short answer would be to ask that of God…."God, how long should I pray for this?"….or just pray the same prayer until God leads you to pray otherwise. I know many times I have been in a season of prayer for something and sense midway through the season that God was changing the nature of my prayers. I think as long as your heart is pointed in the same direction, keep asking for the same things (as long as they don't contradict the written word of God) If God's desire is for you to change your prayers, ask God to change your heart. Does that help? Others may want to chime in also and have a better answer. (You may also want to read Luke 18 and the story of the persistent widow.) Thanks…great question.
Thanx for the reply. It's not so much the direction of the prayer or the consistency; I believe that I am praying and moving in the direction that He wants…assuming that the continuation of my marriage is in His will. It's more a matter of degrees. Should I just pray once, let's say per day, laying out my hopes and wishes and asking for strength and guidance and then go about my day as though it's covered? Or should I keep myself "constantly" before the Lord as I go through my day.
The story of the widow tends to point to the latter, but I've been doing this for over a year, along with changing my heart to walk more closely with Him and my attitude to be more what my wife has a right to expect, yet I don't feel any closer to a resolution than I did a year ago. So now I have frustration and discouragement which has generated the question I've posed here.
I wonder if you are asking the wrong question. Should the question be “how often is it on my mind?”. If you were with a friend throughout your day, when or how often would you talk about what is on your mind? Possibly until your friend says “ok, I got that. Can we talk about something else now?”. Just a thought.
Not a bad thought. Yes, if we were talking about a human friend that I was asking for something from or talking about this same thing over and over, it wouldn't take long before that would be enough. A friend of mine, who has also had some marital issues, likens some of his struggles in this same area as idolatry. Putting that other person or that issue so far in front of God as to make it the primary focus of one's life instead of Him. But again, there's that fine line. I believe that He wants us to bring our issues to Him and I don't believe that I abandon my relationship with Him just to get Him to hear my requests as it concerns my marriage, but perhaps you and my friend are right that too much concentration on it isn't good and God probably does get it 🙂
For me it's just that it's such an important issue. In fact, I can't think of too much else in my life that would take a higher priority over my marriage, other than my relationship with God.
On the other hand, the widow was a pain and got results 🙂
Jon, I've asked the same questions before – are we supposed to ask and then leave it or are we supposed to ask persistently like the widow? I've found that if I start to beg instead of pray in faith, or if I become obsessed and that's all I can pray about, it's time to let it go and trust that God's working on it. On the other hand, if I can still pray about it with an honest attitude of "whatever You decide is fine with me", I keep bringing it to God every day until either He answers, He gives me peace about it or I stray off into begging & obsessing. Cont…
God wants to bless and strengthen your marriage, I'm sure of that, so I don't think it's something you shouldn't pray about. But examine your heart and ask God to show you where HE wants you to concentrate your prayers. It may be that for now, your marriage SHOULD be your top prayer priority. On the other hand, satan could be using it to distract you from what God wants you to be talking to Him about. I'd say, listen to the tone of your prayers about your wife and your marriage: If they sound like begging (or worse, whining), it may be time to move on. If they sound like an honest plea to your loving Father wrapped in a willingness to allow Him to be in control, stick with it until He gives you peace that He already is. I'll be praying for discernment for you!
Amy, appreciate the response and insight. Yes, I probably get to the begging stage with Him at times. Try not to as I want to have faith in His plan for my marriage and I do want to trust that He's working on it. But I think you and Ron are right that perhaps I need to refocus the prayers and my thoughts and concentrate more on His will in and for my life. Thanx for the prayer support as well.
My pleasure! Hang in there – a life lived in the center of God's will is a wild ride!
Thanks for your help!
Walking away from a very good career about 9 years ago. For 8 of those years my life was mixed with delightful victories, but also crushing defeats. It seemed that the defeats were going to overwhelm me and my family on several occasions as they seemed to team up and all come at once. The last year has been a tremendously enlightening time – revealing much of the reasons for the last 8 being as they were. Now in just the last few months many burdens are being lightened and renewed, and new, purposes are being revealed. I find myself dwelling on all this and being so thankful that I was obedient…. and at the same time humbled to realize how much more He can do if I will learn immediate and complete obedience in ALL things. Thanks again Pastor Ron for another great devotion…
Thanks Kevin. I felt like I did that at once also, walking away from a good career. It was years later I could look back and see how God worked it all for good.
I seem to have a pattern of making people mad but unfortunately I'm content to let them stay mad. I figure it's their problem. God makes it very clear He has a big problem with my actions by placing an extremely large burden on my heart to go and make things right with those people.This is very difficult for me to do as pride is one of my biggest downfalls. But God is humbling me and making the person He wants me to be.
Love your transparency. Thanks for being willing to share your struggle. I suspect there are some others who may struggle likewise.