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Times of Contradiction
By Janine Scott-Lowe, MD
Isaiah 55:9: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY [God's] ways higher than YOUR ways, and MY thoughts than YOUR thoughts.
I must tell you that some news that I recently heard has yet REMINDED me of the VALIDITY of this Scripture. It also reminded me that I am a mere HUMAN, and am NOT God.
Did you ever think that you had things "figured out?" You knew how things SHOULD work? Things were SUPPOSED to happen a certain way?
Ok, you know everything is NOT perfect, but still, some things are just supposed "to be." Good people who do good things are SUPPOSED to have good happen to them. Nice people SHOULD finish FIRST. Good SHOULD triumph over evil. When you do "what you're supposed to do," and you've prayed, fasted, spoken words of faith and victory...you're SUPPOSED to get what you've done all of those things for. After all, the Bible DOES state that God would withhold NO good thing from you, right?
Well, this all sounds FAIR and JUST, but unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way WE plan. Things happen, things we don't expect. Things we may NOT want, but they happen just the same.
What do you do when it SEEMS that what you want is not lining up with what God has for you? How do you get through these TIMES OF CONTRADICTION? How do you hold on to your PEACE and SANITY through it all?
The answer may seem trite, but I believe that it is true...you simply continue to TRUST GOD. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, "TRUST IN THE LORD with all your heart, and DO NOT LEAN on your OWN understanding. In ALL your ways ACKNOWLEDGE HIM and HE WILL make your paths straight." Proverbs 16:9 says that "the mind of a man [may] plan his ways, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:3 days to "commit your works TO THE LORD, and your plans WILL be ESTABLISHED."
So, what do we do when OUR will seems not to line up with God's? We do as JESUS did in the Garden of Gethsemane. At that time, Jesus was soon to be tortured and die a horrible death when he would be crucified and killed for OUR sins. Jesus knew this was going to happen to Him, and I'm quite sure He was NOT looking forward to it. Who would be? It's ONE thing to be punished for your OWN sin, but He was SINLESS. He was doing this FOR US!
Jesus was in so much AGONY that His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). This was an INTENSE time for Him. Although God, He was ALSO HUMAN, and His humanity did NOT want to face this. How do I know? Because in Luke 6:42a, while praying, He said "Father [God], if you are willing, REMOVE THIS CUP FROM ME." Jesus was willing to PASS on drinking from that cup of PAIN and SORROW. We ALL would be. Yet, we see in His prayer that although this is what HE desired, HE WANTED WHAT GOD DESIRED MORE, because He WENT ON to say, "NEVERTHELESS, NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE."
I believe that's where we ALL must get to during our times of contradiction. First, we must remember that we are NOT God. We do NOT have all (and probably MOST) of the answers. We must HUMBLE OURSELVES and put ourselves in God's hands, RELEASING OUR WILL over to His. We must rely on the CHARACTER and FAITHFULNESS of God and KNOW that He truly DOES LOVE US and has our BEST interest at heart. We must CONTINUE to DELIGHT OURSELVES IN HIM, knowing that at the RIGHT time, and in the RIGHT way, He WILL give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).
In times of contradiction, TRUST GOD. STAY IN FAITH. STAY POSITIVE. STAY IN VICTORY. Know that GOD LOVES YOU and He WILL bring His BEST into your life!
Love you too!
Janine
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