God’s Final Say
After a two hour delay in getting out of Atlanta, I returned home a little after 3 a.m. this morning. I’m glad I was able to sleep most of the way back to Denver. The drive home to Fort Collins, actually went pretty good. I was awake and not much traffic.
When I checked my car this morning, I had a flat tire. So, I accomplished a first. Changing a tire with minimal strength and mobility. I’m glad I still have my power wheelchair. Also, it is easier for me to get on the ground and get back up. Something I could not do a year ago.
After Mason’s baseball tournament on Sunday, we stopped by a tractor company that shared his name. It is pretty cool when you are seven and and recognize your name on a business.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “People may make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true. You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord will judge your reasons. Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do.” Proverbs 16:1-3,9 (NCV)
When we place our faith in Christ, we become those who “follow Christ.” At times it is easy to forget that and to believe that the “Lord follows us.” (or at least our actions and attitudes communicate that.) Our life is best lived when we place our faith and trust in the Lord, daily and at all times and in all circumstances.
Solomon says it well when he says, “depend on the Lord in whatever you do…” The Good News Translation uses these words, “Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.” In our life as we seek the Lord about our plans and then ask Him to bless our plans we have our priorities right.
We may make plans “in our minds” but it is only the Lord who can “make them come true.” We may make “our” plans but the Lord decides what will happen. We may believe our motives are pure and right, but the Lord is the final judge.
In two more weeks we will mark our second anniversary of our move to Fort Collins. We had thought through the process and our timing and our plan seemed to make sense. But West Nile Virus and almost five months in the hospital and ongoing recovery, was not in our plan. Was it a mistake? No. The Lord works by His grace a transforming work in our lives whether through our plans or by His plans….because of our plans or in spite of our plans.
As I returned home from Atlanta, a two hour late night wait at the airport was not in “my plans.” But in the process, I met Pam, who was traveling to Denver from Florida to be with her adult son who was hospitalized due to a tragic accident. Pam is from Colorado and she shared many reflections on her life and work and current disability. She also shared how, after the death of her fiance, she had “lost her faith.” But in this trip the Lord was revealing His love and care for her in some very special ways. I had the opportunity to pray with her and encourage her.
It was also a pleasant surprise to see the Tom Scheffel family; good friends from Denver, who were flying through Atlanta, trying to get home to Denver from Washington D.C. They were as surprised to see me, as I was them. We enjoyed connecting for the first time in about a year.
The challenge for our life is to deal with the setbacks and “delays” on our travels through life. When we realize that the Lord is with us, He will give us the patience and the wisdom to know how to respond. So, as you plan remember the Lord has the final say, so heed this advice from the scriptures:“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.…” (Psalm 37:5,6)