Do You Trust God's Decisions?

Is wanting to fix something that God may have broken for a purpose, not trusting His providence?

This is a question I struggle with sometimes. Do you? Situations arise in my life, sometimes, that I am about 92% sure are the direct result of God moving things around to make it so. Before you question my faith, yes, I do believe God is maker and ruler of my life. I believe this with such conviction that I sometimes struggle with knowing whether or not the decision He has made for me is one that He wants me to simply accept, or rather, act upon.

Does this make sense? Not that I feel that everything is a test, because I know that God will not test and try me above that which I am able to withstand, but perhaps He causes certain things to transpire in order that I am given an opportunity to act.

One thing I do know for sure is that we do not need to worry about not being in God's will if we love God, desire to do right and love others sacrificially. Being in prayer and being IN the word will always help us to know if our heart is acting out of selfish purposes or God's purposes. Being able to determine that is really only possible when you're in a deep commune with God.

So the question remains in my heart, is God causing this to happen because He's made up His mind and this is His plan, OR does He want me to act?

It may make more sense to have some frame of reference. A relationship or friendship takes a negative turn, seemingly out of left field and you're left feeling confused and hurt. You're not sure why the person you knew and loved, changed, but nothing you can do is changing the outcome of their decisions. When this happens, you trust that God is behind it and He knows what is best for you. He is allowing this break to occur because He sees something we can't. I've always believed that. I'm always thankful for traffic because I believe God is keeping me away from a car accident. I can't explain it, but it's just a morsel of faith that I hold to when things do not "go my way". It helps to make life much more bearable when things do not go well, I'll tell you that.

So when this happens in our lives, do we sit back and let it happen without a fight or do we fight back? Do we fight for the relationship that we had and not let it end, thinking that maybe God is just testing our faith? I'm sure you've fought for someone that you love. You've had a friend or perhaps a spouse that wanted to give up or walk away and you didn't want to let that happen. You felt it wouldn't be right to just sit by and let someone ruin the relationship for seemingly no reason. Maybe all of that fighting and all of that hurt would have been spared if you would have simply said, "ok". How much pain could you have saved yourself if you did not fight a decision that was out of your control?

I can't end this blog post with any more clarity, nor with answers to the posed questions. I simply do not have them. What I do have is the Bible and Jesus. These two things quiet the storm inside of my heart when confusion and hurt rear their ugly heads. The Bible tells me in Proverbs to lean not on my own understanding, but in all of my ways acknowledge HIM and He will direct my path. It also tells me in Ephesians to be clear minded, filled with the spirit and give thanks to God for everything.

We have some pretty clear instructions on how to react to life. Perhaps the very notion that I (we?) sometimes feel conflicted about which step to take after a difficult time shows a heart condition that isn't nearly as lost as it may seem.

Blessings,

6 comments

Vanessa W.January 23, 2019 at 2:43 PM
It's like you read my mind and typed it in a blog post. Your "frame of reference" is something I am currently going through and I definitely have been on the see-saw of determining whether I am being asked to accept or being asked to act.
During these times, I try to lean in to God's word more. I am currently in the "accept" phase, which is not the easiest for me to handle, but I am trusting the plan.
AnonymousJanuary 23, 2019 at 2:51 PM
I don't believe that every decision I make or every situation I wind up in is by God's design, but I do believe that it can be worked to further bring glory to His name and His cause. Just depends on how you look at it, I guess.
Bernie WallaceJanuary 24, 2019 at 7:35 AM
Great article. I've had a difficult year this year and have turned to God to help me through it. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com