January 4, 2013- When you don’t understand his way…

“Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way?” Proverbs 20:24    

     Reading through Genesis can provide a lot of background on the history of the world and how it came to be divided into so many different cultures, languages, and people, but there was nothing in my daily Bible reading today that I felt particularly compelled to write about, so today my verse comes from one of my other short devotionals given to me by my mom that has become one of my favorites titled, “Wisdom for the Way: Wise Words for Busy People” by the very insightful Charles R. Swindoll. If you’ve never read anything by this Biblical Scholar, you are missing out.  I couldn’t say any better what he wrote in reference to this verse, so I won’t even try.

“…God reigns in realms beyond our comprehension to bring about a plan beyond our ability to alter, hinder, or stop….His plan includes all promotions and demotions. His plan can mean both adversity and prosperity, tragedy and calamity, ecstasy and joy…His plan is at work when we cannot imagine why, because it is so unpleasant, as much as when the reason is clear and pleasant. His sovereignty, though it is inscrutable, has dominion over ALL handicaps, ALL heartaches, ALL helpless moments…Even when we cannot explain the reasons, He understands. And when we cannot see the end, He is there, nodding, ‘Yes, that is My plan.’” (emphasis on ALL is mine)

This passage came originally from Swindoll’s book, “The Mystery of God’s Will.” And in short snippets, the insight he gives into God’s word and workings in our lives is very powerful.   My mom, when reading through this same book and before giving me a copy, used to e-mail me the sections that were speaking to her at the time, and I always appreciated them. Now that I have my own copy I appreciate them even more because God will use them in His time and His way to speak to each of his children in very personal and meaningful ways.  So today, I wanted to share what was spoken to me through Mr. Swindoll’s Biblical insight, that even in the midst of the challenges in my life right now that I don’t understand, all I have to do is trust in God because he does understand, and he does have a plan, even if it’s hard and unpleasant. His plan is good, and I will trust in it knowing that there’s no better plan I could devise for myself than God’s.  I hope that whatever challenges you are facing today will seem lighter in the face of God’s ultimate sovereignty over your life!