Give God the Pen

Have you ever felt lost, frustrated, confused, afraid, wondering where in the world your life is going? Do you ask, “Why do I feel like a failure, I am doing everything right, I’m a good person I am kind, I work hard! I just can’t seem to win, I keep hitting a wall!! What am a doing wrong?” Well I have been there many times, even recently, it’s not fun at all and hurts like crazy. To be honest there is only one reasonable answer, and it’s a tough pill to swallow. Are you ready? Here it is: No matter who you are, what you do, or what your dreams are, or how hard you work, nothing will matter if you don’t put God at the center of your life and give Him the pen to your life story. The fact is life is not about us! It’s about God, Adam and Eve were never created to sin, God walked with them in the garden every day, but he also gave them free will to choose their own way. We have that same choice but, and let me tell you going our own way will never ever end well. Sure, we may feel fulfilled and accomplished now, but how about five, ten, or even twenty years down the road? God always wants us to follow Him and yes there may be times that our dreams align with God path for us, but often times they don’t, and we need to listen to Him for His leading.

              I have been praying for years that I would be able to have a successful job that I love, along with a wife, children, and a dog. Well I have the dog part, but not a whole lot else, and still pray every day for the rest. I’m sure there are plenty of you out there are having similar struggles, financial, career, family, health, and you feel like you are being punished for something. First let me tell you, no matter how much you might mess up in life God will always help you get back up, it may feel like He is punishing you, but rather He is just waiting for you to listen for His still small voice. In Isaiah 55:8 God say that His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. We may go one way, and then hit road block after road block, and find ourselves discouraged and irritated. Some of us may have even prayed and argued with God but don’t hear a response. A lack of response does not mean that God is not listening, it could mean that God is saying not yet, or it could be that God is saying no. This is where we start to list because God’s is likely far more intricate and ultimately wonderful than we could ever imagine. Joseph is the perfect example of this.

              In Genesis, we learn about a man named Joseph who more than any of us today had reason to ask God why. When he was a young man, Joseph was hated by his brothers because he was his father’s favorite son. His brothers decided to kidnap him one day and threw him in a pit and planned to leave him there, but then when his oldest brother was away the rest decided to sell him into slavery. Joseph was taken to Egypt where he was sold as a slave to Potiphar who was captain of the Pharaoh’s Body Guard. He served in the house to the best of his ability, always trusting that God was with him, and eventually he was promoted to overseer of the house. Now if you haven’t read his story in Genesis you may be thinking well that’s not so bad, he is the house overseer for one of the most powerful men in Egypt, but remember he was still a slave taken from his home. Just as things stated to look up Potiphar’s wife decided to try and seduce Joseph, and when he refused and ran from her, she told her husband that Joseph had tried to seduce her. Joseph was then thrown in prison, but the Bible tells us that God was still with him, that means he was still trusting God. While in prison he was noticed by the Chief Jailer who placed him over all the other prisoners. After some time two men were imprisoned and met Joseph, these two men each had a dream and Joseph was able to interpret the dreams. One of the two men would be returned to his post as cupbearer of Pharaoh and the other put to death for his crime. When the cupbearer was being sent back to his post Joseph asked him to remember him so that he may return home. It was two years before the cupbearer remember him when Pharaoh had a dream, Joseph came and interpreted the dream. As a result, Pharaoh placed him as second in charge over all of Egypt, and he was eventually reunited with his family.

              Now I’m not saying that we need to be sold into slavery, and imprisoned. What I am saying is that God had a purpose for everything that happened to Joseph and He has a purpose for everything that happens to you and me. God does not reveal to us what His plan is all at once, but He does ask us to trust Him. What does it mean to trust God? It means accepting that God is in control of every moment of every day, He created man, gave them free will to sin and when man did sin He provided His Own Son as a sacrifice for our sin, but then He raised that sacrificed Son up from the grave so that all who believe could be saved. We must accept that God is Lord and Savior and we need Him. God never promises that our life will be easy, but that He will walk with us each step, because each step that we take with Him will draw us closer to Him. Let me shar with you a poem for an unknown civil war soldier:

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

              We don’t always see Gods plan at first but if we are willing to fully trust Him, even when we are afraid when we don’t know why, then one day He will show us, one day we will be able to look back and say, “That’s why God let that happen.” God may tell us no at times, or He may tell us wait, sometimes God puts us on a shelf until we are ready for the task He has for us. That may seem confusing, but it is still Gods plan, He is preparing each and every person who is willing to fully trust and follow Him for a specific task. Life will talk many turns, run into road block, climb mountains of success followed but a cliff of crushed hope, but God is still in control. Now I’m going to be honest with you following and trusting is not easy, the pain will still be there when we hit those road blocks or fall of those cliffs, but God promises to help us through the pain. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” That’s the hard pill, how can the hard things we encounter work for our good? Because when those hard times come we need to ask God to teach us through them, don’t as why is this happening without asking what is God teaching me through this. God is good and no matter what happens He is always in control and He is always working in His plan.

              Don’t fight that plan God has something in store for each of us but when we fight it makes that plan take longer. Think of God as a master writer, holding the pen and writing your life story, every time you fight Him and go your own way He has to rewrite evens to bring you back. Let Him write the story, He already knows the ending! Fighting Him will only cause you more pain and prolong the period of waiting and confusion. Let him have the pen

              I’ll leave you with some final thoughts. Learning to listen to God is not an overnight learning curve, trust me, it’s a lifelong process. I am not there yet God is most definitely still working on me, and every time I think I have arrived, I am remined of Paul’s worlds in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” We will never be perfect on this earth there is always more God has to teach us, we must be in continual prayer, and constant in reading His word. Don’t be afraid to find a believer and ask them to pray with you and for you. You are not alone, there are men and women everywhere who are all struggling with events in their lives, pray with and for one another, who knows maybe someone will one day ask you for help with something you once struggled with.    

              My final challenge is this purpose in your heart to make God the center of your life, reading His word daily, praying and trusting His purpose and plan for your life. Who knows what tomorrow will hold, but let God have then pen and be the author of every day of your life. Let this be our prayer, “Lord help me stay on your path, so I won’t be a road block for your pen.”