By F. D. Adkins
Here we are. It is the second week of the new year.
With a new year, people often find themselves evaluating their lives and their goals and thinking about where they are versus where they want to be. And as they assess, some may be chasing a dream and setting goals that will help achieve a certain aspiration while others find themselves unhappy and wondering why they are in a particular place or situation.
I have been thinking and wondering what God has planned for me this year. What kind of resolutions or goals should I set for myself? But then yesterday, I learned about the passing of an old friend. I lost touch with her many years ago as life took her in one direction and me in another, but I regret not having kept in contact. This news brought my perspective back to the present, and instead of peering through the window, trying to catch a glimpse at the months ahead and the rest of the year, I put my focus back on where I am now. What does God want me to do right now?
When I think of Bible stories about being in a specific situation for a purpose, Esther is the first person that comes to mind. Esther rises from a lowly status, finds favor with the king, and becomes queen, thus putting her in a position to save her people. (“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 KJV)
However, God may not put us in a position of royalty in order to carry out His purpose. As I write this, I am prompted to open my Bible and read about Paul and Silas in Acts 16. After being beaten and thrown into prison, they prayed and sang songs of Praise to God. An earthquake shook the prison cell, the doors opened, and their restraints fell away. Paul and Silas could have fled their grim situation, but they did not. They stayed. Why? Because in the next bit of verses, we discover the purpose of their presence in that prison on that night. Paul and Silas led the guard and his family to believe in Jesus. (“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” Acts 16:31-34 KJV.)
So, sometimes we may find ourselves in a valley where things are just not going according to our plan. Life has not taken us on the path we wanted. A job did not lead to the American dream.
But the valley may be exactly where God needs us to do His work. When we find ourselves in that valley and our plans seem to be crumbling, let’s stop and look around and remember it’s about God’s plan, not ours.
After all, “… we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV.
As I close this blog, since I am talking about things not working out as we plan, I have to share my personal experience this morning. I woke up thinking I would get some errands done. But it was raining. I do not like to drive in the rain, so as the rain came down harder and harder, I found myself inwardly grumbling because I knew I would not leave the house in a downpour. But, because my son’s job is outdoors, he was not able to go to work. I made him a cup of coffee, and we sat and talked. Our discourse led us to a conversation about the Bible, and we spent over an hour talking about the Word of God. Friends, my son is older now, and the time we had this morning just talking is precious minutes that I rarely get with him anymore. And these precious moments with my son I will treasure for the rest of my life.
So, praise God for the rain!
