Different Goal

"And the LORD told Moses,

'When you arrive back in Egypt,

go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles

I have empowered you to do.

But I will harden his heart 

so he will refuse to let the people go.'"

Exodus 4:21 NLT

The door to the vacant house stood wide open as if God were inviting us in to take a look.  Suddenly, I found myself parking the car and climbing out.  "C'mon, let's go explore!" I said to my daughters.  There were many new homes offered up for sale in the new community in which I lived and this particular one had been on the market for at least a year.

As my daughters and I toured the house, we prayed together, asking God's guidance and wisdom.  We all agreed that God had brought us to this home for a reason.  Each of us had a sense that He would use this home for His glory.  We assumed He brought it to our attention for use in our growing afterschool program ministry and we shared our dreams for how the house could be used.

We often prayed at the house, shared our vision with a few close friends.  I also took my Realtor friend with me as we sought to purchase, taking time to pray throughout the home.  As I waited on the Lord, a received a call one day from the agent in the model home.  "Mrs. Boose, we have a family interested in purchasing that house.  I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to make an offer."

Since we didn't have the funds in our non-profit organization to make a move, I declined.  As I watched the family move in, I was confused by God's actions and I told Him so.  Why did you lead us on like that?  Why did you have us pray so often on that property if You weren't going to give us that house?  What is Your purpose here?  I just don't get it.

And maybe that's the point.  God's ways are much higher than mine so I can't expect to comprehend what He's doing. (Isaiah 55:8-9) In the above example, I assumed He was moving in one direction, when in reality His purpose was much different.  I later met the family who moved into "our house" and discovered their deep faith in Christ and their ministry to children and families.  While I thought we were praying for how God would use that home in the service with which my family was involved, we were really praying for another family.

Sometimes God gives me a task, mission or job to perform.  Other times He opens a tiny window of understanding.  While it may seem like the purpose is obvious, God may have an altogether different goal.

Reveal His Power

If Moses had a choice, he probably would have picked a more straight-forward path of deliverance.  Instead of enduring all the appeals to Pharaoh followed by plague after plague, he may have thought it would be better if God simply softened the king's heart toward his plea and quickly and efficiently let His people go.  Then they could get on with their lives instead of going through such an ordeal.

Instead, God had a plan to use the Pharaoh's stubbornness as a way to showcase His power. (Exodus 9:16)  No one in Egypt would ever know how strong and mighty is the Lord unless they could see Him at work.  As each plague progressed and the magicians could no longer mimic what God was doing, all the people knew He was a force to be reckoned with. (Exodus 8:18)

God has not changed since the time of Moses. (James 1:17) He is still the same God who sometimes chooses to reveal His power by putting off rescue.  Perhaps my body is wracked with pain and relief seems so far off.  I can trust God to use this time to show me and others who are watching the kind of quiet strength that comes from Him.

Maybe I've been waiting for God's deliverance out of a time of financial hardship.  While I struggle to make ends meet, God is showing all involved His faithful provision in times of need.

It's possible that I could be tired of waiting for the Lord to draw my loved one to Jesus.  (John 6:44)  As I watch the pain and suffering endured by those around, I can choose to believe that God has a mighty show of His power in store for all who are watching when this lost sheep finally enters the fold.

The only way we can realize how big God is, is to see Him at work.

Further His Plan

She received the call delivering the devastating news at ten minutes before midnight.  "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but the kidney transplant surgery has been cancelled.  The donor developed an anti-body against your blood so you are no longer a match."

Up until that point, the donation process had gone smoothly on both ends, confirming this was a part of God's master plan.  As she received the news, the woman lashed out at God.  "Why would you withhold that good thing?  The recipient is used to being disappointed, why would You also let him down?  How will he ever trust You if You don't provide for His needs?"  She was angry at this perceived injustice.

Fortunately for all, God is in control. Flashing forward a few months, these friends have now entered into a kidney exchange program where a non-matching donor's organ can be linked to another recipient through a nation-wide network.  As their information was made available to the program, a match was almost immediately made and 30 people were miraculously able to be connected to a donor.

Before this woman's kidney was offered, many of them had little to no chance of finding a donor.  God, however, had a bigger plan than to simply provide one man with a kidney.  Instead, the first cancelled surgery was only a little piece in a much grander puzzle;  a tiny link in a long chain of blessing.

When I am tempted to be angry at God for doing things that don't make sense to me, I can trust Him that He has a better plan than I could ever imagine.  Faith is necessary for me to believe that He will bring about something better.  

So when the rejection letter comes, I can trust that God sees something I don't see.    Or when one tragedy seems to come right after another, I can either give up or believe that God is using this time of suffering to paint a beautiful masterpiece.  Or when everyone around seems to be fighting against me, I can know without a doubt that God's plan may not include a life of popularity but His goal for me is better than what I could dream up.

Disappointments may just be God's way of furthering His mysterious plan.

Showcase His Glory

The waters rose up around them like a mighty wall.  Instead of finding their death at the bottom of the Red Sea, the Israelites were walking to their salvation on the bed of the dried up tributary.  (Exodus 14:15-31)

Sometimes God has a way of showing off.  When He does something miraculous, there is no one to praise except Him.  When the fracture in the boy's spine shows signs of healing against all the expectations of the medical personnel, God gets all the glory.  When the estranged married couple finds healing at the foot of the cross, God gets all the glory.  When the severely abused boy suddenly talks for the first time, God gets all the glory.

There are some things that simply cannot be explained away.  While we live in an age of scientific reason where we try to comprehend the mechanism behind every action, there are some things that cannot be understood.  For these miracles, God receives all the glory for the great things He has done.

When God works in a way that is unexpected to all, His name is to be praised.

I may think I get what God is doing in a certain situation, but I'd better tread lightly.  Only God knows the plan and most of the time, His goal is different from mine.  Sometimes He chooses an outcome that will reveal His power, other times He is simply furthering a grander plan,  and at times He could decide He wants to showcase His glory.  Whatever the purpose, it belongs to God and not me.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God in what He is doing.

When do I jump to conclusions when I see the circumstances of my life?

How do I run after one outcome without letting God choose His best for me?