Father Knows Best
By Ana Blackwell
“I have been crucified with Christ” is how Galatians 2:20 starts, then it goes on to say “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me”. A beautiful passage of scripture that sums up the Gospel and the life of one who has accepted God’s marvelous gift. Christians love to quote this verse, but too often fall short in the area of “no longer I who live”.
We all want to experience love, peace, and joy. This leads us to make grand plans for our lives, in hopes of achieving such bliss. It is the reason why success looks different for everyone. Some may think that having a fabulous career will ensure all three states of well-being. Others just want lots of money because maybe once they are financially set, they can find the perfect partner, experience joy through various activities, and feel at peace because they don’t have to worry about paying the bills. Yet, others long for a simple life with a loving family who sticks together through laughter and pain.
There is nothing wrong with wanting wealth, nor desiring a modest lifestyle. What truly matters is what God wants us to be. A son or daughter of the King must let go of their preconceptions of success and allow Him to guide the path of discovering who each one was created to be.
Not everyone will be a Solomon, or an Abraham with unmeasurable wealth. Some Christ followers will live a more humble lifestyle like others from the Bible. The powerful thing is that no matter what camp a Christian may find himself in, if they live by the Spirit and not the flesh, that individual will experience love, peace, and joy on a daily basis.
When I stopped making plans without consulting God, is when I began to understand this revelation. “His ways are higher than my ways”. There is not a single person born who doesn’t have a book written about them in Heaven. God planned each one of us according to His good will and mercy. What I finally understood after many years of well meaning goals, was that God simply had a better way of doing it. Since I have not lived long enough to see where God’s strategy will take me, I will at least say that when I began to let go and trust Him, I began to feel a peace and joy like never before.
However, there is one man we can follow in Scripture to find out what became of him. The precious man named Moses. When he lived in Egypt he had a strong desire to seek justice for the Israelites. Even though he grew up as a prince, the suffering of the Israelites did not sit right with him.
Exodus 2:11 “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.”
His sense of compassion and justice were not wrong, but take a look at what happens when man takes good intentions and reacts in the flesh.
“Looking this way and that, and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:12).
Moses reacted with his fleshly emotions which led to sinful actions. Romans 8:6 says “the mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace”. Now, I am not saying that our good intentions will necessarly lead us to murder. There is death in the souls of those who do not live by the Spirit though. Not right away, but whether one is successful by worldly standards or not, living on their own wits will eventually result in a vaccum that will suck any love, joy, or peace out of life.
The curse of sin does not discriminate between rich or poor. Anyone who isn’t alive with Christ will experience turmoil, anxiety, depression, and eventually, emptiness. Even Christians who decide to take matters into their own hands without consulting Holy Spirit will experience a measure of the death brought on by the flesh. I know, I did. I was discouraged and often wineing to God about my lack of success and effectiveness. Then one day I woke up and realized that maybe my idea of happiness wasn’t what God had in mind. For once I was right and what’s hilarious is that joy filled my heart and I stopped stressing about finances when I began to walk the path the Spirit led.
Let’s go back to Moses for a moment. Moses had to flee to Median after the crime he commited. After 40 years of being in the desert God reached out to where he was, and called him. I suspect that going from being a prince of Egypt to a shepard for someone else’s flock refined his character drastically during that time. That is an article for another time, though. I do believe that when we are humble, we are more willing to listen to God, and admit that our way isn’t the best way. Or at least that was my personal experience, and if I have one piece of advice, it is to stop wasting time and just admit to the Lord that your best is only filthy rags in comparison to what He has planned.
Exodus 3:9 “And now, the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Look how it turned out for Moses when he began to listen to the call of God. He was the man the Almighty chose to use when delivering the Israelites. The most famous miracles were performed through Moses in order that God would reveal His glory.
Lastly, following God’s plans does not mean life will be free of hardships. As it says in Romans 8:6 as mentioned above, a life lived by the Spirit will be full because you will know the love of God, experience His peace, and rejoice in His presence, even during remarkable difficulties.
