Differently Than Expected

Differently Than Expected
Sept 17, 2012
2 Corinthians 5:7  "Indeed, our lives are guided by faith, not by sight."

Have you ever had a situation turn out differently than you expected?  Of course.  Everyone, since childhood, has experienced a turn of events, a twist in the plot, a unique experience that could not have been anticipated.  But for some reason we still think and plan that things will turn out the way we anticipate.  Looking forward is a natural thing to do, but imagining just exactly how it will turn out is nearly impossible.  But we still try, we still envision how things will end up.  The Lord would suggest that this is a fools errand.

Since the first Bible story, throughout the entire set of Scriptures, each real-life tale is full of unscripted events.  They never turned out how the character envisioned.  Abraham was told he would be the father of an entire nation, yet he didn't have any children.  He thought maybe his wife's maidservant would be the ticket for having kids since his wife was barren.  He didn't think about the Lord providing a miracle child.  Years later, the Children of Israel were promised to be given a land flowing with milk and honey.  They never thought they would have to annihilate an entire people group by going into battle.  They established a king but it didn't work out so they eagerly expected a savior.  They were foretold of a savior who would come to deliver them and establish His kingdom.  They thought he would bring a new government but instead they got Jesus who brought forgiveness.

In each instance, the person thought.  That is the only common factor found in EVERY Bible story; the protagonist thought.  Thought requires knowledge and critical reasoning.  These two human concepts cannot come into play when there is the Master of the Universe involved.  He knows what He's doing and what is going on, but He does not necessarily share with us the knowledge of the situation, nor are we able to reason on His level.  Therefore, thought is a moot point when it comes to our situations where the Lord is involved.  Newsflash, the Lord is always involved.  This can be very frustrating if you are a planning type of person or a control freak.  You have to be willing to relinquish control over your own life and submit it into the Lord's hands.  This requires faith, not thought. 
 
Living a Christian life requires faith, lest you want every situation to turn out differently than you expect.  If you live by faith, you are OK with the unexpected, because you are trusting in the Lord and what He has for you.  If not, you will think, which will turn out to be your worst enemy.  Your own reasoning and knowledge will not prove correct for your life.  If you try, your situation will ALWAYS be different.  Try faith instead of thought and there will never be a twist in expected events.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Gen 15 & 16, Gen 21, Ex 3:17, Num 13:26-28, Num 14:7-9, Is 9:6-7, Lk 22:52, Lk 23:14