God Has Something Better For You!

I have been thinking about the last line of this quote, ‘write a good one’. While there is a bit of truth to it, it screams “you’re in control – do as you please.” How true it is; we like to be in control, we like to know exactly what’s happening, where we’re going and do as we please. When we feel like things are out of control, we worry! I can attest to that!

This attitude, or mindset, of having to be ‘in control’ all the time, conflicts with what God calls us to do, calls our hearts to be and calls our minds to think.

I read a lovely quote recently that summarises what we ought to do:

Don't cry over the past - it's gone.

Don't stress about the future - it hasn't arrived.

Live in the present moment, make it beautiful.

~Anon

Just focus on today and keeping your heart right with and for Jesus, and leave the rest in his hands. Give it all to him and trust that all will be well. It doesn’t mean that life will be smooth sailing – we live in an imperfect world! What it does mean is that your heart can rest in that fact that He can see the whole canvas, and for everything that happens, God has a purpose for it happening – for our benefit.

He knows all things, sees all things and hears all things. We are told in his Word, the Bible that ‘all things work together for good for those that love him who are called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). The Lord hears every prayer prayed; and he will always answer them, however it may be with an answer we might not like or at a time later than we expected. But… I can promise you, because God promises us, that it is for the best!

When I finished reading my devotion today, I thought “Oh how true!” The title says it all: ‘God has something better for you’. The devotion is quoted below:

When God knows something is good for you, He says ‘Yes’; and when it’s not, He says ‘No’. Why would God say ‘no’ to you? Maybe the timing is wrong, or He has something better in mind. Gratitude comes when you realise what could have happened, but didn’t because God intervened. Stop trying to break loose from the loving grip of the One who holds you for your own protection! The Bible says: ‘Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you… Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.’ (Psalm 37:4–7)

Looking back on her life, Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, said, ‘If the Lord had said “Yes” to all my prayer requests, I’d have married the wrong man—several times.’ What you’re so upset about now, you may be thanking God for later. The more (you grow in your relationship with him), the more you begin to see how wise your heavenly Father is, and the more you learn to trust Him.

The Psalmist wrote, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Psalm 23:1) What a picture: God leading you, God feeding you, God protecting you, God watching over you. Like a lifeguard at a beach, in order to save you, God will sometimes interrupt your life, risk embarrassing you in front of your friends, and maybe even bruise a rib or two. That’s because He loves you too much to let you drown in the thing you thought was so good for you. The main thing is: God has something better for you!

Taken from ‘The Word Today’, Wednesday 31^st December 2014.

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus' ~Philippians 4:6-7.

‘When the sun goes down, the stars come out’ ~Anon. What a beautiful thought! How true it is in reality, and how true it is in the lives of those who have Jesus in their heart.

~Leah