There are some things in life you just can’t explain or wrap your head around.
Like, medical miracles.
Or intuition protecting from you from harmful people or dangerous situations.
Relationships being restored.
Scattered bits of brokenness getting pieced back together.
Redeeming love healing or transforming human hearts.
Words that cloud a rational mind yet also provide clarity and overwhelming peace.
Over the last few years, I’ve prayed for a specific word or theme to come on my heart in order to pursue that word or theme throughout that particular year. In 2017, the word that came to light was wisdom. I pursued wisdom that year by applying the truth found in James 1:5: “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.”
I had no idea what the Lord had in store for me at the time but looking back at 2017 I can only chuckle. I prayed fervently for wisdom throughout that year and boy, did I receive it! The year was like a rollercoaster, starting slow then gradually going uphill before plummeting down swiftly, traveling side to side rapidly, speeding sharply around tight corners, and finishing, finally, with a big reveal that left me with a bit of whiplash and pondering, “now what?”
When things in life don’t make sense, you turn to the One who makes sense of the world.
You trust.
Trust is the fundamental action necessary when attempting to seek wisdom. You must release all agenda, desire and pre-judgment. Anything you thought you knew needs to be pushed aside or tossed out the window. Your mind needs to be cleared. A blank slate. Pride must be removed and in its place, a heart of humility.
You must let go [of being in control] in order to let God [do].
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the One who will keep you on track.”
You can’t be wise in your own eyes or you’ll be blinded to the wonders of the works around you.
At the beginning of 2018, I didn’t know where the heck I was going or where God was leading me other than I trusted He was the One leading the way. Truthfully, I wasn’t 100% certain if the “big reveal” [I received at the end of 2017] would be fully received. It was all very confusing at the time, and I didn’t understand how I could go from A to Z.
Friend, you don’t need to know where you are going in order to enjoy the ride. Sometimes the most uncertain situations or circumstances can open our eyes to the only certain constant – God. His sovereignty guides the way, illuminating a path of love and covering any hole or gap with peace that surpasses any human understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Over three years have passed and the irony is still not lost on me.
I wrote above, “…I didn’t understand how I could go from A to Z…” and the funny thing is that I was literally a resident of the state of Arizona during the time I was seeking wisdom. At the time, it made absolutely zero sense to me that God would uproot my family from our home state of Michigan to temporarily plant us in the middle of the desert. The two years and three months I lived in AZ, however, taught me so much about myself. Specifically, I was able to understand my life from the very beginning (“A”) all the way until that present moment (“Z”). Trusting in the Lord directed me down a path of wisdom and ultimately brought me back home to the Mitten State.
It’s wild, isn’t it?
Or, maybe it is just God, wildly in love with His daughter and keenly aware of her love of literary figures of speech.
Navigating life in a physical desert while wandering a spiritual desert full of silence while climbing mountains of questions and contemplations, encountering the occasional scorpion, and attempting to avoid the many predatory animals and prickly cacti that inhabited the stillness.
Like Abraham, I often felt overwhelmed by my trust in God’s good plans and purposes while also growing weary and impatient for a journey that felt longer than I anticipated and dragged on without much progress.
I’ve explored this planet for over three decades now and I still don’t have it all figured out and know I never will…I’m okay with that, though. I don’t need to know all the answers, but I desire to know the One who does.
When you feel lost, alone, confused or caught up in the complicated messiness of life, don’t give up. Look up. God’s got you. Today, tomorrow, and always. When you are blind to what is in front of you, remember God can see the whole picture and will put each piece in its perfect place.
His eyes are wise and He will lead you exactly where you need to go.
