Mid Course Correction
June 10 2009 - In: Life Brian Ayers
If you’ve been a Christian for long at all it’s likely you’ve found yourself in a situation where you’ve thought, prayed, planned, and even felt a peace about your decision… only to find-out once you start to move forward that God has seemingly changed His mind. You were convinced that you knew what God’s will was, only to discover that He now seems to be moving you in a different direction.
These situations can be heart-breaking ones. When a relationship doesn’t turn-out like you thought it would. When that job or school doesn’t end-up working-out like you’d planned. When your well-planned and hard prayed-over ministry ideas end-up falling apart.
I had a situation like this when I was a college freshman. I felt called to youth ministry, so I thought it through, prayed long hours, asked advice and I was convinced that heading-off to a Christian college to pursue a degree in youth ministry was God’s plan for me. As soon as I started to make these plans though, it became glaringly obvious that God was about to put me on a different path. That was a bit of a difficult time for me not because I didn’t like God’s plan or that I didn’t trust Him- I just felt a little confused as to why he didn’t just show me that in the first place. (by-the-way His plan worked-out much better! I spent 8 awesome years working youth ministry, got training I never would have in the classroom, and ended-up meeting my wife during this time).
Reading 2 Corinthians 1 this week something jumped-out at me that I’d never paid much attention to before; even THE Apostle Paul had moments like this with God!
II Corinthians 1:15-20 Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice—16 first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia.s Then you could send me on my way to Judea. 17 You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”?18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.”19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says.20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
Paul was convinced that it was God’s will for him to visit the Church of Corinth on his way to Macedonia. He had prayed about it, made plans, scheduled the flight, booked the hotels… and then it didn’t end-up working-out. Paul was heart-broken about it too; he worried that now the people in Corinth might discount all he’d told them about Jesus because he wasn’t able to keep his word about this trip.
But Paul offers some great advice: What do you do when God changes your plans? You say “Amen,” “So be it,” and “yes” and let God be the Lord of our lives that we claim Him to be.
Its kind of comforting to know that I’m not alone in going through times like this.
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