His Will...

God's Will...4-30-2025

I am a firm believer that God has a plan and His will is what we should seek. That is a Biblical Truth. As I started reading Jeremiah, the Book seemed harder for me than some. I must admit at this point that I'm a very literal person. Having ODD and OCD, I take everything at face value. I have a strong sense of right and wrong and am a rule-follower. Reading about the people of Israel being given chance after chance and still not obeying is something I can't wrap my head around. You see, when I'm instructed to do anything, I'm all in immediately. My pastor asked me to call someone who was visiting and needed more information, I called that afternoon. My heart won't allow me not to do something that I think is right, and I'm convicted if I even think about doing something I feel is against what I believe. I began a new Bible Study last night from the Book of Jeremiah. Within 15 minutes, I understood so much of what I was struggling with just reading through Jeremiah on my own.

I received a phone call a couple of nights ago about something I had been praying about for quite a while. My prayer is always this: "Open the door if you want me there. Shut the door if it isn't Your will." In every situation in my life, that is my prayer. I want Him to open wide the doors if that is what He wants for me. I want Him to close them in my face if that isn't His will. My husband says sometimes I get "preachy" when He is sharing His frustrations, and my first comment is "Did you pray about it?" Of course, I know He did, but that is my go-to. So as you can see, when I received a phone, I knew a door was opening a little. Just a crack!. A toe can fit in, but the door is opening. What do I need to do, Lord? What is your plan? Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." One of my favorite verses is from a book that has been hard for me to understand. Imagine that!

Now, the doors that open sometimes will eventually close if we don't do our part in His plan. If we don't trust Him and if we don't obey His word and seek His will. Do I want to share the plan that I think is in place? No, because I love the part about God knowing everything, and I get snapshots and images along the way. I don't want to rush headlong and miss something in the meantime. I also know that the plan is down the road. Maybe now, maybe a year, maybe two, and maybe not at all what I think it is. I don't want to impose my wants on His will. I don't want to slow down and drag my feet if the plan is not what I feel like it should be. I sure don't want to put my foot into the crack, force the door open, and feel the effects of going against what God's will is. Been there, done that, and I never want to go through it again. I want to be centered in His will. Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."