10/03/2018 - Telling God... “You are not the Boss of Me!”
Have you ever faced a problem and prayed for God to reveal His will to you, to guide you through it, and when He spoke, and then lead you to a place where you felt comfortable again, did you tell Him thank you and go about your merry way alone? This happens all of the time to believers, but the Lord doesn’t want to be the taxi that you call in a pinch, He wants to be your personal automobile that you depend on to take you everywhere you go.
“But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.”
Psalms 106:13 ESV
Children come to their parents when they need help, but the minute they feel like they are beyond the issue they run off to continue alone. We do the same thing with God, and when we do... we have just insured ourselves of encountering yet another problem.
There are two primary reasons that I feel cause us to do this, and the first has to do with fear. When we are in a scary situation we ask for divine intervention, and it comes, but the moment we see a ray of hope we begin to run towards that light. We forget that God is leading us and assume we know the solution, or see false safety that we assume He has prepared for us... we trust Him, but only so far.
I was watching a wildlife documentary on television and a young wildebeest had become mired in deep mud on a riverbank. The mother was on firm ground calling to it, but the situation was hopeless and the young one was nearing exhaustion. It was at this moment that the camera crew leapt into action. They went to the aid of the muddy wildebeest, and the moment it was pried up out of its trap something disheartening happened... instead of running to firm ground and its calling mother, it ran right back into the mud. Why did it do this? It did so because it was afraid of its rescuers and even the mud seemed to be a route to safety. We do this all of the time when we are in trouble, we ask for relief, but the moment it comes we take control again and run headlong into the next snare. Fear is powerful, and our trust in God can be overpowered by it.
Now the young wildebeest was eventually rescued, but the crew had to pry it out of the mud again, and then forcefully carry it to dry land and point it at its waiting mother. God doesn’t abandon us either, and sometimes, like with the mud-caked young animal, He has to carry us kicking and screaming to safety, and point us in the right direction.
The second reason we run off on our own is our natural desire to be independent. This is human nature, and in some situations it seems to serve us well, but the best course is for us to consistently trust and lean on God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
This is a very popular scripture, and is made so by our constant insistence on doing things ourselves... and then getting into trouble as a result.
I have taken a number of management courses and at the root of all of them is the need to use the resources around you efficiently... managers are not there to do all of the work themselves, but to coordinate and guide the process. The reason why we have to be taught this, and reminded of it, is because our nature is to jump into a situation and do the work ourselves. Now, we don’t manage God, but we do have the same inclination to do things on our own.
The best course of action for a manager is to get everyone working together to achieve a common goal, and the best course of action for a Christian is to listen to God and let Him direct us in the path that He knows is best for us. When managers try to do all of the work... they fail! When Christians try to take charge of their own affairs... they fail. The point of this is to let God manage, and for us to obey Him as He does.
I was in a school function and was sitting in the gymnasium waiting for the event to begin. Next to me was an unruly young child who was about to fall off of the back of the bleachers, so I told him to come down from his dangerous perch, but the child looked at me, and with a stern expression, and defiant tone, said “You are not the boss of me!” So, I lifted him up and set him safely back on the seat. He didn’t like that and climbed down to the gym floor, but he didn’t fall and hurt himself. God speaks to us and gives us guidance... we call it His will, but so often we are just like that incredulous child, and say “You are not the boss of me!” Does this sound familiar? Have you caught yourself doing this in some fashion? Unlike my handling of the child, when we are adamant and want to take charge, God will often allow us continue on, because He knows that when we get ourselves in deeper trouble we will eventually look to Him for help. This then becomes the lesson He will teach us... Trust, Obedience, and to listen to His voice in all things.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your will, and for guiding me in my life through it. Help me Merciful Father to ask you for counsel and to listen to your instructions when I do. Your wisdom is perfect Father, and although I think I understand all that is needed in my life... I do not. Leaning on my own understanding often brings calamity, but trusting in your wisdom never leads me to harm. Tune my hearing Lord so that I hear your voice, and tame my obstinacy so that I will obey readily. I pray that I never again say to you “You are not the boss of me!” as an unruly child might. Teach me to lean on you in all matters, and to trust you without question. I praise your name Holy Father, and give my will over to you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God. Great and perfect is your will for me, and tireless is your desire to lead me in righteousness, and holiness, to your side.
Rich Forbes