Thought corner-Jan 14th, 2007: His ways are higher!

As the year began, it just seemed like any other year to me, another year has come and soon to be gone. While everyone was making plans and goals for this year, I didn’t really see the point in making any. I wonder why? It’s amazing how God speaks to us sometimes, in ways we never imagined and all sources bring the same word from Him.
If you have been asking yourself questions recently on “Why are you here?”, “What does God really want you to do”, “Am I making the right choice?” or even “God am I living the way you want me to?” I believe God wants us to surrender our lives to him and trust Him to direct our paths. How do we surrender our lives to Him? No one can do that for you but by you making a step of faith in your Christian walk.
The sermon I heard today had so much of truth in it and one word that stuck in my head was “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). I have been thinking of that verse and how it applies in our daily lives and in a timely manner I watched the movie “Bruce Almighty” again and God again spoke to me through this movie. Yes ! God can speak through movies too. Many a times we think we know what we want for our lives and oh our wish lists can be really long and sound grand but will that really keep us happy or satisfy us when we achieve it? We don’t really know do we?
Just as in the movie, Bruce wanted to be the anchor man of the TV station he worked for, he wanted to be a success in his job and felt his life was just mediocre and felt he needed something more than what he had, although he made a lot of people happy just by what he did and the way he was. In the end, when he obtained everything he wanted he realized he lost what mattered most in his life and he had become someone he was not. If you watched the movie, you might have wondered if God had a sense of humour? I would like to think he does. I can hear him laughing at some of the stupid ideas I think of at times.
Anyway, you might be thinking, come on it’s just a movie but I guess it does carry a message to be applied to our lives. Many a times we think,”Oh God if only I make it until that level or if I had that, my life would be complete”. There is nothing wrong in having goals that we want to achieve but goals that do not have God in the plan are goals that will take us no where and leave us with a hole in our soul, a sense of emptiness just like the black hole. An unexpected ending to our achievements that would eventually, rob us of all joy and happiness instead of creating happiness and satisfaction.
When something goes in the wrong way or turns out opposite from what we imagined, we begin to wonder if God knows or even cares about us because we often do not see the bigger picture in life. In our lives of instant answers and a life of I want it now and I want it perfect, most of us including myself, forget to understand the plans God has for us. Often the way we feel are controlled by our immediate situation or the reaction we get from people around us but God knows the end, He can see everything from the beginning until the end because He is the Alpha and the Omega. For He says “I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me, I will be found by you” says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11-14). If we look for him in earnest? Now what does that mean? This refers to our private relationship with Jesus and no one should come in between this relationship we have with him. If we really seek him sincerely and not just as a show for everyone else to see, I believe he will direct our paths and help us understand His will for our lives.
So does that mean I need not make any plans for my life? Of course not but how many of us really know what we want? Better still how many of us know that what we want is what we will keep us satisfied/happy in the end? If you answered yes to any of the last two questions, please do enlighten me as I would really be interested to know. The God we serve is a respecter of freewill and in the end He gives us the choice, we can either surrender our lives to Him and let him direct our paths or follow our own path as we can sing along to Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way”
If we choose to follow God’s way, Proverbs 16 sums it all up and I end with this verse “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed” Proverbs16:3. May God help each and every one of us to know His will for our lives as we earnestly seek him this year! Till we meet again….