How many of us have either thought or said this at one time or another?
Certainly there are times that we are humbled and corrected. We find out that we were asking God to give us what we want, instead of asking God what it is that he wants for us. Next thing you know, we are deluded into thinking that God wants for us what we are selfishly seeking. God is faithful that when we seek the truth and trust him, he shows us the error of our ways.
On the reverse end though, there are times that we also let circumstances cause us to doubt. This is what I want us to take a moment to consider as well as offer some help in determining when we may have done this.
Look at Jonah. Jonah offered his service to God, God told him what to do, then Jonah questioned God's judgment because of the way he saw things. He didn't see the point of it and probably questioned what God wanted him to do because of it. I wonder if Jonah was not in the belly of the fish at some point thinking, "Well... maybe it wasn't really God's will for me to make it to Nineveh." I am sure being spit out on the shores there settled any doubt. He could have saw it as coincidence that he was spit out in that place at the time that he was originally supposed to make it there. I see this as a "turning" point for Jonah. By turn, I mean repentance. Isn't it interesting that Jonah had to reach a place of repentance before he was ready to tell Nineveh to do the same? Certainly God would not have sent him to the people as a hypocrite.
I never really thought about it like this before now. It certainly gives us more reason to rejoice in the trials that we face.
I wanted to offer more examples, but I also don't want the intro to this thread to be so wordy that it discourages people from reading it.
Are there things that have either happened or are happening that you thought were God's will but now are not so sure? What are the circumstances that are causing your doubt?
Certainly there are times that we are humbled and corrected. We find out that we were asking God to give us what we want, instead of asking God what it is that he wants for us. Next thing you know, we are deluded into thinking that God wants for us what we are selfishly seeking. God is faithful that when we seek the truth and trust him, he shows us the error of our ways.
On the reverse end though, there are times that we also let circumstances cause us to doubt. This is what I want us to take a moment to consider as well as offer some help in determining when we may have done this.
Look at Jonah. Jonah offered his service to God, God told him what to do, then Jonah questioned God's judgment because of the way he saw things. He didn't see the point of it and probably questioned what God wanted him to do because of it. I wonder if Jonah was not in the belly of the fish at some point thinking, "Well... maybe it wasn't really God's will for me to make it to Nineveh." I am sure being spit out on the shores there settled any doubt. He could have saw it as coincidence that he was spit out in that place at the time that he was originally supposed to make it there. I see this as a "turning" point for Jonah. By turn, I mean repentance. Isn't it interesting that Jonah had to reach a place of repentance before he was ready to tell Nineveh to do the same? Certainly God would not have sent him to the people as a hypocrite.
I never really thought about it like this before now. It certainly gives us more reason to rejoice in the trials that we face.
I wanted to offer more examples, but I also don't want the intro to this thread to be so wordy that it discourages people from reading it.
Are there things that have either happened or are happening that you thought were God's will but now are not so sure? What are the circumstances that are causing your doubt?
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