Not What I Expected
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
ME: Jesus, I don’t think You’re giving me what I expected in life! I mean, I’m getting older now and life is still very difficult for me. What’s my problem? Am I expecting too much from You?
JESUS: What more are you expecting?
ME: I don’t want to have to work this hard.
JESUS: Have you asked Me to make it easier or are you expecting Me to read your mind?
ME: Perhaps it’s a little of both. You already know my every thought so why won’t You help me out?
JESUS: Do you remember a time when you sat crying in your living room in Guatemala. You desperately wanted, yes, even needed My help but you were just too stubborn to ask? As you looked out over the scenic mountains, your exact words were these, “God, why won’t You help me?” And the response was this, “You have never asked Me.” When you finally surrendered to My will for your life, what happened?
ME: You made a way for me to come back home.
JESUS: My child, do you not think I can help you again?
ME: I know You can. But until You do, I’m just tired of the struggles.
JESUS: You are in the same stuck-in-a-rut situation again. You need Me but somehow you think you can do this on your own. You are tiring yourself without need. I am here for you. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.*
ME: Once again, You are correct as You always are. Maybe I’m angry that I fell a year ago and it hasn’t healed yet. Perhaps I am grieving all the things I can’t do any more.
JESUS: And…You are forgetting to rejoice in what you have and can do! Yes, your life changed but it did not end. I am taking you on a different adventure now and you need to trust and obey. And please stop whining and complaining. That is not part of My plan for you.
ME: I’ll do my very best for You!
*Matthew 7:7 (NIV)