God at Work
“For it is God who works in you to will and
to act according to his good purpose.”
to act according to his good purpose.”
Looking
back on the events in my life that set the stage for my giving my life
to the Lord, it is pretty clear that I failed to recognize the Lord at
work in my life. A look at just a portion of what happened back then
might help each of us learn to recognize that the Lord is daily at work
in our lives to accomplish His plans and purposes.
It
was the mid 70’s and the real estate developer who owned the 188 acre
farm that we were renting in Lima, New York had given us notice that he
was selling the property and that we would have to move. Despite not
having running water (a well and a pump were our source of water), we
were very fond of the farmhouse and the peace and relaxation of living
in the country. To say that the news of having to move was not well
received would be an understatement. But soon after, three of us who
lived there responded to a simple ad, “country estate for rent, $350”
and found ourselves in a far better place. And it was at that place that
I found Christ and received His salvation.
What
I now realize, many years later, is that in answer to prayer, God had
moved on the heart of that developer to sell his property. His actions
were neither random nor coincidental. God was at work; I just didn’t
recognize it. God had also coordinated the timing of his notice to us so
that it perfectly coincided with the ad being placed in the paper. And
that meant that the Lord also had to move on the heart of our new
landlord to rent out half of his house now that his children had moved
away. Wow, was God busy and all in answer to prayer, and all for my
good, leading and guiding without me having a single clue.
One
translation of John 14:7 begins with Jesus saying, “If you had learned
to recognize me…” We are to learn to see the Lord in every situation we
face and in the people He brings into our lives. What we consider
ordeals are most often opportunities. What we see as obstacles to our
success are the very means of our preparation for God’s next step.
Trials and difficulties in life are to be opportunities for us to trust
the Lord and for our faith to grow as we exercise it. When
we see a problem as an ordeal or an obstacle, we fail to see the Lord
in the situation and we miss an opportunity to grow and to be
strengthened. Let’s stop giving in to frustration and discouragement at
the first sign of difficulty and trust that the Lord, out of a heart of
pure love, is at work in each of our lives.
God Bless, Pastor Joe
Gateway Church
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