Trusting in Divine Providence

With age comes wisdom - at least that’s what they say. I have come to find that the older I get, the more ways the Lord finds to teach me, humble me, and keep me following His plan. It is easy to forget what this verse in Deuteronomy so plainly teaches us. The Lord goes with you to fight for you and against your enemies to give you victory. That is a powerful verse! The God of the universe has a perfect plan for our lives, is with us, and wants to give us victory. But so often our sinful nature kicks in and instead of standing with God to fight those enemies, we fight against God Himself to satisfy our own fleshly desires. 

Last year, I had the opportunity to take on some speaking engagements in the public sector, which IT people like me don’t often get. After my sessions, I was approached by several folks, both from my company and other companies, who told me how well I did and how they thought I could make a lot of money if I wanted to go into the public speaking circuit. My mind started wandering in so many different directions about how much money I could potentially make, what amazing places I could go, and what sort of a name I could make for myself. It was mesmerizing. As I was wandering through the outdoor garden of the hotel getting lost in all the possibilities, I heard an audible voice break through the noise. It simply said, “NO.” It stopped me in my tracks. I knew it was God speaking to me, and my flesh did not like the answer. 

Then came that fighting back against God I mentioned earlier. I found myself answering with things like “But, God, think of what I could do for You with that kind of audience” and “But I work hard, I deserve this.” God simply replied, “I have you right where I want you. You were not put in this world to make a name for yourself. You were put here to glorify mine.” That was a massive wake up call for me. 

I looked back at my life at all the times in my life I operated in my own sinful, fleshly desires. Desires to make a name for myself instead of glorifying His name. All the times I turned around and fought against, instead of with, the One who was ready to fight for me. I was ashamed. God has a perfect plan for each one of us. It is so much better than anything we could ever imagine for ourselves, despite what our flesh may say. 

So how are you going into battle today? Are you standing side-by-side with God and His perfect plan for your life or have you turned the sword on Him in favor of your own fleshly and sinful desires? 

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Dear Lord Jesus, we come before you today knowing that our sinful and fleshly desires are strong, and at times, they seem impossible to resist. But if our desires do not line up with Your plan for our lives, give us the strength to resist them and to trust You and Your perfect plan for our lives. Help us to remember that You, the God of the universe, is willing to fight for us and give us victory over our enemies. In Jesus name, Amen.