We can go through life and miss some of the things that God is trying to teach us if we don’t intentionally seek to learn from God. Some things are obvious, but others aren’t, and we can miss the point if we don’t ask Him or don’t open our eyes to what He’s trying to show us through our experiences.
As we commit things to God and pray about them beforehand, He can guide us and give us His wisdom, which He has promised to give generously to those who ask in faith (James 1:5). But it’s just as important to pray afterwards about the outcome, especially when things didn’t go the way we expected or wanted them to. If we take time to think and pray about it, He can help us learn from every experience.
The way Jesus works in our lives and the way He chooses to do things is often past our comprehension. We have to remind ourselves constantly that He knows best, that He does all things well, and that His priorities are often different and much more long-term and “big picture” than ours.
Even with all of His awesome promises—promises like, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He [will] give you” (John 15:16), “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7), and “If you have faith, nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20)—we have to remember that we’re not the ones with the bird’s-eye view of the past, present, future, and master plan for eternity. Ultimately it is God’s will that must be done. God is in control, and He knows best.
We can take comfort in the fact that every Christian of all time has had to learn to place their trust in God and His wonderful ways when things didn’t turn out as they had hoped. Remember that Jesus wants to be your personal Shepherd (Psalm 23). When you feel alone, when you need a shoulder to cry on, someone to understand, a word of sympathy and encouragement, He is always available.
You can go to Him and receive His guidance, encouragement, and peace. As He speaks to your heart through His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 NKJV) and through His written Word, you’ll understand Him better, and you’ll realize more than ever what a close and caring friend He is.
***
God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, and He wants it to be the deepest, most meaningful, most fulfilling and rewarding, most natural part of our lives. He wants to add a wonderful new dimension to our lives and all that we do—the dimension of His loving presence.—Julie Vasquez