My friend Michael has a favorite saying for when God does something inexplicable in answer to prayer: It’s not odd, it’s God.
For some months, Michael and a few others of us have been working on a major new endeavor. One of the first things Michael and another partner did was map out the entire project. The plan looked terrific on paper—so simple, so straightforward, so sure. We soon found out, however, that God had a somewhat different plan and timetable. And part of His plan seems to be to teach us to depend more on Him as our all-wise CEO.
Each partner brings something to the project. When none of us have what’s needed next, we have to find someone else who does. Or more precisely, we have to pray for God to send us just the right person to fill that need. He has done exactly that several times already, working in unexpected ways to help us meet someone we didn’t even know, but who He knew would be the perfect person to help us over the next hurdle.
Those “It’s not odd, it’s God” moments have set a different tone for the project, a more prayerful, patient, positive, and trusting one. When we come to an impasse, when we have done all we can but need something more, when all we can do is wait for God to work, we are now more likely to get excited than discouraged, knowing that He must have something better in mind than we could ever figure out or try to push through ourselves.
A surprise bonus for me has been how this new attitude is carrying over to other areas of my life. I find it easier to trust God when problems arise, and that helps me stay calmer, be more positive, and think more clearly. God’s plans, I’m learning, are much broader and better than mine. He’s one smart CEO!