Stop Trying to Figure it Out

Can you believe it’s almost February? I can’t. I can hardly believe it is 2022 – we are practically two years into this pandemic and while so many things are different, many things stay the same. We are more isolated now and more polarized than ever before. Social media gives us a sense of being together, but social media is a filter for what is real - people only put out what they want to share with others. Whether it is truth or some manipulated version of it, only they truly know. The one thing I can appreciate social media for is as a means to share encouragement and God’s Word. This is true! It is the foundation on which we can build our lives and know that it will stand the test of time. So, why don’t we do a better job of setting our lives on that foundation versus trying to figure things out for ourselves, when the instruction book is already written?

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m an engineer. I like building things and seeing how things work. I like thinking through designs and figuring out clues. One of my strongest traits is that I’m a problem solver, as are many of the engineers I know. While it is usually a strength, it does sometimes come in conflict with the need for me to follow God’s instruction, which sometimes comes with very little information about potential outcomes. This sometimes makes it a little more difficult for me to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). I mean if I knew what the outcome is, surely I could work backwards and come up with a path to get to that destination right? 

Well, I’m coming to realize that is the point. God doesn’t always want me to come up with the path. He wants me to trust Him to do knowing that He always has my best interests at heart. I can trust Him with me. I know I’ve said this before, but it resonated more with me this morning. God wants my love and my dependence on Him. He is my source and He reminds me of that. I don’t have to worry or fret because when I don’t know, He does. In fact with Him it’s already done, I just have to walk it out in faith. Because I have Hope (confident expectation) in Jesus and I trust what He’s already done for me, I can walk boldly into the unknown because I know He has it. If I can trust Him to save me, I can trust Him to order my steps.  

I recently read about Joseph. He went through an awful ordeal at the hands of his brothers. A teenager who’d been kept home by a loving father and hated by his brothers. Can you imagine being sold to strangers because of jealousy within the family (Gen 37:18-36)? As a slave, he was elevated and God gave him wisdom and knowledge (Gen 39:1-11). Because he wouldn’t commit a sin with his master’s wife, he was sent to prison after she lied. He spent years in prison. Through it all God continued to give him leadership experiences for where He was taking Joseph. Could Joseph have given up? Sure. Some would. But Joseph didn’t compromise His character and beliefs even when it got hard. He didn’t quit even though He didn’t know where he was going. He stood firm and took steps as God led him. And, sure enough after years of conditions no one would willingly seek, God made him second in command over all Egypt (Gen 41). From slavery to the palace by the time he was 30. Who does that? God!

That is also the path we must take if we want to fulfill God’s will and purpose for us. No, I don’t mean we need to spend time as a slave or in prison, but I do mean we need to go where God leads us, even if it’s an unpleasant experience. Our job is to keep our eyes on our Father in Heaven and our ears attentive to His instruction, moving when He says to move and being still when He directs it. We have to get out of our own head (Thanks Theresa). We don’t have all the answers. He does. Trust Him and be obedient (Deut 11:1). Do what He says and even if it currently doesn’t appear to be working, He is always working things out for the good of them who are His (Romans 8:28). God loves you and me and He wants the best for us. It’s a waste of time and energy to try figuring everything out. We just need to take the next step. Give him what you have. Show up offering your best. He may just blow your mind. I can’t wait to see what He does next.