Wow. God’s ordering of our lives can be many things. Frightening, exciting, eventful, dull, bland, fun, and a host of other descriptors – but one stands out: everlasting. You see, this month’s topic in the A Year of Listening Up series at 1Glories has been quite interesting, challenging and insightful. I had really expected it to be either sort of boring or extremely difficult. Perhaps both. I mean, how much can really be said about live your life with a mindset of being constantly prepared?
But, as I have pondered, studied, prayed and read this 7 Posts on how God’s Ordering of our life works, I’m starting to see some common themes and getting a renewed appreciation for how the Potter is molding and shaping every one of us daily, minute-by-minute. I’m aware of a desire to see more of a big picture that only God can fully see at once. I’m aware of how God desires for us to not be satisfied with complacency and the status quo. I am trusting that he does not intend for us to do it alone.
God’s ordering for our lives is him at work as he is preparing our lives. We don’t always follow the script as it’s laid out, but we’re always being directed.
7 Posts on God’s Ordering of our Lives
I am getting even more keenly aware of just how great our God is – in how God’s Ordering plays out and more – and the simple fact that God. Is. In. Control. Here’s seven posts from elsewhere on the blog sphere that helps us gain a richer understanding of God’s Ordering in our lives:
How God Prepares Us to Serve Him – Genesis 2:4-25 (Crossroads Community Church) – Provided here from the pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Massachusetts are three observations about how God typically prepares those who trust in God and seek to serve him. God Provides a Place to Serve (Genesis 2:4-8), God Provides a Project to Do (Genesis 2:15-17; 1:28), God Provides a Partner to Help (Genesis 2:18-22).
We often come to God and pray, “Lord, what is your will for MY life?” instead of praying “Lord, what is YOUR will, and how can I join you in it?”
Pope Francis: God always prepares us for our mission (Catholic News Agency) – Elise Harris, in this post from 2014, details the Roman Pontiff’s address to those in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse, centering it on the I Kings, in which the prophet Elijah searches for the Lord, yet finds him only in a small breeze.
“The Lord prepares the soul, prepares the heart,” he said, “and He prepares it in trial, He prepares it in obedience, He prepares it in perseverance.”
How God Prepares us for the Harvest (Live the Good News) – Crystal Hall reminds us of how nature and seasons mimic our lives. For instance, the leaves of the trees “let go” of their branches so the tree will stand up to winter storms that could bring heave snows that would bring trees to the ground should the leaves reluctantly hang on to their grip. In the same way, God prepares us to endure. “God sees what we can’t. He prepares us so we can.”
The Christian Mom’s Guide to living out 1st Timothy 5 – Welcome Home Ministry (Welcome Home Ministry) – Tiffiney Holmes offers a message to Christian moms, encouraging them to live their lives with the end goal in mind (something we all should remember to do). In her message, she encourages meditation on 1 Timothy 5:9-10. The passage is presents how a church is to care for widows, but Paul clearly does not expect them to be idle. Verse 10 describes women known for hospitality and generosity, implying that widows who are supported by the church are those that might be called upon to serve others even in their old age. In that context, Tiffiney offers up several simple ways to be “busy at home” and do “good deeds” at the same time.
Why knowing Your Purpose Doesn’t Mean You Are Ready (Propel Women) – A former Miss USA, Kristen Dalton relays to readers how it was hard for her to pin down exactly what she felt her calling was because of a broad range of skills and interests. As she tried out various opportunities, she found them to be unfulfilling and was – more or less – aimless. So she grew closer to God, and, as she says, “The more God revealed Himself to me, the more I felt the burning desire to share His love with other women.” Yet, even with an aim, she felt stalled in moving forward on her calling (a sentiment I can fully relate to and share in Listen Up, Kids). She landed on a Joyce Meyer devotional that presented life seasons, specifically seasons of preparation, and it helps her get in tune with God’s prompting.
Our Needs Point us to God (Desiring God) – Christine Hoover shares her experiences at a zoo over spring break in which she participated in feeding otters. During that event, she was provided with an understanding of how our human needs can point us to God, while also explaining why we should not fear going to him with our needs. “As a Father who loves perfectly, he gives us exactly what we need in exactly the right way. Better yet, he understands our need, having walked in our human shoes of physical limits and emotional and relational pain.”
The Roadmap of Life (Living a Faith-Filled Life) – Jenny Shinskey uses Jonah 3:10 to helps us understand that life takes many unexpected twists, turns and will veer into positions we never expected, “leaving us unable to see what’s ahead.’ As she reminds, Jonah found this out the hard way partly because he didn’t even realize there was a bigger picture.