Did you ever start a new job with the hopes of finding that “perfect” career, but soon found out that the workload was much more stressful than you expected?  Have you ever begun a monumental task and wanted to simply stop in your tracks, due to utter exhaustion?  Perhaps you started a charitable project, knowing it would benefit people who needed it the most, only to wish you could do something for your own family instead, lacking the time to meet the needs of everyone depending on you.  Sometimes, we literally bite off more than we can chew.  We want to help others.  We want to be kind to our neighbors.  We want to lend a hand.  But, there is only one of us.  There comes a point where we have to seek God’s will for our lives, and then choose what we feel He is calling us to do at this very moment.

A few years ago, I heard a preacher say, “Instead of asking God to bless what you‘re doing, do what He‘s blessing.”  Take a look at your own life.  Are you asking God to bless what you’re doing, or are you doing what God is blessing?  Surely, there are times in our lives when we, at least for a moment, think we know what is best.  But, in the times when we try to do something that is not in the will of the Father, we will find that the going truly gets tough.  On the other hand, if we are in the perfect will of God, we will be able to soar like eagles.  We will be amazed at what we can do.  We can do more than we ever dreamed if we are following the will of God, and if we are doing what God is blessing.

At times, God gives us blessings that we may even overlook.  Or we may purposefully push these blessings aside, simply because we desire something greater.  Imagine an individual who needs money to make a mortgage payment on their house.  God may provide an opportunity for this person to obtain a better job and a larger paycheck.  Instead of being grateful that they will soon be able to make enough money to pay their mortgage, they may be disappointed that God chose to give them a job instead of the money itself.  Of course, God knows that a good job with a steady salary will not only enable them to pay their mortgage, but to also afford to pay their electric bill, purchase groceries, and fill their tank up at the gas station.  While they may not initially see God’s plan for their life, God not only blessed this person with an answer to their prayer, but a better standard of living as well.

In other situations, God may bless us with the desires of our heart, yet we may not be able to fathom every single detail in the very beginning.  Let’s consider someone who may be praying for a new car.  They may want the flashiest sports car available, but an angel in disguise may freely give them a brand new SUV instead.  Rather than being excited about receiving a brand new vehicle as a gift, they may prove ungrateful, disliking the SUV because of their desire to have a sports car.  Nevertheless, God may know that a sports car would be impractical for them, since He may know that they will be expecting their first child in the coming months.  In the big picture of life, God has a much broader view of the future than any human being on the face of the earth.  He knows everything that will happen, when it will happen, and to whom it will happen.  He knows our comings and goings, even before we come or go.  Like the title of the classic television show, Father Knows Best, our Heavenly Father truly knows best.  Matthew 6:8 (NIV) says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  He knows our needs before they even cross our mind.  We need to seek His will for our lives, so we can be content and receive His blessings with favor.

Maybe you have been praying for God to bless your family, your job, your church, or some other part of your life; yet, you haven’t seen evidence of His blessings in your life.  When we pray “In Jesus’ name,” we are not reciting a magical phrase.  We are asking the Lord for His guidance, His wisdom, and His help.  When we pray, we should be praying for things that are according to His will for our lives.  We should pray for the things that are of interest to Him.  No matter what we do, if we do it in Jesus’ name, it should be something that He wants us to do.  If we decide to do something on our own, something we want to do, we should do it in our name instead.  So, before you make a decision, seek God’s will and follow His leading.  Do what He wants you to do.  Don’t make life more difficult than it already is by creating tasks of your own choosing.  Get involved with the things that God is blessing in your life.  Do what God is blessing, and you will find that you can do more than you ever imagined!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer