'What is going through your head?' That's what my parents said to me while I was growing up. Even without the question, the look on their face said I should have known better. So I probably should have listened when they warned me about possible dangers.
The most vivid example I have is when I was 5. My parents were avid bowlers, complete with the checkered plaid and matching shirts. They would take me along. That's right. It has left a mark on my life. Whenever I enter a bowling alley, I instinctively crave Kool-Aid in a sippy cup.
They would tell me not to jump on the seats. 'You could crack your head open', my mom would say. Nooooo, that couldn't happen to me. This couldn't possibly be foreshadowing.
I wasn't even wearing those slick bowling shoes, but the next thing I knew, my head had met the corner of the scoring table. I saw blood. Lots and lots of blood. I'm sure I ruined my father's handicap that night as a trip to the ER does not help anyone's game. 5 stitches later I was fine. Only a faint scar reminds me of my disobedient ways. At least I'm not the only one...
In Jeremiah 42, some army officers come to Jeremiah. They are looking for direction. They want to know what God wants form them. They even say things smart Christians have learned never to say, 'No matter if it is good news or bad news from God, we'll listen to what He says.' I'm not saying God is like me, but if someone said that me, I'd deliver the bad news just to see how they would react.
Nevertheless they said it. What they meant was, 'Jeremiah, we want to leave and go to Egypt. Can you pray to God about this and then tell us what we want to hear?' But that's not how Jeremiah rolls. Jeremiah prays and comes back with God's message. God tells them exactly what He knows they're already thinking about doing. He tells them why it's a bad idea. He tells them how He'll punish them if they do it. It's pretty detailed.
They do it anyway.
I have worked with people who do this. They ask my opinion on something. I'm not sure why. Their mind is already made up. It's like my asking my wife if I should have cookies after the kids go to bed. We both know the minute after the last kid is tucked in bed, the Oreos are coming out.
Sometimes we see it coming. Many times our friends see it coming, like the relationship destined to end. All the time God sees it coming. Perhaps next time you ask God what He wants from your life, you should want what He wants more than what you want.
The most vivid example I have is when I was 5. My parents were avid bowlers, complete with the checkered plaid and matching shirts. They would take me along. That's right. It has left a mark on my life. Whenever I enter a bowling alley, I instinctively crave Kool-Aid in a sippy cup.
They would tell me not to jump on the seats. 'You could crack your head open', my mom would say. Nooooo, that couldn't happen to me. This couldn't possibly be foreshadowing.
I wasn't even wearing those slick bowling shoes, but the next thing I knew, my head had met the corner of the scoring table. I saw blood. Lots and lots of blood. I'm sure I ruined my father's handicap that night as a trip to the ER does not help anyone's game. 5 stitches later I was fine. Only a faint scar reminds me of my disobedient ways. At least I'm not the only one...
In Jeremiah 42, some army officers come to Jeremiah. They are looking for direction. They want to know what God wants form them. They even say things smart Christians have learned never to say, 'No matter if it is good news or bad news from God, we'll listen to what He says.' I'm not saying God is like me, but if someone said that me, I'd deliver the bad news just to see how they would react.
Nevertheless they said it. What they meant was, 'Jeremiah, we want to leave and go to Egypt. Can you pray to God about this and then tell us what we want to hear?' But that's not how Jeremiah rolls. Jeremiah prays and comes back with God's message. God tells them exactly what He knows they're already thinking about doing. He tells them why it's a bad idea. He tells them how He'll punish them if they do it. It's pretty detailed.
They do it anyway.
I have worked with people who do this. They ask my opinion on something. I'm not sure why. Their mind is already made up. It's like my asking my wife if I should have cookies after the kids go to bed. We both know the minute after the last kid is tucked in bed, the Oreos are coming out.
Sometimes we see it coming. Many times our friends see it coming, like the relationship destined to end. All the time God sees it coming. Perhaps next time you ask God what He wants from your life, you should want what He wants more than what you want.
Comments
I figure most folks don't really know what God wants them to do, so they act all religious like they know what God wants them to do.
I just finished sitting 3 and 1/2 years in a desert, and finally God said, let's move. It is exciting be a child of God.