“Try again!”

My son has a favorite book and a favorite story that he asks me to read him frequently. This story in particular is a little paraphrase of John 21:3-6 and Luke 5:4-6; where Jesus tells the fisherman to put their nets out again after working hard and catching nothing. Today for some reason this story struck me in a new way. The paraphrase tells how the fisherman caught nothing and that a man called from the shore and said "Friends, try again!". Of course when they tried again they caught more fish than their nets could hold… This got me thinking. How often do we do things without success and simply walk away with no result? Maybe the key is to "try again!". How often are we discouraged that the result is not what we had hoped? Maybe the key is to "try again!".

As I looked up the verses in John it reflects Jesus telling the fisherman to throw their net on the other side of the boat. Now human logic would say I have fished all night here on this side of the boat with no results what difference will it make to move over the width of my boat to try it again??? Here is the interesting thing; sometimes just a few degrees will make all of the difference we need. Maybe our "try again" needs to have a slight course adjustment. What course adjustments is God trying to instruct us on that we need to listen to and obey? It could be ever so slight, but it could change everything! With my fertility struggle it was to take a leap of faith and change doctors by going to a new doctor not covered by our insurance and of course the story that follows was success for us and a growing family…

I also looked up the verses in Luke that reflects the weariness of the fisherman but also reflects their obedience to instruction. This portion of scripture is where Simon explains how they worked all night without success but it also says in spite of that I will do as you say Lord, because you are saying it. How often do we feel weary and give up? How often does it feel too difficult to continue in the face of seemingly poor results? Maybe the key is this simple obedience in the face of our weariness, trusting God that as we "try again" the result will be abundantly successful.

Ultimately I have been refreshed with the blessing of my sons favorite little story book! Today I have learned that often I need to "try again", that I need to be on the lookout for the slight course adjustments that God is leading me to make, and that simple obedience in the face of weariness is ever so crucial! I am encouraged today to not grow weary while doing good. I am encouraged that God is always faithful and that He is helping me be faithful too.

“The Lord Willing…?”

I had the pleasure of speaking with someone this past week about the neighborhood we live in. In the midst of the conversation they asked if we had children and of course we are always pleased to say that we do. We, in turn, asked if they had children and the response is something that has kept me thinking for the better part of the week. The response: "we desire children but the Lord willing".

The statement 'the Lord willing' is often heard among people who believe. It is interesting to me how often it is said when really we should be aware of what the Lord wills is based on His Word. The statement the Lord willing is not so much a statement as it is a question. In most cases the statement of the Lord willing is a hopeful, uncertain question of: I hope the Lord wills because I do desire this but I am not sure and I am too afraid to ask Him or use my faith to overcome the obstacles that are likely in the way of the Lord's will.

We know the Bible talks about the desires of our hearts and how God longs to give us those desires. If we are walking with God why wouldn't He will those desires in our lives? My guess is that most of the desires in us were put there by God in the first place. There were very few times in the Bible where the will of God was unknown and most of the time it was not so much an issue with not knowing the will of God but an issue with struggling to do the will of God; thus the prayer: Not my will but your will be done. This prayer was prayed by Jesus before going to the cross; this was not a prayer said because he did not know the will of the Father, it was said because it was difficult to do the will of the Father. If the Bible tells us what the will of God is why do we struggle with it?

The answer to the question: the Lord willing…? Is YES, most of the time I do believe that God is willing to bless us with the desires we have in our hearts! With me, my huge revelation of this was in my infertility battle. When we first found out we were unlikely to have children we got many responses from people that it must not be God's will for us to have children… This was a crushing thought to me, but it led me to dig in to the Word for myself and find out the answer. Is it God's will for me to have children? What is your question? What do you need to find in God's Word to see the answer of His will? "The Lord willing" needs to transform from a question to a statement of declaration and victory. The Lord is willing to bless His children!

“Know Who You’re Fighting!”

I had another profound thought process while watching a TV series I like… There was an episode in the show "Alias" that had the main characters on missions to identify the players of the terrorist group they were trying to take down. The characters knew how many there were and where they were operating from but they did not know the exact players. Throughout the episode they were getting pictures of the various players in the group they were after and placing them one by one on a big board for all to see. The objective: getting the faces of the members of the group they are fighting. The purpose: so they can plan how to defeat them effectively. At the end of the episode they had all 12 faces of those involved and the closing scene is of the main characters knowing how to proceed now that they have the faces of the enemy group they are fighting.

We do not fight against flesh and blood but we still need to know the faces of our enemies. What does my enemy look like? I know that my enemy is a thief; he is one who robs me. What areas of my life (or your life) have I been short changed or am I being short changed when really God has a larger portion for me to receive? I know that my enemy's goal is to kill and destroy me or the God given destiny I have to live out on this earth. What areas of my life are being hindered when I know that God wants to move freely? Asking these questions is necessary to help identify the enemy in our lives.

Too many times I think we settle for some weak justification of why something is not working out. For example we say "well, it must not have been God's will" and this comes flying out of our hearts and mouths before we ever investigate in the Word or talk to God about what His will is! Maybe the enemy is on the prowl convincing you to back off with a road block. Instead of being so quick to justify it as "normal" we need to dig our heels in and look at the reality of our enemy. If we know that what is in our hearts lines up with the Word then we know we are in line with God's will for us. We need to be alert and wise to the devices and faces of our enemy. How is the enemy hindering what God wants to do through me today? How is my today going to impact tomorrow? I need to know who I am fighting so that I can recognize him when I see him and simply continue on fighting the good fight and keeping the faith, staying my course! The enemy has a face and for too long we have ignored it or justified it. We are equipped to overcome and be victorious in all things!

 

 

“Plan B”

I've been thinking a lot lately about the comfort of a "Plan B", mainly due to some details in my life that tend to focus on "Plan B". I have found myself a little frustrated but today I had a new thought. I began to think of some significant events in my life that gave me a renewed perspective on "Plan B".

I thought of two experiences I have had in my life. The first experience was about the beginning of my infertility issues. My infertility diagnosis was not good or hopeful for me to ever have children of my own. My husband and I prayed, looked at all the options, investigated, studied and ultimately came to the conclusion that we needed to decide what we desired to see God do in our lives. When we decided that we desired children there was no room for "Plan B"! Many suggestions were made for "Plan B" but none of those options were in line with my deep desire for children of my own. The "Plan B" options were not bad they were simply not what we desired. We made the choice early on that we were going to trust God and that there was no "Plan B". God did exactly as we trusted Him to.

The second experience I thought of was the few times I have had the privilege of going to other countries to teach the Bible or do some short term missions work. There was always one common thing that impressed me when I had spent time overseas, the people believed God with no "Plan B"! Most of the time there was no room for a "Plan B" they either had to believe God or die. They believed God and God always came through!

This thought process got me thinking that "Plan B" is something we should get rid of completely. I have noticed the times in my life when I thought "Plan B" was needed that those were the times I was not really trusting God at all. My "Plan B" was due to my own uncertainty of God's ability. Why would I need "Plan B"? Typically my "Plan B" has been thought of out of my own efforts in how I will fix it if "Plan A" goes south. My "Plan B" agendas were birthed out of fear that God would not come through on "Plan A". My new perspective – get rid of "Plan B" and trust God!

Maybe the faith I saw in others when I traveled was due to the fact that they had no room for "Plan B" so they trusted God completely. There was no room for fear or wavering or a do it yourself plan; only God and His faithfulness was free to move. I do not want to limit God's plan in my life by getting in His way with my "Plan B". It is time to trust God completely, letting go of "Plan B"!