Something About God

 

"Trust the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding. In allyour ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3: 5-6

Something About GOD GOD has a habit and a pattern of separating people before He expands them. Nobody likes separation. Not from a relationship, friendship, job, family, a dream that you've been holding onto for years. Separation hurts because it feels like loss, but WHAT IF it isn't loss? What if the separation is just preparation? Joseph, for example .. GOD didn't send him straight to the palace. He allowed him to be separated from his father, his brothers, his home, his reputation, his freedom BEFORE he handed him a throne. GOD has to separate you from the life you've outgrown BEFORE He introduces you to the life He prepared. And again, take Abraham. The first thing God said wasn't here's your blessing. It was, "leave your country, your relatives, your father's house and go to the land I will show you." Sometimes GOD doesn't even reveal the destination until you trust Him to leave what's familiar. How about Elijah? GOD told him to go to a brook, Cherith, and every day He sent ravens to feed him. The brook gave him water and everything Elijah needed was there. And then? One day that brook just dried up! Imagine that for a second. You're obeying GOD. Doing exactly everything He told you to do. And then, one day the very thing that was sustainimg you just disappears. The Bible doesn't say Elijah sinned. It doesn't say GOD abandoned him. The brook dried up because that season was over. Here's what GOD showed me. The brook was never Elijah's source GOD was. The moment the brook dried up GOD already had a wndow waiting in Zarephath. The provision changed but THE PROVIDER didn't. Some keep praying for GOD to bring the brook back but GOD is saying: I dried it up because I'm trying to move you. Maybe the relationship ended because your purpose just couldn't grow there. Maybe the friendship faded because your calling was getting too crowded. Maybe you lost the job because your identity was tied into your paycheck. Maybe the door closed because you would have never walked away on you own. Ultimately, God will guide us from a rocky path we're onto a clear path whih points straight ahed. Jesus was led into the wilderness BEFORE He stepped into public ministry. David lived in caves BEFORE he lived in the palace. Joseph went to prison BEFORE he was made ruler over all Egypt. The pattern isn't punishment. The pattern is preparation. Don't confuse GOD'S pruning for GOD'S rejection. Jesus said in John 15:2 every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. GOD doesn't prune dead branches. He prunes fruitful ones. So maybe what feels like God is taking something from you, it's actually GOD making room for something you can't carry until your hands are empty. Some doors didn't close because GOD let you, they closed because He refused to let you settle for less than where He's leading you. Give God your whole heart instead of just part of it. Pray daily. Make it a habit to let Him be a part of every choice and action you make. When you do, GOD PROMISES to help clear your way and lead you in the right direction. Trust His plan no matter temporary silence, the passage of time, or if you think He's forgotten. HE HASN'T. He's working things out for your good IN HIS TIMING. Until He comes, -Pat-