I know I already wrote a post on God's will (for those who read my post Maturity & God's will) but this post goes in another direction and expands upon the other post, as well as it gets more personal. So bear with me for part 2! :P
Have you ever wanted something? I mean really wanted something? In my younger days my family nicknamed me the "bulldog" because I would get things I wanted (like a toy or something) on my mind and with the tenacity and force of a bulldog's jaw, think about said item until I could save the money or my birthday would come around. Now I haven't gone too crazy in a long time and do a way better job of waiting, though I'm still impatient sometimes... Okay a lot of the time :P. But we all have dreams, things we hope will one day be a reality on our life, except we don't always trust God with our dreams.
So it goes something like this: you have a dream or a desire, you want it really bad so you make the best plan humanly possible to achieve all you desire because then you have control over your plan but there's a problem. You can't make this plan (your own will) come to pass, you can't really hope that it will happen because even though we want control over our lives, deep down inside we know we don't actually have control. So you pray and pray but still you can't have control (though we never actually have control) over this plan and trust God at the same time, because to really trust Him you have to let go of your will, to be able to (think you) have control over your plan makes you throw your trust in God out the window.
Then after awhile of trying to balance these two things you become depressed because you start to see that your will just isn't going to be reality (and you figure out you ain't going to be perfect this side of heaven). Your dreams all die and you lose yourself in the darkness of depression and anxiety, you stop living your life and the mental drain of it all makes even the simplest tasks seem nearly impossible...
How do you come back from that?
It takes several things (or it did for me, my experience is mine and everyone else will have their own path which may or may not involve these truths). First, seeing that life isn't about you - "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30. Second, you surrender your will. Third, trust God with your whole heart.
And by "whole heart" I mean your thoughts, even the not so pretty ones, everything that you care about, everything in your heart that means something to you. Because to not talk to God about what your heart desires drives a wedge between you and Him.
But if you seek His will in your hearts desires and you choose to follow and trust Him in them, you will see that there are three categories of dreams (or thoughts, hopes, whatever you want to call them here):
1. A dream that God gave you, He put it in your heart. (for a good thing)
2. A dream God gave you, but you took it and ran with it and try to make it a reality on your own. You don't take the time to think and see that God is in it because He is the One Who put it on your heart. (The second is just like the first but you aren't trusting God with it)
3. A dream that God didn't put on your heart, which means that either the devil put it there, gave you the idea, or you just came up with it all on your own. (If it originates from the devil you can pretty much guarantee that it isn't for something worthwhile, unless it's doing a really good job of looking like it's a good thing. Or it's wrong simply because it isn't the will of God.)
And trust me, it might not be easy to let go of something that falls into the third category, but I can guarantee that someday (if not immediately or soon after) you will be very thankful that He said "no".
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
When your worrying or thinking about something or wanting something, bring God into it, involve Him and seek His will in it. Because when you let your requests be made known to God and surrender it to Him and acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:6), not only will you know the way, not only will you get what is truly best, but you will have peace and complete assurance in it.
When you seek hope for good desires in your own power, the devil twists those good desires so that they seem poisoned and impossible, because you are seeking those dreams on your own, without the help and blessing of God. (talking about category #2 or possibly #3, you'll have to pray about each dream individually to know which is which) And not only is any hope you conjure up for things you want in your own power false hope, it also shows you aren't trusting God, when you hope for things but don't acknowledge God in them you can't trust God in them. So you are really just setting yourself up for a fall and disappointment in the future.
So, if you wait on the Lord:
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
Have you ever wanted something? I mean really wanted something? In my younger days my family nicknamed me the "bulldog" because I would get things I wanted (like a toy or something) on my mind and with the tenacity and force of a bulldog's jaw, think about said item until I could save the money or my birthday would come around. Now I haven't gone too crazy in a long time and do a way better job of waiting, though I'm still impatient sometimes... Okay a lot of the time :P. But we all have dreams, things we hope will one day be a reality on our life, except we don't always trust God with our dreams.
So it goes something like this: you have a dream or a desire, you want it really bad so you make the best plan humanly possible to achieve all you desire because then you have control over your plan but there's a problem. You can't make this plan (your own will) come to pass, you can't really hope that it will happen because even though we want control over our lives, deep down inside we know we don't actually have control. So you pray and pray but still you can't have control (though we never actually have control) over this plan and trust God at the same time, because to really trust Him you have to let go of your will, to be able to (think you) have control over your plan makes you throw your trust in God out the window.
Then after awhile of trying to balance these two things you become depressed because you start to see that your will just isn't going to be reality (and you figure out you ain't going to be perfect this side of heaven). Your dreams all die and you lose yourself in the darkness of depression and anxiety, you stop living your life and the mental drain of it all makes even the simplest tasks seem nearly impossible...
How do you come back from that?
It takes several things (or it did for me, my experience is mine and everyone else will have their own path which may or may not involve these truths). First, seeing that life isn't about you - "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30. Second, you surrender your will. Third, trust God with your whole heart.
And by "whole heart" I mean your thoughts, even the not so pretty ones, everything that you care about, everything in your heart that means something to you. Because to not talk to God about what your heart desires drives a wedge between you and Him.
But if you seek His will in your hearts desires and you choose to follow and trust Him in them, you will see that there are three categories of dreams (or thoughts, hopes, whatever you want to call them here):
1. A dream that God gave you, He put it in your heart. (for a good thing)
2. A dream God gave you, but you took it and ran with it and try to make it a reality on your own. You don't take the time to think and see that God is in it because He is the One Who put it on your heart. (The second is just like the first but you aren't trusting God with it)
3. A dream that God didn't put on your heart, which means that either the devil put it there, gave you the idea, or you just came up with it all on your own. (If it originates from the devil you can pretty much guarantee that it isn't for something worthwhile, unless it's doing a really good job of looking like it's a good thing. Or it's wrong simply because it isn't the will of God.)
And trust me, it might not be easy to let go of something that falls into the third category, but I can guarantee that someday (if not immediately or soon after) you will be very thankful that He said "no".
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
When your worrying or thinking about something or wanting something, bring God into it, involve Him and seek His will in it. Because when you let your requests be made known to God and surrender it to Him and acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:6), not only will you know the way, not only will you get what is truly best, but you will have peace and complete assurance in it.
When you seek hope for good desires in your own power, the devil twists those good desires so that they seem poisoned and impossible, because you are seeking those dreams on your own, without the help and blessing of God. (talking about category #2 or possibly #3, you'll have to pray about each dream individually to know which is which) And not only is any hope you conjure up for things you want in your own power false hope, it also shows you aren't trusting God, when you hope for things but don't acknowledge God in them you can't trust God in them. So you are really just setting yourself up for a fall and disappointment in the future.
So, if you wait on the Lord:
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31
"Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act." - Psalms 37:4-5
And trust Him with all your heart:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
"He must increase, but I must decrease."- John 3:30
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
And seek His glory in all you do and hope for:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33
"He must increase, but I must decrease."- John 3:30
You will either receive what you ask for, or your heart will change, God works through your desires because "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13. And He really does want the best for you:
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11
So trust Him with your whole heart, let Him take control. Make your life about His glory and live for Him, the reward for that is well worth it - an eternity spent with Him. And even when disappointment or waiting on your dreams has you down, we are the children of God and that alone is enough.
Thanks for reading,
Zachary
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