Reflectins, June 7th, 2009

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Reflections: Why Ask if You Are Not Going to Listen?

"Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: ) That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do." Jeremiah 42:1-3

Scripture reading for this week: Jeremiah 29:11; 41; 42, Proverbs 3:4-7, Romans 7; 8

How many times have you had someone ask your advice or opinion on a matter, only to do the opposite of what you've told them? How did that make you feel? Here you are taking out valuable time to share what you believe should be done (because they asked you), only to have the person not follow it. And in the end, the path they chose was the wrong one.

How did that make you feel? Angry? How do you suppose God feels when we seek His face, and in the end, do not follow through and go our own way?-only to lead to disappointment and sometimes even destruction. God is a merciful God. More than it would anger Him, it grieves the Father's heart when we do not follow the directives of what we have asked of Him.

It is my sincerest prayer that this week's Reflection will bring encouragement and enlightenment to your heart and mind. May God's Word be illuminated and bring revelation to your walk in Him. I pray that your walk in the Lord will grow stronger and be filled with obedience.

Why ask if you are not going to listen? Why do we do that? Why do we ask for advice and not follow through? Could it be because we already know what we want to hear? Ah-ha! There in lies the crux of the matter for so many people: we really don't want to receive advice that does not confirm or coincide with what we have already made up in our hearts and minds to do.

The truth of the matter is, we want to hear what we want to hear, so we can do what we really want to do. We are looking for someone to agree with us. And we will continue to ask people until we ask the person that agrees with what we have already determined in our hearts and minds to do.

Perhaps we know that what we really want to do isn't the best thing to do, and we do not really like the answers that God sometimes gives. Can we be honest with ourselves? How many times has the Father directed us to do something, or spoke something into our hearts, only for us to say: I don't think that was God? Why? Because it did not line up with our own will. There are two wills at work here: God's divine will, and His permissive will. Many times we really are seeking God's permissive will; that which He will allow us to do, because that is what we really want. Other than His divine will; which sometimes is not what we want or the way we want to go, but will lead us into an abundant life.

Jeremiah 42:4-7
"Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, ‘I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you'. then they said to Jeremiah, ‘The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil to us, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of our Lord God'. And it came to pass after ten days that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah."

The remnant of Judah had come to Jeremiah the prophet, seeking him to go before the Lord and ask what they should do. Not only did they ask for direction, but they stated that no matter what the Lord had said, they would be obedient and follow what the Lord had directed them to do.

But wait, in their hearts they had already determined what they were going to do, and God knew this. They had desired to go into Egypt because they felt that they would be safer there, rather than go into Babylon, because of the apparent conflict with the King of Babylon. They were not truly seeking God's will; instead, they were seeking permission, or God's blessing on their own will.

God tells them to stay in Babylon. He promises them that He will save them and deliver them from the hand of the King of Babylon. He tells them that He will show them mercy and cause them to return to their own land (Verses 10-12).

Knowing the hearts of His children, God tells them as well, that if they should choose to not obey the voice of the Lord, and go into the land of Egypt, where they believe they shall be safe and never go hungry and be free to do what they want, that the very thing they feared would happen to them in Babylon, would fall upon them in Egypt (Verses 13-18).

How many times have we've sought the Lord, only to want what we want. Our true desire is not to hear what God's divine will is concerning our life. We want to hear God tell us what we have already placed in our hearts. When we pray and ask God, we often ask amiss. We seek God to answer us with the answers that will satisfy us; the answers that we have already in our hearts.

God knows this. And yet, He admonishes us to follow what He has called for us to do. Even if it seems difficult, and impossible. Yet we know that all things are possible with God.

Yes, God desires for us to have the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4) But when you have delighted yourself in the Lord, and you have spent time in the presence of God, you will come to know that the desires that you now have, line up with the desires that God has for you. Your desires and God's desires for you, are now the same.

When we ask of God, we should be prepared to know that it may not be what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. Sometimes He will tell us what we don't want to hear, because the truth can sometimes be painful. But when we are obedient to the will of God; when we follow what He has instructed us to do, oh the reward that comes from being obedient!

Do we really believe that God does not have the best for us? Do we really think that what God asks of us to do will lead us to harm and disappointment? Not the God I serve! He is loving and just. And everything that He does for us, is for our best. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Even when our flesh cries out. Because we know that the flesh and spirit are always at war with one another. (Romans 8:6-10) But God knows what is best for us. Even the things that would seem to overcome us; God, for those that are obedient, will make sure that all things will work for our good. (Romans 8:28)

When we seek the Lord and His direction, be prepared to follow through with the answer that He gives. Know that it will not always be what you want to hear; but will always be what you need to hear, and what is best for you.

God admonished the children of Judah. They asked of Him, and said that they would follow whatever the Lord their God said; whether they liked it or not. But when push came to shove, they disobeyed the Father, and went into Egypt. (Jeremiah 42:19-22)

It is my hope that your hearts are filled with a thirst and hunger for righteousness and what God has ordained for you. May God's divine will be precedent in your lives, and the spirit of peace and prosperity find rest in your: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, social and financial lives. Take heed to the voice of our Lord. He will never lead you into wrong; only into right, and a life of abundance in Him. Be attentive to His voice. Be Blessed, my friends.

©2009. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.