I woke up today, started my daily routine--bathroom, make bed, get a cup of coffee, check my phone for messages, read my daily verse. My brain is sort of on autopilot in the morning, ticking off what is on my things to do list, calculating when I should feed the dogs, take my walk, what to eat for breakfast, and mulling over whatever my current situational worry warrants. Normally, it takes at LEAST a cup of coffee before I can even begin to fathom God's Word, or compose my morning prayer. This morning, though, the Word actually grabbed me, sat me down, and turned off the noise in my head. Two things I read jumped out at me:
"O LORD, you are my God: I will exalt you;I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure." (Isaiah 25:1),
and
"So I find myself praising God for the joy in the little surprises and wonders, for beauty in the everyday and even the regularity of the chaos." (Mandy Stock, March newsletter).
Plans and chaos. Don't we all start out every day thinking about our plans for the day, the week, for our future? And aren't those plans sometimes frustrated by the everyday chaos of our lives--traffic jams, storms, emergency phone calls, a sick child, a broken appliance? Do we look at our current situation, bump it up against our plans, and become frustrated because the two don't marry up? Do we succumb to the chaos, revel in good news, fret about our worries, and totally miss the point? That, regardless of whatever current situation or drama is impacting our lives, God is sovereign, and He planned it ALL out, before the beginning of time. That whatever we are going through is part of His plan, and will ultimately glorify Him. And, that there is beauty in the chaos, and order in our seemingly random, frantic lives.
God, give me patience and peace and joy as I enter this day, and every day. Show me how to be thankful for the expected and the unexpected, because You have planned it all before I was even born. Teach me to lean on you, trust in you, wait for you, and most of all, to praise you.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8)
No comments:
Post a Comment