Credit for this post belongs to Mr. Tim Challies, who unceasingly provides excellent, thought-provoking blog posts!
Particularly after last week’s sermon, this article reminded me yet again that God is sovereignly directing all aspects of our lives. His script, not ours, plays out in exactly the way he has foreordained. Just as the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, following the pillar of fire and the cloud of glory, so too Paul and his companions “wandered” through the ancient Roman Empire, following the Lord’s direction at each step along the way. In both Exodus and Acts, God used human heralds to proclaim freedom to the captives, so he might lead his people from the land of bondage into the land of promise. Even though the journey might have seemed “inefficient” to those enduring it, it was not without purpose, for it was through the journey that God prepared his people to dwell in the land he had prepared for them. So too is he preparing us for our promised land, an eternity dwelling in his presence.
Brothers and Sisters, let us rest securely in the hope that God is sovereignly directing our lives and labors. What might seem circuitous, counterproductive, or inefficient in the moment is not without purpose. By his word and Spirit, God directs us where to go and what to do. By his superintending providence, God overrules our failures and mistakes so that all things work together for his glory and our good. Because of God’s mercy and grace shown in Christ, he will one day tell each of his people, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” By faith, we can look at the road map of our lives and know that our destination is worth whatever “meandering” path God has planned for us. His plan, far from being haphazard, is a carefully plotted road map that grows, humbles, matures, and strengthens us in exactly the ways we need.
May we trust his plan for our lives, his road map for our sanctification!