Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Yesterday I spoke about trust and what some of the symptoms that we might manifest in our lives because we do not trust God. I believe that frustration is one of them. We are asked to walk by faith, yet faith is the evidence of things unseen. It is easier to trust in things we can see and examine. Abraham was asked to go to a place where God would show him. The start was a leap of faith because God asked Abraham to move before He gave Abraham directions.
Have you ever driven someone to a place you have never been and you listen for their directions. Frustration sets in if you miss a turn. Communication is vital in making it to the final destination. It would be so much easier if we knew their mind, it would eliminate any errors in listening, distractions, misunderstanding. You would know the path, the way.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Frustration for Christians sets in when we choose to listen to our thoughts and not His. Frustration sets in when we choose our path rather than His way. Frustration sets in when we discover our plans do not match His plans for us.
I find the issue of thoughts very telling in the opening verse. It is not God’s will, it is His thoughts. God’s will is paramount, it cannot be frustrated. His thoughts are something which is part of the communication process. He is willing to share His thoughts, but are we listening?
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
God only said “Turn here.” Having the mind of Christ, you know left or right.
Thanks for your highlighting the difference between God’s will and God’s thoughts. Your insight and “down-to-earth” way of explaining things is a God given blessing to me and I’m sure to many others as well. Many times things like this are missed when reading God’s Word…..this is one reason why all the members of the body of Christ are so important and needful.