Focus on God, Not Circumstances
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Colossians 3:2)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3)
There is a mystery, an aura, about the living God that is designed to force us to trust Him, even when we cannot figure Him out (which is most of the time). Why? Because He is inexplicable. He is unfathomable. He is infinite.
The mystery is purposeful, because His overall plan is profound. And let’s not forget that His plan is not designed to make us comfortable; it’s designed to make us more like Christ, to conform to His will. Nor is it intended to make human sense. In fact, more often than not, God’s will is downright humanly illogical. There, I’ve said it.
In this life, we have “focus” choices. We can focus on ourselves, we can focus on our circumstances, we can focus on other people, or we can focus on God. When you think biblically (which is another way of saying theologically), you focus first on God. Regardless of what you want, regardless of the circumstances you’re under (what are you doing under there anyway?), regardless of what others say or think, regardless of how you feel, God and God alone is working out His great plan. And in the final tally, it will be fabulous!
God is working His will in us. He is shaping us into the image of Christ, which means His Son’s discipline, His endurance, His faithfulness, His purity, His attitude, His whole philosophy of life. God’s goal is to make us like His dear Son. And that is a lifetime task . . . our lifetime, that is.
It’s a completely new way to look at God’s will. Meaning? Do you know what I would suggest we do? Spend less time analyzing God and more time obeying Him. You say, “What are the practical ramifications of that?” That means this: When you follow His will and find yourself in a situation you cannot explain, don’t even try. If you do, you’ll use human wisdom, and you’ll just mess things up. Call it like it is. It’s another of His mysterious surprises. Practice using words like “I don’t know.” “I don’t understand.” “This is beyond me.” “It doesn’t make sense to me . . . but that’s okay. God knows.”
Taken from The Mystery of God’s Will by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1999 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
