Faith or Frustration?

Faith or Frustration?

One of the most exciting things in a life of a Christian is to search for God’s guidance. Sometimes it can also feel like one of the most frustrating things! There sure are a lot of waiting involved. Very often we experience that human beings can make plans but God will decide whether and when something will happen. Like Thomas à Kempis (c.1380-1471) has said “For man proposes, but God disposes; neither is the way of man in his own hands.”

It’s all good, though. Because we desire God’s will and guidance for ourselves. We would not want it any other way. But when it happens that our plans go astray it sure is frustrating. Like today was supposed to be the official moving day of my blog to flowingfaith.com. It’s not going to happen today because the wordpress program is not working properly and it needs to be reinstalled. So, my childish fascination with the numbers of today (as we write them in Europe:11022011) is not going to choose the moving date of my blog. Sigh. But it’s all good. God has something better in mind. It will also allow me to better throw myself into preparing and celebrating our son’s fifth birthday party on Sunday. Thanks be to God.

Rick Warren tweeted on the 1st of February: “God’s plan for your life isn’t a map you see all at once but a scroll unrolled a little at a time, requiring faith.” That’s exactly how it is. Very exciting but also sometimes frustrating. If we just could know what is going to happen! Or if we have been blessed by a calling or a vision we would just want to know how it’s all going to work out! But we need to step out in faith. We need to believe in the unseen. We need to let go of frustration.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.(Hebrews 11:1, MSG)

One of my obedience things is to move on to flowingfaith.com and start spreading my wings little further. I’ve felt nudged to that direction quite some time now. I keep on working on to that direction even though I don’t have a map where I am going or timetable when everything is going to happen. But I know my Guide and that’s all I need to know.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

Gracious God,
Thank you for having plans for us!
Give us patience to wait for your timing.
Give us courage to act in faith.
Give us faith to press on.
Guide us clearly!
Give us eyes to see
and ears to hear your voice!
Be praised forever and ever!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What are your frustrations about searching for God’s guidance? How do you discern God’s guidance in your life?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you search for God’s guidance. No matter how frustrating it might feel right now know that God has a wonderful plan for you and in his time it will come reality. Meanwhile, be obedient, take small steps of faith and praise the Lord!

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Kendall

2 thoughts on “Faith or Frustration?

  1. Thank you for this encouraging post. I have been in a time of waiting for something important to me, and today I received news that the wait would be yet longer. It is so good to know that God uses the waiting to shape and mold us into His image! Thanks once again for blessing others through your blog.

  2. Thanks, Becky! Waiting is sooo hard even when we know God is in control. May something very beautiful come out of your waiting! God bless you!

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