I like to plant things – flowers and vegetables. I love to watch the flowers bloom. I love to pick and eat fresh vegetables. Unfortunately, I don’t have a green thumb, and I always seem to run into tribulation along the way.
Some of the first flowers I planted never came up. Those that did died for lack of sunlight because I was unaware of their needs. I went on to greater things.
I decided to plant vegetables in a sunny spot. After all, I had helped with the garden when I was growing up. I dug and found rocks. I dug some more and found roots. I continued to dig and found the ground was a lot harder than I thought.
I finally got the soil prepared. I planted. I watered. I fertilized. Year after year, my harvest was meager. Storms blew over my corn, and the wild animals – deer or raccoons – ate the rest. My leaf lettuce was mowed down to the dirt. Although I did get to harvest and eat some of the vegetables, every year brought a new adventure.
If I had known what I was doing, and if I had been able to predict the future, I may have made better choices in my gardening adventures.
Life is a lot like gardening. We don’t know all that the future holds, just like I did not know what would happen to my gardens year after year. You can spend all your time chasing after what you want the way you want it, like I spent my time planting a garden the way I wanted to plant it instead of the way it needed to be done.
On the other hand, you could seek God’s plan for your life. Then you replace a “need to know” with faith, and you walk as He tells you to walk.
Will you achieve great things?
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:5
Will you have money?
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Matthew 6:20
Will you have peace?
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
Will you have grace?
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
LIFE APPLICATION
Our challenge today is to realize that trials and tribulations will come, but life is a whole lot simpler when you trust God and do things His way. You won’t need to know the future. Your faith is meant to fill that gap. All you really need to do is follow the plan God has for you.
I challenge you to continually pray and ask God to show you His plan for your life. Write down what He shows you, and then walk in that plan. Blessings follow obedience. The blessings that God has for you are waiting.