In the Center of His Will

Life is good. I mean...really, really good. Right now, today, in this moment...life is good.

Why?

Certainly not because all our bills are paid. Certainly not because we don't have any worries. And most certainly not because of anything our government officials are doing over in Washington!

Life is good...really, really good...because I truly believe I am right in the center of God's will. 

How do I know?

Because I can look back in my life and see the times when I was NOT in the center of God's will. Not in my walk with Him. Not in my career choices. Not in my marriage relationship. The difference is staggering when I think about it. When I am not in God's will -- meaning, when I am doing my own thing my own way -- I'm not happy. I don't have joy in spite of all the bad and worrisome things going on in the world. I can't see the big picture. I wallow in today's problems, usually complaining and griping to myself, my family, my friends and my God. And, the worst of it, I feel distant from God. I often wonder, "Where are you, Lord?"

When I am not in God's will, it's usually because I haven't sought His direction and advice. Or if I have and didn't get the answer I wanted, I kept going my own way without Him. The thing is, God has a plan in place for each of us. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." He created you and me with purpose. We're not here by chance or accident.

Simplistically, think of yourself as a car. A car is designed for a specific purpose: To be driven. But it can't go anywhere without a driver. We humans need a Driver too. If we don't let God sit in the driver's seat, we'll end up going in the wrong direction. We'll end up in places we never would have or should have gone. When we break down, there's no one there to get us fixed. And if you let the wrong driver take over the controls, you can really find yourself in trouble.

Like a car, there is a manual that tells us how to operate this life we're given: The Bible. In the past few years I've read the Bible from cover to cover a couple times. And you know what? Folks way back then had the same problems we have today. They may look different, but they're pretty much the same. Family problems. Money problems. Government problems. Societal problems. When God's people turned away from Him, trouble followed. When God's people sought him with their whole heart, peace and joy followed. That doesn't mean all their problems disappeared or they had an easy life from that point forward. Peace and joy go a lot deeper than that.

I know life will not always feel as "good" as it does today. I know we often experience calm before the storm. We still have a stack of bills and mountains of debt. We still have kids who are trying to find their way in this world, making those inevitable mistakes all parents dread. We still have mortal bodies prone to disease and sickness. Life is short and can end at any moment.

But today, I'm basking in the peace -- real peace! -- of knowing I'm in the center of God's will. He's in charge of my life today. And happily, I'll let Him take care of all my tomorrows too.

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Today's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, Russia, Belarus, Australia, Israel, Poland, Sweden, India, South Korea, Germany