Redirection: When God Changes Your Plans

Merriam Webster defines redirection as "to change the path or direction (of something)." Sound familiar? Let me see a show of hands of anyone who has experienced redirection in their life. Mine is waving, high and proud. I imagine yours is too.

Life is full of redirection. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes not so much. I look back on my life and see many times when things didn't work out the way I thought they would or should. Some were by my own making, others I had no control over. But almost always, on the other side of it, I see why the redirection had to happen. It wasn't always obvious right away. Sometimes it takes years to understand, and in some instances we may never know why life went in a completely different direction than we intended.

As a follower of God, I sincerely believe he has plans and purposes for our lives. I don't think he has every minute of every day planned out for us. We are not puppets in his hands. But Psalm 139:16 tells us that "all the days ordained for me were written in your book." God knows the day we'll be born and the day we'll die. He also knows everything in between and it matters to him. What we do with our lives matters.

So when redirection comes, especially the kind we have no control over, we have to trust that our Heavenly Father is up to something. I've experienced this and I know how scary it can feel. When my husband lost his job in 2008 after being with a company for over 23 years, we didn't know what the future held for us. We would have never imagined that four years later we'd accept a job that allowed us to live, work, and play on a 400-acre ranch in the hill country. Fast forward five years and we are once again facing redirection. Are we anxious? Kinda, but I'm praying that my trust will have no borders. God is up to something good! I just need to be patient and wait on the Lord.

In the Book of Acts, Paul and Timothy are going from town to town, region to region, preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. I'm sure they had plans and dreams and ideas of where to go and who to see. But in Acts 16:6-8 we see redirection:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas." 

Redirection at its finest. What awaited Paul and Timothy in Bithynia? We don't know, but Jesus knew and redirected them. Has that ever happened to you? Don't go there, go here instead. Don't marry that person, marry this one. Don't take that job, take this one. Even diseases like cancer force redirection. Like Paul, we have a choice when we are redirected. We can choose to embrace it and trust God with our future, or we can fight against it, mourn what we feel we are losing, and even derail everything by ignoring it all together.

I am learning to trust redirection. It isn't always easy. It isn't always fun. I can be a bit stubborn sometimes, but God is a patient Father, thankfully. And I can say with complete confidence that no redirection ever hurt me. Yes, they tested me. Yes, they stretched me. But I have always, always come out on the other side better for it and even thankful for the new direction.

If you are experiencing redirection, hang in there! I am! God has great plans for you and me!

Blessings,

~Michelle

When We Mess Up

I have a confession.

I mess up from time to time. 

You too?

Whew! I'm glad I'm not alone.

The truth of the matter is, everyone messes up now and then. Everyone makes mistakes. As Romans 3:23 says, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sometimes our messes are pretty small and insignificant. Often we--and God--are the only ones who know it even happened. Those are the kind of messes that clean up pretty easily without too much trouble. We learn a lesson and move on, unharmed. 

But other times our messes are big, and ugly, and hairy, and stinky. Sometimes they are so big they affect other people in our lives. That's when things get difficult. Cleaning up this kind of mess isn't so easy. It's not impossible to clean, but it usually takes a lot of time and hard work to get things back in order. And sometimes we've messed things up so badly, we actually have to start over again.

Paul made that kind of mess when he chose to oppose the new Christian movement. We first meet Paul, known as Saul at this point, in Acts 7:58 and 8:1. Stephen, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (6:5) had just been stoned to death. Saul, though apparently not in charge of the stoning, stood by and watched with approval. One chapter later (9:1) we find Saul "breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." 

Saul messed up. Big time! And the funny (not "haha" funny) thing is, Saul thought he was doing God's work when he messed up!

(Hmm. Me thinks this is a good time for personal reflection. Can you think of a time when you thought you were in God's will, when in fact you weren't? I can!) 

Saul believed the Christians were going against God. He thought they were blasphemous by referring to Jesus as the Messiah. Surely God would want those people destroyed before they infected the entire Jewish population. Surely it was justifiable to imprison them and murder them. Right? Right?? Wrong!

God doesn't like messes. He makes this abundantly clear all throughout his Word. Every mess a human being can possibly make has been talked about within the pages of the Bible. It is full of instructions of how not to make messes, but also what to do when messes happen anyway.

But the beautiful thing about messes is that they don't have to stay messy. They don't have to stay ugly, and hairy, and stinky. We don't have to wallow in the mess we've made. We can be made clean! Jesus died for our messes!

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." Isaiah 1:18-20

Saul surrendered his mess to God in Acts 9. He was willing and obedient. He realized how wrong he'd been, and he paid the price through guilt for the rest of his life. Many of his letters are sprinkled with references to his sorrow over his decisions, but thankfully he didn't wallow in it. He sought forgiveness from the Forgiver of messes. 

Some of you are still living in your mess. The choices you've made, the actions you've taken, the beliefs you've accepted. My prayer is you will let God clean it up for you!

I did!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:

USA, United Kingdom, Bermuda, China, India, Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, Australia, Russia

Lessons from Acts 12

Acts 12:1-24 has some powerful lessons packed into it! The whole book of Acts is something every believer should read over and over, but today I'm going to focus on those twenty-four verses. I won't include it in its entirety, so I encourage you to grab your Bible and read along with me.

To set up the story, let me tell you a few things that have been going on. Peter, John and the disciples are spreading the Good News about Jesus throughout the region. Hundreds and hundreds of people are embracing the Truth, and it's exciting! But just as it is today, there are people who simply will not see the truth. Saul, later called Paul, is one of them. In Acts 9:1 we read, "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." And he wasn't alone. King Herod and the Jewish leaders wanted to put a stop to the disciples mission.

That's where our story picks up. In a nutshell:

King Herod has James, the brother of John, killed. (Breaks my heart every time I read that.) Peter is arrested and thrown in prison. It's not looking good. He is chained and surrounded by guards. But just when things look impossible, an angel comes to Peter and he escapes.

Here are the lessons I take away from this passage of scripture:

• Bad things can happen even when you're following Jesus. James is killed (v.2) and Peter is arrested (v.3). Sometimes we think that once we accept Jesus as Lord nothing bad should ever come into our lives. But that just isn't true. Jesus himself said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) 
• People were praying for Peter. A group of believers gathered together and prayed "earnestly" (v.5) for Peter. That is what we are called to do for one another. God most definitely hears our prayers. Revelation 5:8 describes golden bowls in heaven full of incense, "which are the prayers of the saints." Our prayers are a pleasing aroma to God.
• God has a plan. Peter is sleeping in prison, bound with not one but two chains, with a guard on either side of him. There are sentries standing at the door. There is no possible way for him to escape. Does that stop God? Absolutely not! God had plans for Peter and not even an impossible situation was going to prevent it from happening. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
• Joy comes when we trust God. Peter walks out of prison, thinking he's dreaming. But when the angel leaves him on the street, a free man, he knows God did this. When he arrives at the house where the disciples have been praying all night, they're amazed to see him. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
• Death comes to everyone. I almost feel sorry for the guards who woke up to find Peter missing. After Herod had a thorough search done, he gave orders for the guards to be executed. I hope Peter had a chance to share the Gospel with them, but we'll never know if they were ushered into paradise, as James most assuredly was! Better to die for God than for a king. (Revelation 20:11-15)
• There is only one God! "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God." (Isaiah 45:5) When Herod is praised as a god (v.22) he is struck down by an angel of the Lord. And...gasp!...he is eaten by worms. Herod clearly became full of himself and forgot Who deserves all the praise and glory.
• The Word of God can't be stopped! Despite the efforts of Herod, the Jewish leaders, and the guards, "the word of God continued to increase and spread." (v. 24) Despite the negativity we see today against the Bible, against the Church, and against Believers, the Word of God can't. be. stopped! God is in control today just as He was in control back when this story took place. Nothing and no one will stand in His way. 

As the title of this blog and the accompanying verse declares, "I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as follower of the Way." (Acts 24:14) 

I wouldn't want it any other way!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:

USA, United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, Georgia, South Korea, Slovenia