God will lead you places you would never choose. Unwanted places. Because the Lord is greater than we can imagine, it makes sense He wants for us more than we ever dreamed. The Holy Land proved it so.
(Photo: Sunset over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
God wants you to trust Him, and you’d like to do so. He wants you to glorify Him, to know Him, and so do you. But really, you often want to trust God only when you understand Him. Too often, that desire to know the Lord slices His list of attributes in half.
When you and I settle for anything less than all of God, we also settle for less than all we can become.
God Has More for You Than Conversion
Just as God fashioned the land of Israel to develop the spiritual lives of His people, so also He also shapes your circumstances for the same reason. So the Lord takes us places. Unwanted places.
- God will lead you places you cannot control.
- God will lead you to circumstances you don’t understand.
- God will lead you to situations that compel you to trust Him.
Like the Holy Land, in these sacred places of our lives, He reveals the weakness of our hearts so that we learn not to depend on ourselves. As our weak grip finally gives way, we discover the joy of our weakness is His strength—which carried us all along.
God Will Lead You in Spite of Your Weakness
The Lord Jesus has a good deal more for us than conversion. Coming to Christ provides only the beginning of the good work He will do in us—and the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
The God who seemed a sadist in your struggles has loved you in spite of you. Like Jacob, wrestling the Lord by the Jabbok, God allows you:
- To struggle against Him
- Then to struggle with Him
- Then, at last, to struggle for Him
Why? So that as you surrender, you become more like the one who prayed in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but yours be done.” You become all He created you to be.
Tell me what you think: What has God taught you by taking you places you never would have chosen? To leave a comment, just click here.
Like This Post? Get the Whole Book!
This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey Through the Lands of the Bible.
• These 90 devotional readings, each based on a specific place in the lands of the Bible, will help you apply the truths of God’s Word to your daily journey of faith.
• You’ll enjoy pertinent Scripture, inspirational quotes, photographs, maps, and a daily prayer.
After going places with God, you’ll never be the same.