This morning I woke up with these words racing through my mind, Where there is a will, there is a way. Even in my sleep-fuddled mind, I knew that was not right, and it took me just a moment to realize what was wrong—the way needed to be God’s will.
I remembered a song I learned in my childhood but hadn’t thought about it for quite some time. The lyrics are by Don Moen: “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me.” What an incredible comfort to know God is always there for us, but why then were these words running through my mind?
God has a way of whispering what he desires for us, but that whisper comes in many forms, and we must actively be listening.
That was my problem. I had the will and was looking for a way, forgetting to seek if my will was also God’s will. Was I listening to the whispers, focusing on His path for my life? That was the true moment of revelation for me. Because I believe I always put Him first, I had not prayed going forward in this situation.
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God’s love is so encompassing He had placed roadblocks to cause me to stop and listen to His whisper. He was calling on me to call on Him. I was led to Proverbs 3:5-8: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
Again, I was reminded of the Almighty Comforter that our God is and of His infinite goodness.
I may forget about the little prayers to take away my anxiousness and fill me with peace during troubling times because I pray to Him for others and feel I shouldn’t bother him with my small difficulties. That thought process breaks God’s heart—He wants me to talk to Him, depend on Him, share my joys and my sorrows. He is the Creator and in complete devotion to His creations.
Thinking about hurting God broke me. It was so easy to imagine because as a mother I have felt that pain with my own children. The times they are hurting but choose not to come and seek my advice. Remaining silent when I see they are making a mistake but trying to let them make their own decisions and gain independence. That is our relationship with God. He gives us free will, but He also gives us a roadmap so we don’t have to suffer—if we would just open it and read His love letters to us. Call on Him any time of the day or night.
So, the next time I wonder about the way, I will pray first—God’s will, His way, knowing that path will be easier than trying to navigate my own way.
God promises to clear the wilderness, even give water in the desert. “…I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19, NIV).
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I am grateful I listened to His whispers to stop and focus on Him, or I could easily be on a slippery slope, never reaching His goal for my life, and I bet it is even better than what I could ever imagine.