Running From Greater Things

"God will intentionally lead you into situations you can't control."-Timothy Ateek

If we struggle with controlling situations, God will often intentionally put us in situations we can't control in order to help us trust Him and help us realize we cannot do it. We must trust Him, otherwise, we will constantly feel an overwhelming weight. We were never meant to carry as much as we try to take on. Jonah sets a great example of what happens when we try to take control, but that His plan will always prosper. As Jonah ran the complete opposite way of where He was commanded to go, God still brought Him to the place He planned for Him to go. When we want to control, God shows us the better option. What if He knows there's something better in dependence rather than control? What if He knows there's more joy, peace, and life waiting for you if you just depend on Him, instead of trying to control everything. Jonah tried to take control of his situation by running. God put Jonah inside the stomach of a big fish for three days, a situation Jonah could never control. It was a situation where he had to sit, instead of running around trying to control every part of their life. We ask God to guide us, but when He does, we try to redirect Him anyways to make things go our way. God knows what is best for us, but He wants us to realize that. It's not that God doesn't want us to be free, but He wants us to experience peace, and what He's planned for us. He will intentionally lead us into the uncomfortable, because it's there that we see all He created us to do and be.

It is far better to run with God than away from him, otherwise, we will end up in a stinky, even more uncomfortable situation, where all we can do is sit and be still. When we run from Him and His plan, He will put us in a place where we are forced to sit and listen. He just wants us to stop for a moment and listen to Him and where He's calling you. When you listen to His voice amongst a storm, His assurance within the doubt, He brings to you what He came to bring. Peace. Restoration. Grace. Rest. Every next step we take away from Him, adds an extra weight to our load. Contrarily, every step we take towards Him, removes weight from our load. When we wildly try to control everything and are constantly running from God instead of with Him, it is then that He will force us into a situation that requires us to just stop, listen, and surrender. If we aren't surrendering, we will come to a point that that's all we can do. We will come to the end of ourselves, because we weren't created to bear the weight of the world or of ourselves. But He was and He can.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."- Matthew 11:28-30

We will be weary and burdened, but His yoke is always easy and His burden light. Stop running from where He's calling, it will only exhaust you more. Stop running from greater things (His plan). What you think is great, God has far greater in store.