Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. Rev. 4:1-2 (NLT)
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Phil. 2:13 (ESV)
“I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good.” Jer. 29:11 (NLT)
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the constant reminders of how little control we have over anything—over the number of our days or the quality of our health; over circumstances we don’t like and the people we do love; over the many blessings you give us and the challenging stories you write for us. You are God, and we are not. Hallelujah!
Father, I’m good with the humility and vulnerability being your child brings me, as long as you keep giving me an unobstructed, undiminished, 20/20 sighting of you sitting fully, joyfully, and sovereignly on your throne.
I don’t need a timeline of when Jesus will finish making all tings new, or a sneak preview of what it’s going to look like. All I need to know—in my heart of hearts, is that you are constantly at work for your glory in my life, and that your plans for me are good—even when in the moment, it might seem otherwise.
You gave Jesus for our perfect and full salvation. Why would I ever believe that you’d withhold anything from us, central to your will for our lives and for the outworking of your plans for our world? You promise sufficient grace, not the satisfaction of my agenda. You promise Christlikeness, not a hammock and a cool breeze. You promise full redemption, not immediate relief. Father, I want what you want. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ kind and glorious name.
