“Part of waiting on God includes praising him that providence refuses to give us more . . . if getting more would actually create a spiritual vacuum in our hearts.”- Dr. Wayne Stiles
Wayne Stiles continues Chapter 8 of Waiting on God by commenting that “God’s love and protection come just as much from what he keeps as from what he gives. In other words, God remains sovereign over every last detail of our lives. Consequently, any problem with our situation or circumstance equates to a problem with God.
Therefore peace, including peace of mind, requires personal sacrifice. Yet, Wayne wryly observes, we cling to baffling priorities no matter how old we get: “We find ourselves at the breaking point of something valuable because we refuse to release something trivial.”
God must be much more than a moral compass to guide our decisions. Every event, even the bad ones, needs to be viewed through the filter of God’s sovereignty. Furthermore, Dr. Stiles asserts, that may be the biggest lesson we learn from Joseph’s life. Dr. Stiles expands that thought:
“Yes, he uses all things– even that one thing you think is an exception. Honestly, he may us that one thing most of all in your life.”
Similarly, we get things backwards when we confuse God-ordained events as occurring purely as a result of our own doing. Put another way, we view God as the effect and ourselves as the cause.
This type of thinking comes to a screeching halt when we find ourselves in a situation where we can do nothing. Backed into a corner, Wayne notes, “we can come up with ten airtight reasons why sticking with God’s Word will flop.”
We create a spiritual vacuum in our hearts.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help fill the spiritual vacuum in your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our impossible situations”
