Skip to main content

Bowing The Knee

  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

            And the pendulum swings. Over the past few days, I’ve been writing about trying to live more healthfully. But one of the books I’m reading brought up the valid question of whether I’m seeking to be obedient to God and follow where He leads, or I am trying to get a grip, get my act together, and take control of my life.

            Is exercising self-control bad? No. Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit, but am I exercising self-control for God’s glory? Or mine? There’s a sense of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” rolling around my mind today, and part of me wants to stamp my feet and tell God and myself to make up my mind!

            You see, it really doesn’t matter that God knows the plans He has for me. I want to know them. I want to approve them. This is a deep seated thing for me, because I’ve had people make decisions about my life without consulting me. I don’t think I can even call it a pet peeve, because it’s worse. It’s a betrayal. It’s one of the things I’ve been venting about since March. There are people who seem to think they have the right to assume the role of my parents, my masters, or my God, and they have no such right. But what happens with the one who makes the decisions without my input is my Father, my Lord, and my God?  My brain says, “That’s different,” but it doesn’t feel different. And a question I have had to answer before comes roaring back into my life: will I bow the knee? Will I say, “Not my will, but Thine be done, O Lord“?

            Yes, I will bow the knee even though I’m not sure what that is going to look like. At least, that’s my goal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more