I was starting a class the other morning, about to ask my students for any prayer requests. But I first put the morning's scripture up on the board. Today the verse was 1 Corinthians 10:13, and we chatted briefly about applying it to our daily lives. At about that moment I was reminded of something a friend posted on social media a few years back. I first explained to the students that neither I nor my friend look seriously to the messages found inside fortune cookies for direction in life. But I told them that I was glad he posted this particular message that day, because its words have stuck with me ever since: "Do not mistake temptation for opportunity."
Let that quote sink in fully. I would imagine that this is some sort of ancient proverb, possibly from the Chinese culture. But it wouldn't surprise me if it's some paraphrase of one of the Bible's proverbs. The depth of those few words astounds me! How many times in life have we looked at a situation or opportunity and assumed it was God's best, arriving on a silver platter, when in fact it wasn't what it seemed? Whether it was simply a good thing coming prematurely or whether it was actually something that could bring us eventual harm, the point is that God expects us to discern rightly in these matters.
Do we have to be experts in every area? No! But God does want us to come to him with items that need his wisdom (and don't all the meaningful ones need that?). Let's face it, some things in life are too important to risk skipping God's input about them. The enemy knows this, and will often try more subtle means of getting us off track. The right mate, car, promotion or other life-altering situation may not be a complete blessing if it arrives too soon, and the wrong situation will never be right, especially if we act on it apart from God's will for us.
As we move forward in life, asking God to order our steps and open the right doors at the right time, we need to give him the chance to do exactly that. But sometimes this involves patience on our part, while we watch certain things unfold over time. So often we're trying to create immediate results when God is more concerned about the part of the bigger picture we can't yet see. The good news here is that he isn't trying to frustrate us. Rather, he is trying to bless us in a way that protects us from mistakes (and sometimes from ourselves) as we navigate forward in this journey called life.
Direct my steps by your word.
–Psalm 119-133 (NKJV)
@drtimwaters
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