Have You Been Arrested?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

"Have you been arrested?" That was the question…we were a bit shocked by it. My husband assured the landlord that he had never been arrested in his life--he must have simply marked the wrong box when filling out the application form. We did not appear to be a good "risk," but God answered our prayers. The landlord said, "Yes--and allowed us in." When God wants it, it WILL happen. What a blessing it is to watch events unfold while trusting God.

The greatest lesson we can learn in life is to Love God, and to Love People. The hardest lesson we have to learn in life is to Love God and to Love People. We may say, "Oh, it’s easy to love God." But is it? What does loving God look like? Does it involve trusting Him? And if it does, how many of us are willing to go that far, to love Him so much that we will trust Him with the circumstances in our lives, and the lives of others, without trying to control and manipulate things? And what happens when we don’t get our way? We get frustrated! We get angry! We stop…loving others as we should!

If we love God and trust Him as He calls us to, would we stop loving others when they don’t agree with us? Most times, only the spirit can go on loving when it doesn’t get its way, because the spirit can remain strong with the power of God that is available to those that believe. As believers, we have the power of God available to us! Anytime we want to tap into it, it is there. The question is, will we? Will we use the Resource available, or will we give in to the temptation and try and manipulate and control those around us? In that manipulation, there is no trust in God. In trying to control others, there is no trust in God. Only by allowing God to do what He needs to do, in HIS timing, in HIS way, will we find any peace in our lives and in our relationships with others.

We don’t stay happy and full of peace by manipulating our situations. Oh, it seems to help sometimes…but in the long run, we miss out. We miss seeing the miracles of God as He works in the situations—we’re too busy interfering. We end up missing the joy that comes from watching His perfect timing, and His tenderness in dealing with those around us. We jump in much too quickly to try to fix the problem, to try and make the situation right, or control what the outcome will be…we miss the peace that comes in trusting God.

Can we live without demanding all the answers, until we meet our Savior face to face? Can we allow God to work things out in our lives as well as in the lives of others, in His timing and in His way? When we can, we will begin to know what it is to truly love God and to love others as we should, and we can rest. We struggle so because we are not willing to give it all up. It’s not about who we are or what we do--it’s about Whose we are and what He does through us and for us each day!