Oh! how I wish I could avoid change sometimes. It is nice when I am in control and prepared for it or even consider it necessary but when it is beyond my control and I have no idea how it will turn out, then I am concerned and weary. But God’s change is always for good even when the process is painful. There is always a purpose, on His mind, to His change. It’s never change just for change.
Ezekiel 22: 27 “I will overturn, overturn and overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it to him.””
As we enter into this New Year, please prepare for change. We are coming into something different and new. Of course, there is nothing new under the sun so what you come into may be something that has happened before but for you right now, it is change and it is new; causing you to alter several things in your life but that is God. He is making a difference to establish you in His ‘promise.’ People may begin to treat you differently, even in a way you may not appreciate but take no offence; for it is time for change.
Hebrews 10: 9b “He taketh away the first that He may establish the second”
I know it is painful when a friend is taken out of your life at an “inappropriate time;” inappropriate to you but very appropriate to God. It is sad when you lose a friend to death but I think the pain may be greater when they had no choice but to betray you because God needed them to step out of your life and you won’t let them go. Not all friends are meant to remain in your life forever; you have to understand and love them enough to let them go. God may need them out of your life to answer your prayers.
What if God takes a precious thing from your life? Something that, unknown to you, has become an idol to you. It may seem like a major loss but it is time to look up and see the hand of God turning the wheel slowly ensuring that His work in your life as the potter is made complete. What if it is your job that needs to go? However, be certain that through the difficulties associated with the ‘seeming pain’ God will carry you if you let Him. Fear of pain or the unknown must not cause us to hold unto the old.
The Israelites went through a lot of changes to get to the Promised Land. It was a major change for Joseph when He had to leave the prison for the glory. I can imagine that as they took him from prison to see the king, he may have had some fears. He didn’t know what the future held for him. After all in prison, he found favour with the security men and was some sort of leader amongst the prisoners. The prison had become his comfort zone; but he ended up with a great job.
The long awaited answers to our prayers are here but will you receive them? Will you let go of them because they aren’t what you expected or they are taking you out of your comfort zone? Just taking a few steps higher on a staircase changes your perspective completely. Your view is wider, the risk of getting wounded if you fall is higher and then the tendency for you to be more visible is higher. Things definitely change. Going from glory to glory is a lot of change but it is the goodness of God. You can’t insist on remaining in the same place and hope to enjoy the goodness of God.
Isaiah 43: 19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?”
But for the mercy of God I would have lost a job HE blessed me with just because it didn't quite look like I had imagined. But HE had better plans for my life than I had for myself. The job didn't appeal to my senses (flesh) and so I struck it out. Thank God that HE preserved it for me and now I'm beginning to understand why. I pray for grace in the future to receive of Him even when it looks totally off point
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