Arranging for Life

Randy's journal entry from May 8th...

Genesis 16
"So Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant (Hagar). Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.

Returning to Dallas Willard's quote: "We must stop shouldering the burdens of outcomes."

Satan's tactic is to question what God has revealed. His goal is to bring shame and hiddenness. His goal is to lead us to arranging for life... Take things and circumstances into our own hands... Abram had been told by God on several occasions that he would have descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. God had promised his protection and His provision. Yet, Sarai had another plan for accomplishing this. She arranged for life. And Abram agreed and acted on her proposal. He took his question to the woman instead of taking it to God. In their arranging, Hagar was wounded and God's plans were thwarted. Abram and Sarai chose to shoulder the burden of their outcomes.

So, here I am, and God has revealed a new assignment for Melody and I. He revealed that we are to partner with Him in a full-time endeavor to set hearts free. He has revealed that He is redeeming our brokenness to help save and sustain marriages. And we are reaching financial forks in the road. The enemy is using various circumstances to defeat us, shame us, and cause us to want to hide. In our hiddenness, we are tempted to question what God has already revealed. So, I choose today to trust and not arrange for life. I choose not to try and figure life out and make it happen. God has called us and given us this new assignment. As a loving Father, he has revealed that He will provide and protect. I choose to trust. I will not shoulder the burden of outcomes. The real challenge of today: to arrange or to trust.