How many times have we fumbled or ploughed through a situation in our own strength without consulting the Lord, resulting in shipwreck? With God, there is a better way of working through problems. He has a “more excellent way”. Always!
An electrician was consulted to rectify some faulty machinery. He was informed that the previous electrician could not find the fault so had botched a solution to the broken machine. He had drilled a hole in the panel door and given the owner a stick to poke through and press the relay switch! It was unprofessional, dangerous and bungled. The second electrician was able to find the fault and repair the machine effectively. He had the knowledge and ability to perform “the more excellent way”.
God has a more excellent way, (1 Corinthians 12:31 into chapter 13), for our lives to function in His divine purpose. When I do things my way, the end result can be confusion and strife. If I invite the Lord into a situation, He has a master plan and solution to everything life can throw my way. He can direct a certain path to take, or He may instruct and say, “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10 as He works sovereignly behind the scenes. As I surrender my will to His, the life of His resurrected Son comes forth in me. This is God’s ultimate plan for all of our lives, His more excellent way.
I do not have to live my life on an emotional roller-coaster anymore. Isaiah 40:3-5 “…Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed…..”. This prophecy lives for us today. It is fulfilled through the finished work of Calvary. As I surrender my life, my will to the Lord’s, a royal exchange takes place. The life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, manifests through a surrendered life. His peaceable kingdom replaces the emotional roller coaster of valleys and mountains in my life and makes a level plain. Here His peace, joy and rest is hallmarked in my life. Trials will still come, but Jesus Christ will be steering my “boat” through the storms of life and I have a deep assurance that all is well, independent of whatever circumstance I find myself in because He is “the more excellent way” for my life.
How much of a Christian’s prayer life is spent asking God to change their circumstances instead of trusting Him to bring them through. All our trials are learning curves, opportunities to prove God. Jesus is called the “Amen” because He always chose His Father’s will over His own. We do not say “Amen”, so be it, to the circumstance, we say it to the Lord, the God of our circumstance. As we surrender, He brings us through with His strength and grace. He has a bountiful supply for us through Calvary. Here we experience the peace and rest of His presence. Often our problem is that we do not tap into the Source but continue to bungle through life in our own efforts. His ways and thoughts are much higher – a more excellent way.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to “practice your presence” in every situation and declare You are Lord of it, (not me!) May these words in the song by Matt Redman, (Bless the Lord, oh my soul”,) be my testimony:
“Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes….” AMEN!
