YOUTH MOVEMENT
YOUTH MOVEMENT
had a conversation with someone recently , and it left me confused . Something they said left me thinking for several days . It seemed to rock some foundational beliefs I had , beliefs I didn ’ t really know I had . The person said , “ God doesn ’ t always get His way .” That sounds wild , doesn ’ t it ? The One who spoke life into being and created the cosmos , He doesn ’ t always get His way . Now , bear with me for a moment because I , too , felt this was a form of heresy when I heard it . But the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me the truth in this statement ever since .
God actually doesn ’ t get His way a lot . If He did , we would still be in paradise with perfect bodies , completely absent from any imperfections . We would live in a world where we didn ’ t have to work , feel sorrow , and always be with God . God ’ s heart always breaks when He sees His creation ’ s broken state . Every choice to not believe the truth , worship other things , or act selfishly grieves Him .
Where I found myself struggling with this truth was in my need to constantly “ spiritualize ” things by saying things like , “ God must want this to happen …” or “ It must be God ’ s will .” Now , I fully believe that God uses terrible things in this world for GOOD ( Romans 8:28 ), but was the initial happening His will ? We may differ in opinions , and this isn ’ t always a black-orwhite statement , but the God I see in scripture is One who only wants good to happen to His people . He loves us with everlasting love ( Jeremiah 31:3 ), even in our sin ! ( Romans 5:8 ). He ’ s been pursuing and drawing us back to Him from the beginning . And one of the most loving things God ever did for us was to give up His will and give us free will . God lets us decide to worship and follow Him or not . He didn ’ t create us as robots who must do and say everything He commands . There would be no love in that . When was the last time you did your homework assignment ? Was it because you love your teacher ? No , you did it because you had to . God doesn ’ t demand that we love Him . He doesn ’ t force Himself on us . The Bible describes it as Him knocking on our hearts ’ door ( Revelation 3:20 ).
Sometimes , we over-spiritualize things to help us feel better about our circumstances . But in the process , we sometimes skirt responsibility and point fingers the wrong way . We live in a fallen world where sin plays a real part in everyday life . The devil is actively pursuing our souls and trying to destroy our lives . Read John 9:1-5 , where you ’ ll see people blaming a man ’ s blindness on his or his parent ’ s sin . Jesus says it was neither ! He was born blind so that God could be glorified through him . I believe what Jesus says here , and I challenge you to believe that God interacts with us in this world in ways that point us back to His love and sovereignty .
Don ’ t get me wrong , our God is not one who sits up in Heaven with His arms crossed saying , “ You made your bed , now lie in it .” No , He plays an active role in our lives every day . He uses the good and the bad to shape us into the people He wants us to be .
If you ’ ve ever asked the question , “ Why do bad things happen to good people ?,” hopefully , this note from me will help you see your loving Creator as someone Who wants to comfort , heal , and give you peace . This world is not how God originally created it . When a man chooses to sin , the consequences will forever be the destruction from sin . But God still provided a way for us to be restored to right standing with Him because He ’ s THAT kind of God .
The next time you find yourself wrestling with your circumstances , ask yourself how you can bring glory to God through them . How can you allow His presence to change your perspective or circumstances completely ? Ask Him what He would have you do . He doesn ’ t always get His way , but I pray that I am a willing vessel so He can have His way in me . CMA
Ben and Rachel Larson serve CMA as National Evangelist
Youth Movement .
23⎪JULY 2024⎪www . cmausa . org