Dr. Brian Dubes is a good friend of mine, and also a devoted member of our church. He sent me an e-mail this week in which he shared a “Life Lesson” that God had recently taught him.
After a late family birthday lunch this past Sunday, I really wanted/needed to take a bike ride.
God said, "No - look at the radar, you could get caught in a downpour." "OK, God, you're right - we are surrounded."
I repeated this same "conversation" several times over the next nearly 2 hours, but it had failed to rain throughout this entire time.
Finally, I decided that I WAS going to ride my bike. After all, it wasn't actually raining.
So I headed out, knowing the risk and God's warning. I decided that "I was going to do what I wanted to do", regardless.
As I approached my entrance to the highway, I was distracted, grabbed my front brake TOO hard, and flipped my bike end-for-end. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, as I watched the flesh scrape off my left forearm and right little finger onto the asphalt. (My left leg is chewed, also.) Talk about excruciating pain! But I did not break any bones or hit my head, praise the Lord!
I headed back to the house to clean and bandage my wounds. As I began the painful process, the skies erupted, and rain filled the street 8' out from the gutter. I immediately realized that I could easily have been killed out on that rainy highway.
And God said, "Today was not the day for you to be run over on that rainy highway. I'm sorry I had to hurt you to stop you from killing yourself out there, but you left me no choice. I love you."
I am thankful to Brian for sharing this with me, and also for giving me permission to share it with you. Perhaps you already see why. Most everyone can relate to his experience to some degree.
In truth, have we not all been guilty of something similar? Have we not all, at some point in our life, been so determined to do something that we have gotten ahead of God? Have we not all ventured into some new endeavor without seeking Divine permission, direction, or blessing?
Please do not get me wrong. It is vitally important to have initiative. It will always be crucial to undertake new journeys and new tasks in life. But it is far more important to be certain that we are in God’s will whenever we seek to do these things.
Thank God that He understands this. He is not capricious. He takes no peculiar whimsical delight in disciplining His children. Rather, His Word (Hebrews 12:5-6) shows us just the opposite.
The writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews (12:5-6) asks this question: "Have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?" He then quotes the Old Testament Book of Proverbs as he answers his own question:
"It says,
'My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.'"
So, then, has the Lord recently thrown you for a loop? If He has, don't be too upset. Rather, be glad for it. He may just have been showering you with love, even though you did not realize it!
After a late family birthday lunch this past Sunday, I really wanted/needed to take a bike ride.
God said, "No - look at the radar, you could get caught in a downpour." "OK, God, you're right - we are surrounded."
I repeated this same "conversation" several times over the next nearly 2 hours, but it had failed to rain throughout this entire time.
Finally, I decided that I WAS going to ride my bike. After all, it wasn't actually raining.
So I headed out, knowing the risk and God's warning. I decided that "I was going to do what I wanted to do", regardless.
As I approached my entrance to the highway, I was distracted, grabbed my front brake TOO hard, and flipped my bike end-for-end. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, as I watched the flesh scrape off my left forearm and right little finger onto the asphalt. (My left leg is chewed, also.) Talk about excruciating pain! But I did not break any bones or hit my head, praise the Lord!
I headed back to the house to clean and bandage my wounds. As I began the painful process, the skies erupted, and rain filled the street 8' out from the gutter. I immediately realized that I could easily have been killed out on that rainy highway.
And God said, "Today was not the day for you to be run over on that rainy highway. I'm sorry I had to hurt you to stop you from killing yourself out there, but you left me no choice. I love you."
I am thankful to Brian for sharing this with me, and also for giving me permission to share it with you. Perhaps you already see why. Most everyone can relate to his experience to some degree.
In truth, have we not all been guilty of something similar? Have we not all, at some point in our life, been so determined to do something that we have gotten ahead of God? Have we not all ventured into some new endeavor without seeking Divine permission, direction, or blessing?
Please do not get me wrong. It is vitally important to have initiative. It will always be crucial to undertake new journeys and new tasks in life. But it is far more important to be certain that we are in God’s will whenever we seek to do these things.
Thank God that He understands this. He is not capricious. He takes no peculiar whimsical delight in disciplining His children. Rather, His Word (Hebrews 12:5-6) shows us just the opposite.
The writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews (12:5-6) asks this question: "Have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?" He then quotes the Old Testament Book of Proverbs as he answers his own question:
"It says,
'My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.'"
So, then, has the Lord recently thrown you for a loop? If He has, don't be too upset. Rather, be glad for it. He may just have been showering you with love, even though you did not realize it!