“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Ps 20:7)
A good friend shared a great story while we were sitting around the campfire recently. He and his wife were packing the cooler and trunk of their car, and he had a plan firmly established in his mind for just how to pack it with efficiency and expediency. A problem emerged when it became clear that she had a good plan too. After a bit of tension, he gave in to her plan. But not happily and not without a bit of spite. So, on their journey he admitted to giving her the silent treatment, with a snippy attitude and feeling a bit embittered.
Stopping by the grocery store, she asked nicely if he wanted to go in, but he declined the invitation to move toward her or with her. When she came out, she said with gentleness and irresistible sweetness, “I brought you a donut.” It didn’t take long for their relationship to be back toward intimacy again.
Another friend with us contributed a great application to the story, talking about how that happens in our relationship with God. It caused me to reflect on the times I have had a plan for packing everything into the trunk of my chariot and organizing things for the day, but God's plan was different. Don’t we all do that at times? We enter our days thinking we know just how to arrange our schedules and get things in the right places. We get out of bed to enter the day’s journey with an agenda. God invites us to trust in HIM and HIS plan.
God’s plan is always bigger and better, isn't it? It may come as an interruption. It may be an unexpected surprise. It’s not always pleasant. It comes as an invitation to join Him in what HE wants to accomplish. It is packed with opportunity to be about the Father’s business rather than just our busyness. And even when we give in without pure motives, lacking in faith that His way is better, sometimes even with a bit of spite, still God extends grace and sweetness to us. Like a donut of blessing, maybe even cream filled and packed with sweet surprises, the blessing of experiencing a closer walk with Him.
“Surely you have granted him eternal blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.” (Ps 21:6)
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