Father Knows Best

"And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."   
Matthew 26:39

 

   I sometimes pray, “Dear Lord, I don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but help me rest in the assurance that Your way is always the best way.”  Amen.

    

Over and over again the Scripture teaches us that when we are weak He is strong; and when we are lost  His grace will find us.  Our perspective on things is based on our earthly knowledge and our earthly experiences, but God’s view is eternal. He knows the end as well as He knew the beginning. His wisdom is infinite.  So, the great challenge for us is to trust Him more than we trust ourselves, and be willing to accept that our vision is not always clear.  Our wants and needs are two different things…We may want something that God knows is not for our best interest. On the other hand, He is there in our time of need and supplies what He knows is best for us.

      

There are times when we feel our life has taken the wrong turn only to discover that what we thought was a burden, God turned it into a blessing.  There are times when our sorrow is so great, we feel that God’s grace cannot find us in the darkness of our trials; but God’s light just like that sunrise on the first Easter morning penetrates through the tunnel of darkness and lights our pathway. We can once again walk in sunshine.

Even in our everyday moments as well as our deepest valleys, when we can’t seem to figure out what life is all about, God knows. He knows which way I am headed and places the path before me.

When we read the scripture that tells us of our Lord’s last days on earth, we wonder, “Why did He have to suffer such agony.”  I don’t understand it all, but God does.  When the delegation came to arrest Jesus, Peter came forward in an attempt to protect Jesus.  He sliced off the ear of one of the men, but Jesus rebuked Peter for his actions.  He told him, “God has a different plan.”  Jesus in His own gentle and loving way did what He always did when someone was suffering, He healed him.  Knowing His own destiny, He placed the ear back on the man’s head and healing took place. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, after earnest prayer, He prayed that God would provide Him with another plan. I know He must have hoped that there was another way and that He would not have to go through all the suffering He must endure.  However, in the end the Lord humbly submitted to God’s will over His own.  Even when the crowd taunted Him to come down from the cross and prove His divinity, He remained there, forgiving their arrogance, choosing to suffer even for them.  When His enemies had done everything humanly possible to eliminate Him, Jesus arose offering grace and eternal life.

 There are days when my schedule is so full I forget what great medicine is found in the joy of laughter.  I get frustrated with life’s bends in the road. I feel a loneliness of things and people who were once a part of my life and are not there anymore. But to these things there is a season…Things are just things, and the people who are gone on to Heaven are waiting for me.  I am in the hands of my Father, and the way I see it, Father knows best!
Best wishes,
Mary Frances king