This weekend felt like being on a roller coaster. There were hills and valleys, ups and downs, highs and lows. On Saturday, we prepared more than 110,000 meals for children in Haiti. I am especially proud of this accomplishment. We are a little church, but that is a big number. We coordinated more than 500 volunteers for this event. That is five times the number of people we typically worship on Sunday morning. It was truly a work of God in the raising of the funds and the lifting up of so many volunteers. I am overwhelmed. A big thank you goes out to many of you who donated from some far away places.
After the high from Saturday, came Sunday. We went from a highest high to a difficult low. We have been working hard to negotiate the sale of our church property. It has been a long process, drawn out over 18 months. Unfortunately, I had to announce to our congregation that after all that time, the plans to sell our church property fell through. We were unable to come to an agreement with the other party.
I was disappointed because I believed in my heart that God had been preparing me as a leader for such a time as this. I believed that we were ready as a congregation to take a bold step. I had dived head first into this brave new future without looking back. You might have noticed that my attention to this blog has suffered the last year as a result.
What an emotional roller coaster! To go from such a great success one day and to face such disappointment the next. Through it all, I am reminded that our plans may fail but God’s purpose remains.
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
I love that verse. We often make our plans and we ask God to follow us. But that is not the way it works. God invites us to follow him. He is already at work and our role is to join him in what he is already doing.
I was convinced that I knew where God was leading us. Yet, it was not meant to be. I am sad. I am frustrated. I am disappointed. But in moments like this, I know that it is time to be still and quiet. When we don’t have the words, the Holy Spirit intercedes in our behalf with groans that words cannot express (see Romans 8:26).
It’s not for us to always have the answers. God does not expect us to have it all figured out. Rather, it is for us to trust his way and his purpose. We believe that he will guide us where he is taking us!
I imagine there was a good reason we needed to go through this experience for what comes next. Often our disappointments, frustrations, and failures will often lay the groundwork for the next chapter. The challenges make us stronger and wiser.
So it is time to turn the page. Onward and upward! There is a brave new future. It’s all in God’s hands. The best is yet to come!
Elisabeth Behrend Bennett says
Thank you for all your devotionals! You have a gift from God and share it with us with needs that you can meet through God’s word!! God’s blessings!!! Happy 4th and being an American! God is, indeed good!