Personally, nationally, globally...If it's not God's will, if His hand is not in it, it's not good. It's just that simple.
I've tortured myself and others trying, trying, trying to make what I (or someone else) thought was a "good thing" work, fit, or happen when my strenuous self-effort wasn't working. Sometimes, I was driven by my own desires or self-centered fears. Other times, I was getting pressed by others.
I might have even been praying for God's will, all the while pushing through misgivings with an unspoken aim of getting the Creator of the Universe to rubber-stamp my self-will.
You can see how this can be a problem!
When it all went to hell in a handbasket or was destructively hard, I'd pray more, wanting God to fix what I did without His say-so. I seldom sat and waited to hear what God was often so clearly saying. Sheesh. I know that now.
We all have our stories. The "good" job, idea, partner, friend, or drive to "help" others when God didn't ask, appoint, or approve.
This works on a large scale, too, with nations, for instance (wink-wink).
It can seem right but be all wrong.
When it all went to hell in a handbasket or was destructively hard, I'd pray more, wanting God to fix what I did without His say-so. I seldom sat and waited to hear what God was often so clearly saying. Sheesh. I know that now.
We all have our stories. The "good" job, idea, partner, friend, or drive to "help" others when God didn't ask, appoint, or approve.
This works on a large scale, too, with nations, for instance (wink-wink).
It can seem right but be all wrong.
Usually, red flags or that still, small inner voice tells us we're off track: Our motives are messed up, there's a persistent sense of disease, or it diverts us from essential priorities.
Sure, God can and does lead us into hard places sometimes, but we typically sense His supernatural provision and equipping to gracefully do that God-given hard thing.
God can also redeem our missteps, weaving them into a pattern for good, but we still want to heed the costly lesson.
If it's good but not God's will, it's not good.
"There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12
PRAYER:
Grant us the wisdom and grace to discern Your will in all things, no matter how "good" it looks to us or others. If we're off track now, help us see it and course correct promptly. In Christ's name, I ask it. Thank You. I love You.
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