Steering Clear of the Compromise – Part 1
Have you ever wanted something? … really wanted something? I don’t mean a possession, like a car, a house, the latest technology, or the cutest outfit. Certainly, we can have those material desires, but what about the ones deep in your gut: a husband, a child, a job you’ve always dreamed of, or simply feeling accepted and loved?In our right minds, we’re patient and we trust God. But in those weaker moments, we can find ourselves trying to meet that desire in our own strength. As I’ve been walking back through Genesis lately, I’m reminded how many people in the Bible did the very same thing. God made a promise but the person got tired of waiting and decided to help God out. Abraham. Sarah. Rebekah. Jacob. If you’re guilty of taking a short cut to get what you’re sure is God’s best for you, you’re certainly not alone. But as I looked at Genesis 24, I was struck by two things that I think can serve as protective truths for us.Abraham was getting old and was sending his servant to find a wife for his precious son, Isaac. (With two in college, I could so get on board with picking spouses for my children! 😊) Abraham wanted to be certain that Isaac’s wife was from his people back home, not a Canaanite woman from around town. Abraham gave the servant instructions to go get a wife and bring her back to Isaac. The servant asked a very logical question: If she won’t move here, should I take Isaac back home?Abraham’s answer in Genesis 24:7-8 is worth reading.
The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there."
The servant wanted to come up with a plan B. You can’t blame him – he was just trying to get the job done. But Abraham knew that God will not compromise one word to fulfill another. Abraham knew it was better to keep waiting than to take his son back and remove him from the place God provided for him.
We have to ask the question of ourselves: Is there somewhere we’re working our plan B? Have we accidentally forgotten or have we justified changing direction when we originally knew we were where God wanted us?One blog post can’t address all the variables, but if you’re in a place where you’re tempted to second-guess God’s first direction because you’re still waiting on your prayer to be answered, I urge you to slow down. Just wait.God won’t let you miss His blessing because you want to be in alignment with His promise. Our greater danger is always to go after what we want and re-explain God’s past direction. Be still before the Lord. If you’re compromising, God has a better way.Join me next week for a truth that can keep us from getting in these hard spots to begin with…