"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge' that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:14-21, NKJV
Life's circumstances rarely work out just the way we want them to. And often times, circumstances are the polar opposite of what we would have chosen. Many people spend a lifetime searching for peace, contentment, significance, and love due to the "holes" left in their hearts by the brokenness of this world we live in. I know in my own life, when I have looked to my circumstances, or even to other people, to provide peace, I often come up empty or depressed.
It has only been through a relationship with God, and the truths found in His Word, that I have experienced a deep level of peace in the midst of trials. The peace is not dependent on things working out the way I want, or even working out at all. It also doesn't mean that I'm happy with the situation. Deep grieving can be involved, yet that inner peace from God is still possible. Philippians 4:7 refers to this as, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding," because it's that peace that comes when no logical explanation would exist for a person to have any peace at all.
But, it doesn't just stop with peace. As that passage from Ephesians 3 points out, God's love is so great for us that it surpasses knowledge. He love us so much, that He often will take the hardest and worst pieces of our lives, and redeem those things for His glory in ways we couldn't have imagined were possible. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think...". Exceedingly, abundantly, above. That's the power He has.
I've seen this demonstrated in the "messes" of my own life, where my temptation has been to run far away from God (and at times, I did just that), whether out of shame, feeling unworthy, or even simply because I was too stubborn to admit I was wrong. Can you relate? When we run from Him, however, His love for us never stops. He doesn't alienate us due to our "messes." Instead, He joins us there... and then has the power to do exceedingly, abundantly more, but using that mess in a way we could have never imagined. It's often our struggles that God uses to touch someone else's life or even just to teach us something knew about Himself and His unconditional love for us.
I gave this blog it's title because "journey" is the perfect word to describe life. It is a crazy, crazy journey with many detours, crossroads, potholes, and dead ends. Yet also a journey filled with beautiful views, that we sometimes miss if we just remain focused on the obstacle in front of us right now, seemingly blocking the path we think we should take. And if you're anything like me, you'll usually attempt any and all measures to "unblock" the path you think you should take, before settling down and noticing the view in the other direction, which God was preparing for you all along. Leave it to Him, "who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..." His plans are good, and His Word can be trusted. The further along in this journey I get, the truth of this becomes increasingly clear.
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