I was supposed to go to Hawaii for two weeks of military duty. I’ve always wanted to visit that island paradise so I was pretty excited. Until I received a notice in the mail telling me my orders were rescinded. When I called the people responsible for issuing them I discovered that another person with the last name of York was supposed to have his duty cancelled but mine was mistakenly revoked. It was too late to correct the mistake. Instead, the Army sent me to North Carolina. Because of that snafu I ended up attending a Civil Affairs course. This in turn enabled me to join a unit less than seven miles from our home and ultimately to leave the Infantry to become a Civil Affairs officer. In the course of the last five years, God has given me wonderful opportunities to meet people and serve in challenging assignments all because of a clerical goof. Looking back, I see the hand of the Lord at work redirecting my steps.
Meditation
Ecclesiastes 7:13—Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked? (NLT)
Often life does not go the way we intended or hoped. Maybe this is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Opportunity is not the right to impose my will. Opportunity is the ability to determine God’s leading and follow it. Instead of getting frustrated or angry when our plans go awry, we should heed the Apostle Paul’s warning. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).
God wants to work through you to accomplish His will! You are surrounded every day with opportunities to serve Him! Don’t be flustered if events and circumstances line up differently than you imagined. Rather ask the Lord to help you see what He is doing. There is no misfortune associated with His providence. This is why walking by faith is so glorious—what matters is not the condition of the road and its surroundings or the direction it takes, but rather that we are in the company of our loving Father.
Inspiration
When one door closes, another one opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.—Alexander Graham Bell
God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them.—German proverb
