If we were granted our druthers, who would design our life best? Would it be God, or we ourselves?
Even if we were allowed the possibility of re-designing our "lot" in life (a real temptation for many who would like to start over, pick a different spouse, not have children, or at least not have that child, or, conversely, wish that they had had children, but couldn't, or painfully wish that they could jettison protracted unwanted singleness, or skip the mind-boggling and long dissolutions and loneliness of old age, or miss all bouts with illness, injury and unavoidable surgeries, even live in a different country or a different time in history, and certainly have different neighbors, relatives and/or bosses), would we even want the job?
As believers, serious contemplation might lead us, eventually, to eagerly say, "no!" The reason? —because we couldn't possibly know, with our finite minds, what is best for the shaping of our spiritually-infinite character for eternal ends. Realizing that we are people who now last forever (and ever and ever, world without end, amen!), we can't fully (or even feebly) fathom where all of this is headed and what is necessary for the future journey.
However, look at the conscientiousness with which God designed it for us:
If He had not loved me, “…surely He would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely He would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire” (2 Samuel 23:5).
The following verses, too, indicate a loving sovereignty even over our path within our parameters:
- "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21).
- “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
What a confidence is ours, as believers, that we wake up and go to sleep (even our final sleep, at the end of life) held securely in divine hands and in divine plans. When we finally "see" the results of carrying each and every perplexing burden, all in hindsight, we might even actually rejoice at our chosen lot, for we will have found that our hard boundaries were, in fact, lined with tender mercies, and our confusions, stumbling and chafings were all understood and marked well by matchless vigilance. "He does not take His eyes off the righteous" (Job 36:7a). For, "When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10b). What resolute love it all demonstrates. Surely we could never have dreamed of finding human gold in such places.
