When Finished, Press Button to Submit

     My wife jokes often about the scriptures which tell husbands and wives to "submit" to one another.  Hopefully I have never given her reason to fear that I would trample her individuality and vice-versa.  I had a good laugh, though when she completed an online project and needed to press a "submit" button to send it off to its destination.  The button wasn't working and she kept repeating "I can't submit, I can't submit!"  I don't exactly remember the comment I made at that point, but I remember regretting it.  It was all in fun, but submitting to those who we are called to submit to is sometimes difficult.  I wish it were as easy as pressing a button.
     God calls us to submit to Him and also to those he has placed in authority over us.  Do we need to submit to those people even if we know a better way?  If they are not asking us to go against God, then I would say "yes."  But that doesn't make sense.  Why would we do something one way when we see the value of doing it another way?  Because sometimes it is not about what we are doing, but it is about whether we are honoring the authority of God.
     There are people in our lives that God has given authority over us.  Parents are a good example.  In the arena of family, parents have the authority until you establish your own household and God gives you authority.  That means God has established you as the leader of the house and will hold you responsible for what happens with those that are under your authority.  Do we believe that God puts families together?  Do we believe that has the power to decide who is to be where in order to make all things happen for the greatest good?  Scripture tells us that He does that when we call on Him to be the leader of our lives. (Romans 8:28)  What happens if we decide not to follow those that God has placed in authority over us?  It usually means that things do not continue on the path that God has set for the greatest good.  Conflict arises, people find themselves dealing with more than they can juggle.  They find themselves trying to make decisions that affect other things that they could not see coming.  They find themselves trying to take on God's role.  It's impossible and ends in failure, heartbreak, and hopefully a return to God by submitting once again to His plan.
     Is the person God has placed in authority over you always right?  Of course not.  But if they are striving to follow God, He will lead them in His way.  It is not about agreeing or disagreeing, it is about placing your trust in God over the trust in the person in authority.
      There are times NOT to follow those in authority.  If they are asking you to go against the teachings of God,  if they are themselves breaking God's commandment in what they are asking you to do, and some other reason which could be specific to the arena of authority. God gave us specific rules to follow to keep us safe and to help us live for Him.  He also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Thirdly he gave us intelligence and understanding to make good decisions.  Many times we use this third thing in place of one of the first two.  We have learned in today's world to live like the world and make decisions using our experience and knowledge first.  We are comfortable with it because if we are not in prayer and seeking God on a constant basis, we tend to use our intelligence and experience as the basis for our actions.  It needs to NOT come before our dependence upon God's power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  There is no intelligence the goes beyond God's.   There is no experience that supercedes His.  Every time we decide not to seek God's answer first, we end up walking through this broken world without a map.

Matthew 6: 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33 But seek first the kingdom of God[q] and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Don't replace your dependence upon God with your desire to take care of these things for yourself. Submit to God and to those that he has placed in your life to do the providing for you. Don't blindly give away your security to anyone, but know that God has provided security in some he has placed in authority over you. Sometimes it's hard to press the button to submit and give others control, but sometimes it is exactly what God has called us to do as an act of faith in Him.

To God Be the Glory .... eventually.

I am reading through the books of prophets in the old testament as I complete a six-year journey through the Bible. I finished the book of Ezekiel and am left with an impression that is in a way comforting and not comforting. Most of the book seemed to be Ezekiel having to share God's words to a rebellious and disobedient nation. Needless to say, what he shares for most of the book is God telling them why He has decided to remove His blessings and protection from them and allow others to take over their land and families. They have decided to worship other gods at altars built for that purpose. They have taken things into their own hands and not sought God as "God." I read nearly 40 chapters and wondered what is God going to do with this whole situation.

Then, at the very end of chapter 39, God tells Ezekiel to give the following message...."25 “Therefore

this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob[a] and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26 They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Then God gives a detailed account of how he is going to restore the fortunes and lives of the people and have them build a new temple. He gives the dimensions of the temple down to the smallest measurement and explains how they are to use the temple to worship Him. He explains the land that he will give them to live on and how it is to be divided and used. He says the city shall be 18,000 cubits around and the name of the city from that day shall be "The Lord is there."

The people of Israel were experiencing prosperity and began to believe that they were in control of their good fortune. God removed his blessings and protection because they refused to be able to see Him anymore at the foundation of their lives. They experienced horrible events because they were left to the control of the fallen world and their own devices. Then God decided to restore their nation. First He says that He is restoring it so that the other nations will see His glory among them. They will see that when the people of Israel turned from God, they were captured by their enemies. When God restores them, the nations will see the people of Israel set God apart as "God." giving Him honor and glory. By that the world will know God.

I am sure that there are groups of God's people today that, because of their own decisions not to place God in the place of control, are not experiencing His blessings and protection. It is frustrating to see them cling to their own personal plans, even though they want to be followers of God. I am sure there were those among the Israelite group that encouraged the group to return to God, but to no avail. God will take whatever action necessary to bring His people back to Him. We belong to him and He will not give up on us. I pray that when we find ourselves in that situation, we humbly return to God in submission and allow Him to be glorified in our future. I pray that we would give up our own plans and seek His. I would pray that we would call out to God for His compassion that we know to be true and for his love and power. I pray that we would ask Him to not hide His face from us and pour out His spirit upon us.