God’s Assignments
When Dr. Forrest began to recognize the need for a school to prepare young men and women to serve God, he expected God to raise someone else up for the task and was even praying to that end. But, as we read the history of events in Achieving the Impossible with God, God used someone to challenge him to accept the task.
Many times, God assigns us to certain tasks in life. Some are for a season, some come into our lives suddenly, some bring great joy, others do not. Some are not what we would have chosen and do not reflect our personal dreams, and some are not what we want to do. It’s easy to be swept into a mindset that tells us, “Life is all about us—having things turn out the way we want.†As God’s children, His word teaches us, “It’s not all about us!†It’s not about what we want, it’s not about what we think we need, and it’s not about which way we think we should be headed. It’s all about God! It’s about what He wants, it’s about what He knows we need, it’s about what He asks of us, and it’s about where He wants us to go or where He wants us to stay.
What about His assignments in your life? The narrow place He has you in, pain or suffering you didn’t expect, not doing something that he has asked you to lay down for a season, letting go of a relationship or a job? It’s not about the end product even though Philippians 1:6 assures us He will complete what He has started in our lives. It’s about the process—the process changes us so that Romans 8:28 is made real in our lives–Him working everything out for our good and His glory as we become conformed to His image–becoming more like Christ.
How do we get there? The best way is through surrender, trust, and yielding ourselves to Him. As we think about our lives, we should ask, “God what are You wanting me to surrender?†It’s our response to life’s circumstances that catches His attention. And it’s the yielding to Him that He desires. Through surrender we experience freedom, joy, peace and incredible contentment. Whatever He asks, we can be sure that it is only for our good because He only has the best for us.
Dr. Forrest’s life is such a reflection of how God works in our lives—putting us in places, assigning us to tasks, requesting certain things of us that we wouldn’t have chosen, thought of or dreamed of—yet He calls us to trust Him and when we do—it makes all the difference. Matthew 10:39 says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.â€
The next time you are thinking about choosing your own way, leaving that narrow place or facing circumstances that seem so painful, remember, “It’s not about me; it’s all about God and His work in my life!â€
(By Patricia McGarvey, president Toccoa Falls Alumni Association. Taken from the online book Grace in The Wilderness © 2007 tfchistory.com)