Sometimes, I like to make "deals" with God. Don't look at me that way... you know you've done it too. At the very least, you've thought about it. The deals I'm talking about look and sound something like this... "God, if You ______________, then I'll _______________."
Oftentimes, in my own life, these kinds of prayer-deals with God flow from a result of uncertainty and a pure desire to have a "clear sign" from God on which way to go, what decision to make, what to do next, the timescale of when I should act on something, etc.
However, sometimes, these kinds of prayer-deals that I make with God are a result of impatience or a lack of trust on my part. If God gave us all the "clear signs" we asked for, we'd start worshipping the signs and not the One whose very signature is written all over our entire beings. As a common worship song reminds us, "from life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny." Jesus' signs don't command our destiny. HE commands our destiny. And I'm thankful it works out that way.
I'm reminded of stories of signs in the Bible and am comforted. Take Gideon for example. He set out a fleece, begged God to make the fleece wet and the ground around it dry as a "sign" for how he should prepare for battle. He asked. He prayed. He prepared for a miracle. God showed up. He delivered. He gave Gideon the exact sign he asked for.
Obedience followed, and that was the end of the story? False. But I'm glad you asked...
Because, you see,...
Gideon didn't stop there. He decided to set the stage for Act 2. On the second night, Gideon boldly asked God for another-yet-similar sign. Apparently, he didn't "get it" the first time. (I'm assuming Gideon was that kid in school that always asked his teacher to repeat something she JUST SAID for the 52nd time.) So, on the second night, Gideon asked God to repeat Himself. But this time, (reversed from the first) make the fleece dry and the ground around it wet as a "sign" for how he should prepare for battle. God answered just as boldly and clearly as Gideon prayed.
God gave Gideon clear, literal signs on what to do. So, my thoughts were/are, "Why would He not also do the same for me?"
So, with all said (and thought out), I decided to make a deal with God.
Mine, too, had something to do with fleeces.... err, modern day fleeces.
Ok, mine has nothing to do with fleeces.... It embarrassingly has to do with a rug from Pier 1 Imports.
So, as crazy as it sounds.... here goes my story:
My parents are in the midst of a never-ending-attempt to remodel our 20+ year old house. Mom's allergic to carpet, so the carpet's now gone. Wood flooring and/or tile is in the process of overthrowing what land was once ruled by carpet.
My room is in transition mode right now, so I've been on the hunt for a cute rug to put in my room until the wood flooring project is completed.
Enter Pier 1 Imports.
I found exactly the rug I wanted. But it's expensive. And I'm a teacher.
Teachers don't buy rugs in Pier 1 - unless they're married to a doctor or a lawyer or a billionaire.
(I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.)
Teachers don't buy rugs in Pier 1 - unless they're on sale.
So, instead of buying the expensive rug at Pier 1 that day, I did the next logical (or not-so-logical) thing. I made a deal with God. "God, if You put that rug on sale, then I'll _______________."
After the day I made that prayer-deal with God, I visited Pier 1. Often. Religiously, even. So-much-so that one may even say I began rug-sale-stalking the place. Every time I entered, sweet ladies would greet me and ask to help me as I politely declined and made a bee-line to the rug section. And every time I reached the rug section, my heart skipped a beat. Then, seemingly stopped for a second. For, every time I looked, the rug was not on sale.
Let me tell you, the phrase in my mind that completes the above-thought ("God, if You put that rug on sale, then I'll ___________.") isn't just any ordinary phrase. It's a BIG dream of mine. It's something near-and-dear to my little heart. It's a big part of who I am and who I want to one day become for the glory of God. It has a lot to do with my future and where I'm headed in life and love and all things that last in life. It has a lot to do with a lot I need to do and trust God to do, but it has absolutely nothing to do with rugs on sale at Pier 1.
And that's the sheer irony of it all.
Why do we make deals with God anyway? I wonder.
Why do we equate something He can and will do out of His sheer love and pure desire for us with the ridiculousness of our wants, "right now's," and "have to have it's"? Somehow, we taint it by wanting what we want so much and not what He ultimately wants and has planned and waiting for us.
Why did I de-value something God has put in my heart for a long time by equating with a sale for something I should put under my feet? It's absurd to even look back on and think about, now that I think about it.
Finally, this last week, a few days ago, actually, I made one final trip to Pier 1 to check out the rug section and hope for the long-awaited sale.
I entered.
Saleswomen greeted.
Rug = not-on-sale and expensive
I retreated.
As I left Pier 1 the other day and headed out to the parking lot to find my car, the sky opened. As I walked, sprinkle-rain littered down on me. Discouraged from the yet-again-no-rug-sale-disappointment, I thought it was a sure "sign" that all of Heaven was just as upset about the rug not being on sale as I was. {Furthermore, upset that it wasn't the right time for my fill-in-the-blank dream to come true, either. (Remember, "God, if you put that rug on sale, then I will ____________.")}
Apparently that wasn't it.
When I reached my car, I received a much different-yet-super-clear "sign" from God.
A rainbow so-big-you-couldn't-miss it-if-you-tried-to stretched itself across the sky that day.
And it reminded me, of a lot of things, actually.
Of Noah's day. The wickedness of the people, the judgement of God, etc.
But most of all, it reminded me of God's grace.
His goodness.
His promises. and His faithfulness in keeping those promises.
Despite myself, my silly prayer-deal with God, and the rug that was never on sale, God sent me a sign that day.
It was an attention-grabber and a soul-reminder.
It wasn't the sign I was looking for, but it was the sign I needed.
God's faithful. Fair and square.
He's put the dreams I have in my heart, and He'll be the One to see them to completion in my life.
Whether the Pier 1 rug ever goes on sale or not has no bearing.
I probably didn't need it anyway.
With all said, be careful when you put conditions on God, make prayer-deals, or ask for "clear signs."
If you're not careful, you could easily focus a lot of time, energy, and wasted hope on something that would cost you too much and probably belongs under your feet anyway when God's trying to move you on action with the things He's already placed in your heart.
Trust Him with the things you know to be true of Him.
Trust Him with the things He says are true of Him.
Trust Him to fulfill what He says He will fulfill - in His way and in His timing.
Thank Him for the rainbow reminders.
Thank Him, also, for the rugs that never go on sale.
Oftentimes, in my own life, these kinds of prayer-deals with God flow from a result of uncertainty and a pure desire to have a "clear sign" from God on which way to go, what decision to make, what to do next, the timescale of when I should act on something, etc.
However, sometimes, these kinds of prayer-deals that I make with God are a result of impatience or a lack of trust on my part. If God gave us all the "clear signs" we asked for, we'd start worshipping the signs and not the One whose very signature is written all over our entire beings. As a common worship song reminds us, "from life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny." Jesus' signs don't command our destiny. HE commands our destiny. And I'm thankful it works out that way.
I'm reminded of stories of signs in the Bible and am comforted. Take Gideon for example. He set out a fleece, begged God to make the fleece wet and the ground around it dry as a "sign" for how he should prepare for battle. He asked. He prayed. He prepared for a miracle. God showed up. He delivered. He gave Gideon the exact sign he asked for.
Obedience followed, and that was the end of the story? False. But I'm glad you asked...
Because, you see,...
Gideon didn't stop there. He decided to set the stage for Act 2. On the second night, Gideon boldly asked God for another-yet-similar sign. Apparently, he didn't "get it" the first time. (I'm assuming Gideon was that kid in school that always asked his teacher to repeat something she JUST SAID for the 52nd time.) So, on the second night, Gideon asked God to repeat Himself. But this time, (reversed from the first) make the fleece dry and the ground around it wet as a "sign" for how he should prepare for battle. God answered just as boldly and clearly as Gideon prayed.
God gave Gideon clear, literal signs on what to do. So, my thoughts were/are, "Why would He not also do the same for me?"
So, with all said (and thought out), I decided to make a deal with God.
Mine, too, had something to do with fleeces.... err, modern day fleeces.
Ok, mine has nothing to do with fleeces.... It embarrassingly has to do with a rug from Pier 1 Imports.
So, as crazy as it sounds.... here goes my story:
My parents are in the midst of a never-ending-attempt to remodel our 20+ year old house. Mom's allergic to carpet, so the carpet's now gone. Wood flooring and/or tile is in the process of overthrowing what land was once ruled by carpet.
My room is in transition mode right now, so I've been on the hunt for a cute rug to put in my room until the wood flooring project is completed.
Enter Pier 1 Imports.
I found exactly the rug I wanted. But it's expensive. And I'm a teacher.
Teachers don't buy rugs in Pier 1 - unless they're married to a doctor or a lawyer or a billionaire.
(I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.)
Teachers don't buy rugs in Pier 1 - unless they're on sale.
So, instead of buying the expensive rug at Pier 1 that day, I did the next logical (or not-so-logical) thing. I made a deal with God. "God, if You put that rug on sale, then I'll _______________."
After the day I made that prayer-deal with God, I visited Pier 1. Often. Religiously, even. So-much-so that one may even say I began rug-sale-stalking the place. Every time I entered, sweet ladies would greet me and ask to help me as I politely declined and made a bee-line to the rug section. And every time I reached the rug section, my heart skipped a beat. Then, seemingly stopped for a second. For, every time I looked, the rug was not on sale.
Let me tell you, the phrase in my mind that completes the above-thought ("God, if You put that rug on sale, then I'll ___________.") isn't just any ordinary phrase. It's a BIG dream of mine. It's something near-and-dear to my little heart. It's a big part of who I am and who I want to one day become for the glory of God. It has a lot to do with my future and where I'm headed in life and love and all things that last in life. It has a lot to do with a lot I need to do and trust God to do, but it has absolutely nothing to do with rugs on sale at Pier 1.
And that's the sheer irony of it all.
Why do we make deals with God anyway? I wonder.
Why do we equate something He can and will do out of His sheer love and pure desire for us with the ridiculousness of our wants, "right now's," and "have to have it's"? Somehow, we taint it by wanting what we want so much and not what He ultimately wants and has planned and waiting for us.
Why did I de-value something God has put in my heart for a long time by equating with a sale for something I should put under my feet? It's absurd to even look back on and think about, now that I think about it.
Finally, this last week, a few days ago, actually, I made one final trip to Pier 1 to check out the rug section and hope for the long-awaited sale.
I entered.
Saleswomen greeted.
Rug = not-on-sale and expensive
I retreated.
As I left Pier 1 the other day and headed out to the parking lot to find my car, the sky opened. As I walked, sprinkle-rain littered down on me. Discouraged from the yet-again-no-rug-sale-disappointment, I thought it was a sure "sign" that all of Heaven was just as upset about the rug not being on sale as I was. {Furthermore, upset that it wasn't the right time for my fill-in-the-blank dream to come true, either. (Remember, "God, if you put that rug on sale, then I will ____________.")}
Apparently that wasn't it.
When I reached my car, I received a much different-yet-super-clear "sign" from God.
A rainbow so-big-you-couldn't-miss it-if-you-tried-to stretched itself across the sky that day.
And it reminded me, of a lot of things, actually.
Of Noah's day. The wickedness of the people, the judgement of God, etc.
But most of all, it reminded me of God's grace.
His goodness.
His promises. and His faithfulness in keeping those promises.
Despite myself, my silly prayer-deal with God, and the rug that was never on sale, God sent me a sign that day.
It was an attention-grabber and a soul-reminder.
It wasn't the sign I was looking for, but it was the sign I needed.
God's faithful. Fair and square.
He's put the dreams I have in my heart, and He'll be the One to see them to completion in my life.
Whether the Pier 1 rug ever goes on sale or not has no bearing.
I probably didn't need it anyway.
With all said, be careful when you put conditions on God, make prayer-deals, or ask for "clear signs."
If you're not careful, you could easily focus a lot of time, energy, and wasted hope on something that would cost you too much and probably belongs under your feet anyway when God's trying to move you on action with the things He's already placed in your heart.
Trust Him with the things you know to be true of Him.
Trust Him with the things He says are true of Him.
Trust Him to fulfill what He says He will fulfill - in His way and in His timing.
Thank Him for the rainbow reminders.
Thank Him, also, for the rugs that never go on sale.
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