God Knows Best

I've had so many thoughts going through my head lately. And the thoughts that keep coming back to me are these: God loves me. He knows me. He cares about me. He holds me. He comforts me. He knows what I need before I do. He knows what is best for me.

I've had situations throughout my life where I have prayed prayers to God, only to have them answered in a completely different way than I wanted. I would be upset. I wouldn't understand. I didn't get why God answered them differently than the way I wanted. But, all those times God has made it clear why he answered my prayers the way he did. And looking back, those answers were best for me. He knows what is best for me. Always. And recently, he has done that again.

I won't go into detail about it, but I am more convinced than ever that God knows my heart, He knows what is best for me, and He has my best interest in mind. I thought I knew what was best for me..but, God is revealing His plan for my life to me and I am so excited about the journey God has for me. He is revealing to me why He chose for me to go to OSU. Back in August, I prayed that I would go to a school in Tulsa and stay here. His answer? Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Not what I was exactly asking for. A couple months later, I asked Him to send me back to BigStuf for the summer. His answer? Not BigStuf, but Tulsa for the whole summer. Once again, not the answer I was hoping for. Up until the past couple of weeks, I still didn't understand why He answered those two prayers with a no. But now, He is revealing to me why He chose to answer my prayers the way He did.. I am finally seeing His thought process when answering my prayers. And I finally see that all along, He knew best. He knows best.

Last week was a rough one for me. I was having a difficult night and turned my radio on. Jonny Diaz's song "Waiting Room" came on and it could not fit my situation more perfectly. Here is some of the song:

Here in this waiting room yearning for You to say go
And though I'm convinced that a yes would be best
This time You're telling me no

It's not that I don't have an answer
It's just not the one that I'd like
But through this time Lord I must keep in mind
You're always wiser than I

You have a much better purpose
And You have a far greater plan
And You have a bigger perspective
Cause You hold this world in Your hands

At the end of this song, it says "When that miracle comes cause Your answer is yes, I will praise You for all of my days. But when Your wisdom declares that a no is best, I will praise You just the same."

I still lift up situations in my life to God, and being selfish, I ask Him to answer them the way I want them answered. But now, when my prayers aren't answered the way I want them to be, I am choosing to praise Him for the no. I am choosing to praise Him for the answer that is on the way. I am choosing to praise Him for the answers I don't understand. Because, I know that one day his "no" to my request will make sense. He knows what is best for me and I am trusting in that. He has proved himself faithful through every single event and situation in my life, and I would be foolish to not trust in Him and his perfect timing.

Thank You God for teaching me so much these past couple of weeks. Thank You for reminding me that You know me better than I know myself. You know my heart. You know my desires. You love me. You guide me. You comfort me. You give me peace. You have a plan for me. Thank You.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

You Were Chosen

This past Sunday, I went to visit my Uncle Gary's grave with my mom's side of the family. It was the first time for all of us to see the headstone and where he was buried even though he passed away a little over a year ago. I have several other family members buried there as well. While I was there, I started reading the different headstones, the ones of my family members as well as people I didn't even know. I began thinking about these different people that were buried there. I began to think about how all of them had a story. They all came from different backgrounds. They all faced difficulties and struggles throughout their life. They all experienced victories too. They had families. They had friends. They had a life. They had their own story.

One particular headstone stuck out to me more than any of the others. This headstone was for a young girl. This girl died at only 14 years of age. She passed away in the early 1900s and has been absent from the Earth for over a hundred years now. I started thinking about how this girl was a daughter. A sister. A child of Christ. I started thinking about how different life is between a 14 year old girl in the early 1900s to a 14 year old girl growing up in 2010. Life a hundred years ago is completely different to what life is like today. Life would be so tough back then and I became so thankful that I have grown up in the 1990s/2000s. But, I then had a realization. God placed that 14 year old girl in that time period for a specific reason. He had a plan and a purpose for her life. God placed her in a small town in Oklahoma. He placed her with certain people. He placed her in a specific family. He orchestrated specific events in her life. He created her. He wrote her story. And in her story, in order to be used by God best, she had to be a 14 year old girl in the early 1900s. Just like this young girl, we have been placed in the year 2010 for a specific reason. We are not here by accident. We have our own stories that are being written by God. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. We are a chosen generation for this time. And I don't know about you, but I find that exciting. There is a reason God chose me to be 20 years old, a college student, a swim coach, a small group leader, a daugther, a sister, a friend, in 2010. He chose me to live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He chose us. The GOD OF THE UNIVERSE CHOSE US. Is that good news or what?

Let me just leave you with this reminder- you are loved. you are treasured. you are not here by accident. you are redeemed. you were bought at a price. you are God's. you are here for a reason.