"The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Get up and go to the great city of Ninevah. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.' But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish." Jonah 1:1-3 NLT

On the one hand, there are times when we want something so desparately that we exert great energy constructing a 12-step plan to obtain it without taking the time to consult the Lord. Other times we have a clear direction and we drag our feet. We try to ignore it, avoid it, or delay responding. There are many reasons to procrastinate: fear, uncertainty, lack of interest, or just willful disobedience. None of them will bring us blessing.

Emotions cloud the issue so easily: am I being asked to wait, or am I being asked to act? When my issues are talking, I convince myself that God is telling me to wait. But God doesn't let us run away from his plans for too long before he sends a big storm to get our attention.

There are other times when I try to manipulate life by contriving all sorts of plans without praying for God's direction. These are the times that I'm supposed to be waiting for God's will to be revealed. Why do we get it so wrong? We act when we should wait, and wait when we should act!

If you are unsure about God's plan in a specific situation, set aside time daily to pray for direction. In the quiet of your soul, God will direct you. If you ask an honest question, expect an honest answer.

And with the answer comes a choice: will we buy a ticket to Tarshish or will we go where we are told?

"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18 NIV

I think there's probably a twelve-step program to accomplish any goal you desire: getting rich, finding a spouse, starting a successful business, losing weight, healing from a painful past, or recovering from an addiction. And that's not all bad.

But often we get into trouble because we feel an overwhelming need to control and direct our lives in order to bring about the fulfillment of our heart's desires. The obvious flaw with this approach is that it excludes God from the picture.

Do we really believe that the plans we've made for our lives are better than the plans God has for us? What if his plans are so amazing that our minds can't even fathom them--and we miss out because we didn't believe God would be gracious to us? One poor decision can have far reaching consequences.

When we genuinely believe that God desires to bless us, it changes everything. When we trust him with every aspect of our lives, it gives us the strength and patience to wait to see how God is going to work out the details. It empowers us to live obediently and faithfully, even as the years stretch out and the difficult times come.

Sometimes it's the waiting itself that is the greatest struggle. But don't lose heart: God longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion! And if you wait for his plans to be worked out, you will know great blessing. Don't try to take control: pray, be obedient, and wait.

"O God, I beg two favors from you: let me have them before I die. First, help me to never tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs." Proverbs 30:7-8 NLT

Confession: Sometimes I wish to be filthy rich. Imagine not having to worry if you can afford a few pleasures and luxeries from time to time. I'm sure I'm not the only one who falls into this fantasy. It's easy enough to do when we look around at others who seem to be sailing through life on a sea of money while we're scraping pennies together to cover basic expenses.

But the author of this proverb reminds us that there is more to life than wealth. His first request is to be a man of integrity. A far more worthy desire than money! The second favor he asks is to have "just enough to satisfy my needs." He explains, "For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'"

Financial security strips us of something vital: the need to depend on the Lord to provide our daily bread. When we are self-sufficient, we forget that God is the source of all things. What we have is a gift from him, even if it is earned by the labor of our hands. Sometimes God blesses us with money, other times he blesses us with the opportunity to trust him.

Proverbs 28:6 tells us, "Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich." Integrity and character will be honored by the Lord. There is so much more to life than money. So let your prayer be as mine: "Give me just enough to satisfy my needs."

"Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.'" John 4:10 NLT

Anyone who was outside this weekend knows that the heat was oppressive. Even I was hot--something that seldom happens. Sweat trickled in salty rivulets down my temples and beaded on my nose and upper lip. My throat felt dry and all I could think of was a cool drink of water.

Imagine the woman at the well drawing water and hearing the words of Jesus: "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." Wow! Never have to draw water again! That would save so much time and energy, not to mention how comfortable it would be to never again feel the sensation of thirst. As we often do, she was thinking of the temporal things that always seem of the most immediate and pressing importance.

But Jesus had something far greater in mind than merely saving her from the labor of drawing water or the discomfort of a dry throat. He wanted to offer her something lasting and satisfying. She didn't realize that her soul was thirsty, and that this was not a momentary condition. This kind of thirst was deep and penetrating, and in her attempt to find solace for it she had wandered into sin that only left her feeling ashamed. But even so, Jesus offered her the soothing drink of forgiveness and hope. And once she had tasted of it, she was never the same.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 NIV

We tend to "find ourselves" through things that bring us a sense of success, purpose, or identity. They meet a core need to elevate our egos. We absorb into them, until they become who we are. Perhaps you've lost yourself in a career, a relationship, a dream, or a hobby.

It's easy to get lost in these things. Our culture tells us that we are what we do. And so much time is put into the workplace it feels as though it is, in fact, the greater part of our identity. Emotions can be so intoxicating that we get lost in a relationship and feel as though it is all that is needed to satisfy and fulfill. Sometimes we carry dreams close to our hearts and lose ourselves in the hopes and fears attached to them. Even our hobbies can consume all of our attention until our identity is defined by them.

But when we put these things into proper perspective and lose ourselves in the nature of God, we won't find the inevitable disappointments and betrayals that come with losing ourselves in the things of this world.

When we stop being preoccupied with serving ourselves and instead love God without conditions, obey him without reservations, and serve him without expectations, we find a joy and peace that nothing else can offer. When our identity is defined by our relationship with the Creator, we find wholeness and the abundant life that Jesus came to offer.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

During a difficult time of loss in my life, someone sent me a card with verse 11 written in it. "For I know the plans I have for you; they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." This promise sustained me through the time of healing.

But one day I was reading Jeremiah and realized that there was a second part of the promise that had already been fulfilled in my life. The future and hope that God has promised isn't always in terms of tangible outcomes, but in the context of searching for and find him. What greater hope is there than to intimitely know the God of the universe? What better future is there than to live in a relationship of communion with him?

One thing I know: life will always be hard. There's always another crisis, another trial, another loss looming in the days ahead. It's unavoidable. The hope and the future that we can claim is one that cannot be shaken by the difficulties we face. It is rooted in our relationship with the one who stood in the midst of the storm and ordered, "Peace, be still!"

Our hope shouldn't be dependent on calm and tranquil waters, but on the inner peace we can claim when we look for God wholeheartedly and find him.

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." II Samuel 22:29-31 NIV

This passage is one that encourages and strengthens me. I pray that in whatever struggles you face today, you too will find hope in these promises.

Sometimes life gets so cluttered with activity, stress, and worry that all the sunshine seems to be crowded out of our souls. In these moments we can turn to our Creator and let him illumine us with the radiance of his love and goodness. When the darkness closes in, the Lord himself is our lamp, filling the shadows of our gloomy hearts with his light.

Is there some great challenge or threat that you must face? When we walk in obedience to the Lord, we can overcome even insurmountable odds. We can accomplish whatever he sets before us, whether it's facing a troop of enemy soldiers, scaling a great wall, or confronting our deepest fears. Our reliance on him is the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal.

He is perfect in all he does and his word is honest and trustworthy. This means that even the hardships we face are part of his perfect will for us. The fiery trials need not consume us. When we turn to the Lord as our shield and refuge, we find safety. In his loving arms, our souls find peace.

No matter how hopeless the moment may seem, there is always hope if we invite God to walk the journey of life with us. No matter how dark the night, the Lord is our lamp!