From Devotions for the Beach
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
–Isaiah 55:8 NLT
We have seen the destruction volcanoes can cause as well as the striking patterns in the landscape after hot lava cools. Did you know, however, that 90 percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans, mostly unseen by the casual beachgoer?
Unfortunately, we can approach relationships with the same kind of blindness as a beachgoer. Our human nature means we are prone to blind spots, particularly when it comes to people we love. A future husband’s free spending habits or seeming lack of patience—these may hardly be noticeable to his loving fiancée, but they can later reveal an irresponsibility with finances and a harsh temper. That’s why God must sometimes rescue us from our blind spots.
When our hearts are broken, our natural response is to ask why. Whether an eruption in a romantic relationship or a sour ending with someone we thought was a friend, we must search our own hearts as we ask God where we were blinded. And thank Him for caring and for loving us enough to spare us from even more hurt.
You see, if we are truly seeking God’s will for our lives, a breaking point will occur if a person or situation is not a part of His plan. We may pray, we may cry, we may even scream at Him—His ways are hard for us to figure out—yet His love surpasses our understanding. Years later, you may learn the why and actually feel relief that your plans went awry, but some reasons why God does what He does will not be revealed on this side of heaven. So we must trust that, while we’re currently experiencing the effects of an eruption, God is taking most of the volcanic activity offshore to protect us from something we don’t even see.
Lord, You know my heart is broken, and my pain is very real. My plans did not work out despite my best efforts. I want to trust that You have a better plan for me and that I cannot imagine how wonderful that plan is. I am choosing to be hopeful, and I will stay hopeful, because I know that You are faithful and I know that You see what I don’t. Open my eyes so that I do not miss Your presence as I journey along the way.
©2012 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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