"THAT is the right question."

I don't remember much about the movie I, Robot. I enjoyed it, but it IS a guy movie, and while I like guys movies, sometimes I'm not too good at remember the details. One thing I do remember, though, is the heavy emphasis that was put on asking the "right questions." Only when the characters asked "the right questions" (whatever THAT meant!) would they receive the answers they needed.

Recently, I have had a LOT of questions for God. In my search for a new job, my questions have gone something like this: "God, what should I do?" "God, what type of job should I look for?" "God, where should I apply?" "God, what type of avenues should I try?"... etc., etc. You get the idea. But notice the key word in all these questions. "I." A big, fat "I." Though I was trying to do the right thing in asking God's advice, the phrasing of my questions betrays the fact that my reliance was still in the wrong place! All those questions I was asking were to a very distant God. I was asking God to look down from heaven and tell me down on earth what to do. Then I could go out and carry it out.

Here's another question. If we have a God who is willing to go to battle FOR us, willing to actively CARE for us, willing to move mountains and part seas, why on EARTH would I ask His ADVICE?! What I should be asking is for HIM to go to battle for me, for HIM to pull together all the details that I can't control, for HIM to open the doors that I have no way of opening, and for HIM to make the way for me! He has shown over and over again in His word and in my life that He is MORE than willing to do that. In fact, He is just WAITING for someone to ask Him to do something awesome!

I finally came to this realization a couple Saturdays ago during my prayer time. For the millionth time I was asking God in desperation, "What should I do?" When I suddenly realized.

Maybe that's the wrong question.

Since that day, I've had to make a conscious effort to change my prayers. It has been hard to change my mindset so drastically, but I realized that my reliance needed to be on God and God alone. I know that even a lot of Christians would say that I still needed to be "proactive" and still be "trying doors," but believe me, I've been proactively trying doors for a year now, and I have faced frustration after frustration. I decided to give God a try. I decided to stop trying myself. And I started asking God if HE would open the doors and if HE would please work it out so that everyone around me would know that it was HIS handiwork and not mine.

And apparently, THAT is the right question.

God was just waiting for me to ask Him to reveal HIS power!

He has, and I will be happy to tell you all about it... in my next post. :)

Ask God to do something great. Ask Him to make it His work and not yours. Then step back and watch what He will do!