God’s Way is Best

There’s a story in Jeremiah chapter 38 where Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern. It says he sank into the mud at the bottom of the cistern, where I’m sure he prayed for God to rescue him. Have you ever felt like you were in a pit and sinking fast?  Have you ever cried out to God to do a miracle and rescue you?

This story reminds me of an old illustration I heard many years ago.  The story went something like this…

A man was caught in a flood and climbed to the very peak of his roof where he sat down and prayed to God to rescue him. As he waited, a rescue boat came by but he waved them on saying that God would rescue him.  This happened again a few hours later when two men in a row boat came by but the man again waved them on saying that God was going to rescue him.  Hours later, the water was still rising and a helicopter came by but the man once again waved it on saying God would rescue him. Night fell and the water continued to rise eventually sweeping the man away to his death.  When the man was given audience with God in heaven, he said “Lord, I served you all my live.  Why didn’t you rescue me?”  God said to the man, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter!”

Sometimes God does amazing miracles that cannot be explained but other times He uses people to work in one another’s lives.

Two questions come to mind when I ponder this statement.

  1. Is my pride keeping me from allowing God to use others in my life?
  2. Am I so busy with my own agenda that I miss the guy sitting on the roof that God may have sent me to rescue?

Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

We must be willing to allow God to do things His way. We already know that His way is the best way.