What an amazing weekend as we celebrated the very intentional, planned, purposeful and even predestined life, death, and resurrection of our King, Jesus! Most people who follow Him don’t have much problem with the “predestined” will of God as it relates to the Cross; in fact, we truly find great comfort and joy in His saving grace represented at the Cross. It’s truly undeniable; consider Peter’s words concerning Jesus in the following verses:

Acts 2:23 “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

Acts 4:27-28 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, Whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”

Sadly, we (me included) don’t take the same comfort and joy when things don’t go the way we want. We simply choose not to see God the same way as when we look at the Cross. I’m convinced the Bible teaches He’s just as intentional in our lives as He was at the Cross. If you’re reading through the Bible with us then you read Judges 13-15 on April 1st. Did you see the intentionality of God in Sampson’s rebellious desire to marry a woman outside of his own people? As he’s arguing with his parent’s about his disobedient choice God gives us a little glimpse of His bigger plan in Judges 14:4, “However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He (God) was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.”

In no possible way did God make Sampson sin; Sampson alone is responsible for his sin as we are for ours! However, God did remove the restraining hand of His Holy Spirit and let Sampson just be Sampson in order to accomplish something much bigger; the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. Later in Sampson’s life after he is betrayed by his godless lover and captured by the Philistines Judges 16:30c records, “…So the dead whom he (Sampson) killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.”

Think about our perspective of life if we started putting the phrase “it was of the Lord” in front of all of our circumstances?!?! Wouldn’t that radically change our attitudes and heartaches? Wouldn’t we find it much easier to “consider it all joy when we encounter various trials” as James puts it, knowing those trials are of the Lord? There is un-imaginable peace waiting for us when we believe the truth that God is in control and run to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28-30).

Father, please help us remember that You ‘cause all things to work together for our good’ and that Your love for us is the driving force behind even the worst of our circumstances. Thank you God for the cross, the magnificent cross! Thank you for loving us so much that You would plan to send Jesus there before time began. Please help us remember what You do is always for our good and Your glory! Thank you Father!!