WHY DOES GOD KEEP MESSING IN MY LIFE?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Why does a baseball player take a bat to the plate? 

Wait!  Let me rephrase that – what is the ultimate reason a baseball player takes a bat to the plate? 

And don’t say it’s to hit the baseball.  That’s too obvious!

The ultimate reason a baseball player takes a bat to the plate is to score runs.  If we lose track of that ultimate goal, we will be satisfied with base hits and running bases but never scoring any runs.

In the end, we lose!

The ultimate purpose of hitting a baseball is to score runs.  That’s the only way to define a win.  Selecting a bat, going to the plate, getting a hit and running bases is useless unless those activities produce runs.

God has an ultimate plan for your life.  It’s to get you to heaven.  Everything happening in your life right now is part of God’s master plan to take you from where you are today and bring you into His presence one day in heaven. 

Ephesians 1:13-14 says,

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

This verse says that God has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment to assure that we can make it to heaven in the end.

In ancient times the most common way to transport goods from one place to another in the Roman Empire was by ship.  The owner of the cargo would give the ship’s captain a down payment called earnest money.  That would assure that the cargo would arrive safely at its destination.  The balance of the cost of shipping would be paid with the cargo arrived.

God has an investment in you.  He has given you His Spirit has a down payment to make sure that you, His purchased possession, makes it to your final home.

The Ultimate Goal.

To Cross the Plate and Score a Run.

Heaven!

If we don’t understand this ultimate purpose in our lives, we might become frustrated.  If, in our minds, we think our ultimate purpose in life is to make the team, look cool in our uniforms, swing the bat beautifully, hear the applause of the crowd, make a big paycheck, get base hits and run the bases - while God has a different purpose in mind – then we will likely will be agitated.

Because in those instances, God’s agenda is different than ours.

Some prayers are not answered because they do not align with God’s ultimate purpose for you.  Some events take a sudden and unexpected turn because they are aligning to God’s purpose even when you are not aware of it.  Certain people enter your life while other people exit because they are playing their role in the grand drama that is God’s purpose for you.  Sometimes the desires of your heart unexpectedly change because God is even working inside you to fulfill His purpose.

Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

I’ll never forget when I went to my first baseball practice.  They were selecting kids for certain positions on the field and the coach asked if anyone could catch.  I had a glove and played catch with my brother so I raised my hand.  Thinking I was going to play somewhere on the field, I was bewildered when all the kids ran out to the various positions on the ball diamond and I was called over to the dugout.

What was this all about?

I was further confused when they took away my glove.  How was I to catch the ball without my glove?  Then one of the assistant coaches started putting hot, heavy gear all over my body.  What I did not know is that when I raised my hand telling the coach I could catch, I just volunteered to be the catcher.

His purpose for me and my purpose for me was different.  We were not on the same page.  This led to some confusion and frustration until I figured it out.

Look at the main passage again.  Romans 8:28.  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

When we evaluate our lives, there are many times of confusion and frustration.  But this verse assures us that in it all, God is working His plan to get us to our final reward in heaven. 

Right now, God is aligning events and people in your life and is even secretly working inside your own heart in order to get you to cross the plate to score a run in the end.  If your purpose and His purpose don’t match up, you will constantly feel a sense of struggle and uneasiness.  However, understanding His purposes for your life and submitting to that purpose will help us see how all things work together for good for those who love Him.  Your heart and mine will be at peace and our outlooks will change – even in tough times.

So join the team.  Put on the uniform.  Grab a bat.  Learn to hit.  Take the field.  Run the bases.  Play hard.  But understand that everything in this life matters not unless we cross the plate.

Heaven!