Your Ordained Place
There is something special about being in a place that God has ordained you to be. A few years ago, I talked to God about an opportunity to do my master’s degree program. I applied to many schools but did not get any admissions. I spent a lot of money at the time, and nothing was coming forth. I did not understand why. I had a couple of friends who got admission, and I was initially sad. But then, in Romans 12:15a, the Bible says, Celebrate with those who are celebrating. I’ve always worked with this principle, and I reminded myself of this at the time. I congratulated my friends and then focused on other things in life.
A couple of years later, I decided that I wanted to try this again but tried in a different country. I was looking out for the best school at the time and applied to a couple of schools. I got a revelation about the exact course to study, but I didn’t get anything specific about the university. I gained admission to a university but did not continue the process because I had my eyes on another school I considered “the best”. But you see, what we think is “the best” might not necessarily be God’s best for us. God’s best is always bigger than our thoughts or imagination. So while you are asking God for the next step, you need to ask God to open your eyes so that you can know and understand when He is speaking to you. Some things could work out there, but it might not be God’s will for you.
I did not gain admission to the university I was aiming for. Therefore, I had to fall back on my previously obtained admission from the university I ignored. A couple of weeks later, I got an email from this same university. They were looking for students who would take on a particular role. The role required one to have a defined schedule such that the person can work a specific number of hours daily. I applied for this role and was invited for an interview. At the time, remote interviews were not popular, so I had to leave my country for university earlier than planned so I could be interviewed. I travelled and interviewed a day after I arrived. Within three days, I got the job. This job paid my living costs for a year with more to spare. I eventually realized that I would not have had this opportunity if I had been accepted to my first-choice school. This reminds me of Isaiah 55:8, NIV; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord”.
Beloved, at each season of your life, you also need to ask God what you need to do. Abraham was living with his father at the time. God had promised Abraham in Genesis 17:4 that he would be a father to many nations. Still, it would not happen while he was in his father’s house. This is why in Genesis 12:1-2 NIV, the Bible says, The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing”.
For him to become that great nation and be a blessing, God knew that Abraham could not do this in his father’s land. He needed a new place where he could spread and grow. This simple instruction transformed the life of Abraham, and guess whose lineage Jesus came from? See Matthew 1:2-16 and Luke 3:23-38.
In addition to asking God for our next step, we also need to ask God for the grace to follow and listen to Him unquestionably. Abraham obeyed God’s call unquestionably when God asked him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham was fully willing to go ahead with that until an angel stopped him (Genesis 22:1-13). He also dropped all he had and was doing when God asked him to leave his father’s land and go to Canaan (Genesis 12:4). The Bible describes Canaan as a land flowing with milk and honey. This means that this land had every form of resource that would cause Abraham to flourish.
I pray that you make the decision today to follow God without hesitation. And God will bring you to your ordained place.
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