Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.
Accepting God's Unacceptable Plan
Genesis 36:1
"Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom."
When Esau first realized God's plan for his life, he was not very pleased with it. He first realized this plan and showed his displeasure by saying in Genesis 27:41, "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob." Esau planned to get his plan through one way or the other. Esau never knew from birth it was meant that the lineage of the family would go through Jacob. However, through process of time and events Esau came to accept God's unacceptable plan for his life, and this resulted in great blessings. When you read Genesis 36, you will see that God blessed Esau in a great way. Was it the plan that Esau originally wanted? Definitely not! Yet, he accepted the unacceptable plan and made it acceptable, and the results were blessings that he never imagined.
Have you found yourself in Esau's shoes facing the plan God has for your life as unacceptable? Everybody will face this at some point in their life. There will be things that God has planned for your life that you don't really want, but if you want to realize God's greatest blessings on your life, then you will have to somehow make God's unacceptable plan acceptable. How do you do this?
First, realize God is right. There have been times in my personal life when I did not like God plan. The first thing I always tell myself is that God is right. You may have to tell yourself this over and over again, but at some point you must realize that God is right. If you never accept that God is right, then you are setting yourself up for bitterness. Those who have become bitter with God over something in their life are those who never accepted that God is right.
Second, you don't have to like God's plan, but you do have to obey Him. God never commands us to like His plan, but He does expect obedience. You don't have to like that sickness is part of God's plan for your life, but you do have to obey what God commands you to do during the sickness. You don't have to like God's plan concerning His calling on your life, but you do have to obey what God has called you to do. Jonah didn't like God's plan, but he obeyed it. God's unacceptable plan for your life could be separated parents, financial misfortune, children who have messed up their lives, physical impairment, death of a loved one, etc., and though these are a part of your life, you don't have to like them, but you still need to obey God while enduring them.
Third, obedience will bring acceptance. Because Esau obeyed God's plan that he felt was unacceptable, he found that God's plan became acceptable to him. You will find that as you obey God, His unacceptable plan will begin to seem acceptable. Obedience to God has a way of causing you to see things through God's eyes. When you see things through God's eyes, then you will realize why God allowed this to be the plan for your life.
Finally, acceptance brings blessing. Because Esau accepted what he thought was God's unacceptable plan, he realized blessings that he could not have imagined. When obedience brings acceptance, then you will see the greatest blessings from God, partly because your attitude allows you to see all of God's blessings. Christian, if you will simply obey God while you live in His unacceptable plan, then eventually you will realize the greatest blessings of God upon your life. Don't quit on God's unacceptable plan, but accept it realizing that He has sent you through this for the purpose of blessing you to the fullest extent.