His Heart, My Home

Often, as we travel along life’s highway we are slowed down or blocked by obstacles, detours, construction zones, and fender benders (or even worse).

This shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus said in this world, we will have tribulations, tests, and trials. But He also said, “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

It’s what we do when we encounter life’s challenges and difficulties that determines whether we walk in victory or defeat.

If we look at our problems with the wrong perspective, they can overwhelm and overcome us. But if we see and deal with life’s challenges and difficulties from God’s perspective, we will experience victory.

So what is God’s perspective? Let’s look first at Isaiah 46:10 from the translations below:

“I declare from the beginning how it will end and foretell from the start what has not yet happened. I decree that my purpose will stand, and I will fulfill my every plan.”
(Passion Translation)

“From the beginning, I declare how things will end; from times long past, I tell what is yet to be, saying, ‘My intentions will come to pass. I will make things happen as I determine they should.”
(The Voice Translation)

● The first thing I notice from Isaiah 46:10 is that God sees the entire problem, the “big picture”, all at once, from beginning to end. We see just the thinnest slice of it, the “now” of it.

It’s like we’re looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Our perspective is distorted, and even what we can see is blurred and unclear.

God is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
(Revelation 1:8 and 22:13)

He is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
(Hebrews 12:2)

He is infinite. He is timeless. He is eternal. And He is simultaneously present in every place in every moment of time. Therefore, He is not limited, as we are, to a narrow “now” perspective.

ALPHA
He stands with us at the beginning of our tests, trials, and temptations, when we are shaken, weak, confused, discouraged, and dismayed.

OMEGA
Simultaneously, He also stands with us at the end-point of our challenges, as we celebrate His faithfulness and our victories. And He stands with us from start to finish, at every step along the way, faithfully guiding and strengthening us at every twist and turn of the road.

This forever-present, all-knowing aspect of God’s character is most clearly revealed in the following passage of scripture:

” ¹ Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. ² You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. ³ You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! ⁴ You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. ⁵ You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid your hand on me!“
(Psalm 139:1-5, Passion Translation)

Notice this phrase in Verse 5, because it is important to our understanding of how God brings us to a place of victory: “You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way …”

●  The second thing I notice from our verse is that God has declared and decreed His desired outcome from the very beginning. This is His will for the situation, established by His Word.
God created, and still creates, all things by His Word. He uses His Word to bring His will to pass in the earth.This is the way He operates:
“(God) gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.”
(Romans 4;17, Amplified Bible Classic Edition)

“(God is) …upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful Word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal].” (Hebrews 1:3b)

If we cooperate with Him, God will always accomplish His plans and purposes in our lives.
“…I say that my plan shall stand; I accomplish my every purpose.” (Isaiah 46:10, The New American Bible)

So what about those plans, purposes, strategies and blue-prints that God has for us? I’m glad you asked!

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
(Jeremiah 29:11, The Message)

The KJV of this verse says the Lord desires to give us “an expected end.”

The word translated as “expected” is the Hebrew word “tiqvah” which means, “that which is longed for”.

Hallelujah! God is working in my best interest! He’s already “gone into my future to prepare the way”, bringing everything into alignment with His purposes, and wonderfully blessed plan for my life. He wants me to obtain what I have been longing for.

He is committed to my success! He has pre-ordained a victorious outcome for me in every test, trial, and temptation! He has prepared an “expected end” for me!

My “expected end” is health, not sickness; strength, not weakness; prosperity, not poverty; victory, not defeat; peace, not confusion; love, not hate; and life, not death!

Through the New Covenant, established by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and ratified by His blood, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. (Ephesians 1:3)

The Omega, the end-point for all those abundant blessings is a place called “YES” and “AMEN”!

“In Jesus we hear a resounding ‘YES’ to all of God’s many promises. This is the reason we say ‘AMEN’ to and through Jesus when giving glory to God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, Voice Translation)

“Every good gift bestowed, every perfect gift received, comes to us from above, courtesy of the Father of lights. He is consistent. He won’t change His mind, or play tricks in the shadows.”
(James 1:17, The Voice Translation)

God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, but don’t confuse Him with an Amazon delivery truck driver!

The reality is this: God is not bringing the gift to our front porch, but instead, He is bringing us to the gift! It’s just ahead. He’s already planned and prepared it. And now He invites us to walk with Him in faith as He brings us from “good gift bestowed” (alpha) to “perfect gift received” (omega).

He wants us to have “what we long for” (tiqvah) but His highest priority is to transform us along the way, not just to bless us. He wants us to grow in faith as we lean into His faithfulness.

He wants us to desire Him, just as He desires us. He wants us to seek Him as the Blesser, not just the blessings. He wants us to long for His heart, not just His hand.

He wants us to know and trust Him completely, from beginning to end, through every moment in time, and forever, throughout eternity.