There’s a Christian song by Sarah Reeves that I’ve heard on the radio lately, and it has me thinking. The chorus of the song (Just Want You) starts with these words, “I don’t want it if You’re not in it. I just want You.“

As I sing the words, I stop and wonder, is that the truth? It’s easy to sing along when the melody is catchy, but I wonder if it’s true when it comes to something I really want. Am I willing to give up my wants and desires for God’s will?

If it is the truth, that means I have to be okay with not always getting what I want or what I think I deserve. I have to be okay with timing that isn’t mine. I have to be okay with a “yes” or a “no” or a “not yet” or a “not ever” that doesn’t make sense in the moment and maybe never will.

Am I Okay with That?

If you really want God’s plan for your future to come to life in your life, you have to be willing to submit to His timing and plans, even when you don’t understand, even if it means walking away from something you not only want but thought was right.

Synergy is a word my sweetheart and I have been discussing a lot lately, defining our desire to experience synergy in every aspect of our lives: the beautiful coming-together of divine timing, less striving, and more aligning, mutually benefitting experiences, relationships, and opportunities. And in order to have this, I believe the hand of the Holy Spirit in our life is vital.

Have you ever pushed and pressed and squeezed will all your might to get something to fit together? Maybe it was a relationship or a job or a friendship that you pursued even though it was never meant to be. Not saying everything will come easy with God, but I do believe there is peace in the midst of the struggle when God is involved. Through faith, confidence, and, most importantly obedience, I believe our walk with God and His will for our lives can be synergistic. Not perfect or always easy, but aligned and covered with a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

I recently had a conversation with a lovely couple, and there seemed to be an instant connection. From our passions and desires to the mutually beneficial relationship that I saw beginning to form, I was sure this was a business opportunity orchestrated by God and full of synergy. But three weeks after the initial conversation, where all lights seemed to be green, the lights turned red without reason. No communication, contact, or explanation.

I Don’t Understand, but Do I Have Peace?

I thought this relationship was going to embody the synergy I’d been looking for–the business opportunity, the friendship, the passion-filled organization I was going to help and enhance for the glory of God. To me, it looked like it was the right fit. But it really doesn’t matter what it looked like to me, based on what I can see in the here and now. What matters is God’s plan–what He can see, not only in the here and now but in the next month, year, and into eternity.

If I’m truly following God–trusting Him and walking in obedience, attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirt–and something doesn’t work out, I have to believe it’s because it isn’t God’s will for my life. And if God is not in it, if He didn’t orchestrate it, if it’s not going to be covered by the Holy Spirit, I don’t want it.

Maybe the relationship was right, but the timing was off, and it will come together in the future, or maybe nothing will ever come of it. While I would like to have the answers and be able to understand what happened and why it happened the way it did, we don’t always get to. And to be honest, we shouldn’t need to.

God knows, and He loves me and wants the best for me; that should be enough. That should be enough for me to walk away from something that seemed good without any answers as to why nothing came of it and still be confident in God’s plans.

This is much easier said than done, and in this particular situation, I’ve gone back to it many times trying to figure out what went wrong, where I messed up, and what I could have done better to make this work. But the truth is, it may not have had anything to do with me. It may have had something to do with their situation, something I cannot see and will never know.

Submission to God’s will doesn’t mean having all the answers; it means following the One who does. And when we do that, I believe we will experience synergy with the Holy Spirit and with the people and opportunities in our life. It is then we will truly get to experience the powerful peace that comes when God’s in it.