"Regardless!"

"Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto Thee." (Psalms 56:12) It might seem like a strange way to put it, but it's not really up to me how God works it out, God is totally in charge no matter what. I don't think we totally understand how that works; yes, I have made some mistakes, and I think that my life might have been different had I not done certain things the way that I did; but I believe that I am right where God wants me to be, no matter what; it's just the way things are in the will of God. When you think about what David is saying here, it reminds me of the traditional wedding vows, and how in the traditional vows, only death can separate the couple, not physical condition, or finances, not even the person that you might become; nothing matters more than the vow to love and cherish each other, no matter what! When you actually look at things that way, they seem so certain, yet so uncontrollable, all at the same time. God has vowed in His word that He would, that He will, and that He always has loved us, and there is absolutely nothing that we can do that will stop Him from loving us. Listening to a message yesterday, I don't even remember who it was from, but it was about king Hezekiah, from 2 Kings 20. As I was listening to this message, I could not help but think about yesterday's post and my regrets for things that I had done in the past. If you know the story, God tells Hezekiah to prepare to die; basically, God gave him notice that he was going to die, so set your house in order. That was not a bad thing God was doing, because Hezekiah had been a good king; God was letting him know that it was his time to go, and that he should prepare to depart. That is what I would want God to do for me, if it was my time to go; that way I could make sure that my wife was taken care of, and that things could continue in some sort of structured order after my departure. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and he pleaded for God to give him more time on this earth; and God did, God gave him fifteen more years; and boy, did he screw things up! But God, God makes beauty from ashes; He takes the most stupid things that we do, and He can make into whatever He wants, to suit His will and purposes, not only for our lives, but for the plans that He has that extend far beyond our little bubbles. As James puts it, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14). So what do I do with that... "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." (Isaiah 12)