Gettin’ Ahead of God

When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. Luke 22:49-50

Have you ever gone ahead of God? I mean, have you ever asked Him for insight, wisdom, direction, etc. and not waited for an answer? Me either. But you probably know someone who has.

Haha.

We all have, right? (This is the part where I am hoping you are nodding your head “yes.”)

I can be the worst when it comes to asking God for something – because I am supposed to – but really not wanting an answer. I am going to do it my way regardless.

Or, have you ever asked God to “bless your plans” without really thinking about what He might be doing? Have you ever planned and tried to execute something without His insight or wisdom or direction?

Of course. We are human “doings” who want to get things done and we want to do it our way. . . And fast.

But that never – I repeat NEVER – goes well.

You’re first marriage? How did that work out?

That nice car sitting in your garage? How are those payments?

That business plan you were “sure” of? Where is it now?

That ministry idea? How many are being impacted?

That Facebook post that was really going to “stick it to ’em”? How did that turn out?

The move across country to transfer jobs? You happy now?

You get the point. We get a thought, a plan, an idea, a strategy, a desire – and assume we are doing exactly what God desires – and as we ask Him for wisdom – we go ahead and do the thing we are talking to Him about.

This is what amazes me about the passage in Luke 22. In mid-swing, a disciple (John’s account says it’s Peter. . .go figure) asks Jesus if he can cut a guy’s ear off with his sword. He doesn’t wait for a response (remember, he is in mid-swing). He just does it. Perhaps he was going for the neck and the guy moved? Not sure. But we are sure that he cut off a servant of the high priest’s ear (note: I cannot imagine how much that had to have hurt). Whatever the case, the disciple didn’t wait for a response, missed his target, missed Jesus’s answer (didn’t give Him time to respond), and missed the point of what was going on in the moment. He went ahead of God and it didn’t turn out well. It was, in all seriousness, a bloody mess.

If you imagine the scene for a moment – impatient disciple, man screaming in horrific pain with blood dripping down his face and his ear lying on the ground, and everyone looking on with confusion and frustration – you get a picture of what happens when we go ahead of God. Pain. Confusion. Frustration. And wasted energy.

But here’s the fascinating part: Jesus fixes it.

Jesus fixes the disciple’s impatience. Jesus fixes the misunderstanding. Jesus puts back together what the disciple tore apart. He healed the guy’s ear, on the spot, and moved on with His original plan and purpose. When Jesus was in need of alignment, care, strength, support, and camaraderie more than any other time in His life – He patiently fixed what an impatient disciple messed up. And if you think about it, eventually Jesus became a bloody mess in order to fix our bloody messes.

Here are two thoughts to wrestle with:

First, it is never wise to go ahead of God. Never. Your plan will never turn out well if you move ahead without God’s insight, direction, and/or wisdom.

Second, when you do move ahead – He will fix what you break. It’s not over. It’s not beyond repair. He can pick up the ear cut off in haste and put it where it is supposed to be.

What can you learn from when you have moved ahead of God? How has God demonstrated His care and patience with you, despite the impatience?