The Author and Finisher of our lives

God really is the author and finisher of our lives, directing each step however small or difficult that step might be.

Source: Troy Brewer Ministries

For some time, a number of us in our Fellowship have been reading three chapters a day of the Bible. It’s amazing when you think that it is only three chapters, which should be easy to fit in a day, but I found it really hard to do every day, and honestly, I abandoned doing it after not very long. However, when the readings got around to the book of Genesis again I felt I really should discipline myself and give it a go, so I have endeavoured to try and read three chapters every day. I must admit that I still sometimes skim read and occasionally miss a day. Recently we have been reading through the book of Numbers. Well it’s been a bit hard going especially having ploughed through Leviticus and with the prospect of Deuteronomy ahead there were lots of reasons to ‘miss bits out’ after all it’s all about laws and directions for sacrifice and just keeps repeating itself doesn’t it?  However, when I got to Numbers 30 God decided to teach me a lesson. The title of the Chapter in my Bible was; ‘Laws Concerning Vows’; great! I thought, 'yet another chapter on Laws, like there hadn’t been enough already!' Its only a small chapter of only 16 verses, and honestly, I was tempted to just skip it but for some reason I decided to go ahead and read it, thereby giving God the opportunity to firstly teach me a lesson and to also minister healing and revelation into my life.

When I got to Numbers 30:3-5 it reads; ‘If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father`s home, and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand. But if her father refuses to let her fulfil the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfil them’. I was stopped in my tracks and transported back to where my life with the Lord began, the more I heard and read the more I wanted to obey. I started to go to church when I was 15 and eventually asked Jesus to come into my life and forgive all my sins while at a church in Weymouth where I was holidaying with two friends. I was 16 at the time and I was not sure about what I wanted to do with my life. I then heard about water baptism and really felt called to be baptised as I felt it was the next step of obedience for me. My Pastor was happy for me to do this but when I mentioned it to my mom and dad (who were not Christians) they refused to give me their permission and asked that I wait until I was 18 as by then I would ‘know my own mind’. I was devastated, I really felt it was right to be baptised as soon as I could and I didn't want to live in disobedience to the Lord, however my parents were dead against it. I prayed and sought advice from the wonderful lady who had led me to the Lord in the Church in Weymouth and who I had been corresponding with. She was a very wise woman and advised me that although it was very important to be baptised it was also important to follow the commandment in Exodus 20:12 ‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you’. So that is exactly what I decided to do, and I committed the decision to the Lord asking him to spare my life until such a time as I could be baptised. Of course, He did and furthermore when I was finally baptised when I was 18 I did so with my parents blessing and they both came along to the baptismal service.

Source: A Little Perspective

So, when I read the verse in Numbers 30:3 (a verse I had never read before in my life) the faithfulness of the Lord really came home to me. I had pledged in my heart to be baptised which I had not been allowed to for two years. Through those years I had worried that if something had happened to me I would die without fulfilling something I had promised the Lord I would do. But this verse showed me that the Lord had released me from that promise because my Mom and Dad would not consent to me being baptised at that time.

So why am I sharing this small personal revelation? Well, I was amazed at the intricacy of the Word of the Lord in His directions to Moses, that the law should not only make provision for young girls who wanted to fulfil God’s purpose but also who were under the authority of their parents. God understood that even in the most loving households there would be times of conflict and separation of ideas and wills however how He had made provision for both parties to be at peace and blessed. The young girl could peacefully be released from the promise until such a time as she was independent and could fulfil it. By the way, the chapter goes on to provide the same provision for married women who wish to fulfil a vow to the Lord but in this case, her husband objects. She also is released from that promise and the Lord forgives the fact that she cannot carry it out at that time.

That this little gem had lay hidden to me for 42 years and why God had chosen that day to reveal it to me is still a mystery. It demonstrated to me that God really is the author and finisher of our lives, directing each step however small or difficult that step might be. That sometimes He calls us to trust Him even when the way ahead is not clear and what we believe would seem to be impossible at that moment. He chose to show me that He was in control of my life then and He is in control of my life now and that His Word really does hold the answer to every issue we may face. It is full of encouragement, direction, assurance and sometimes discipline, it is all we need, and time is no barrier to Him. He reveals the things we need to know, when we need to know them, and not a moment before. 

If you would like to join us on our journey as we read three chapters of the Bible everyday then you will find a reminder for our readings updated daily on our website; mcflifechurch.com or on this blog

Author: Jan Pearson

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and other