Do you ever struggle with self-will?
I have, my entire life. I want what I want when I want it. I think I know best. I make my plans, and then God has the nerve to interrupt my plans in order to bring about his will.
The older I get, the more I realize that God does what he pleases. James 4:15 teaches us that when we are tempted to presume anything, we are to first say, "If the Lord wills, I will do this or that." Actually, James writes, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." I had forgotten all about that little "we will live." So instead of saying, "If the Lord wills, I will fly to Hawaii on Tuesday," I should say, "If the Lord wills, and if he still grants me the precious gift of life, I will fly to Hawaii on Tuesday." I'm not in charge of any part of my life. I don't give my heart its beat. I don't give my lungs their breath. I don't control the blood that courses through my veins. I'm at the mercy of the One who made me. I am not my own. I am not in control.
That's why God has unexpectedly removed from my life things I clinged to. He's burned off things and relationships that bound me. Even today the Lord is rooting from my heart things I've cherished for so long, that he may dwell in my heart without a rival. And I have no doubt that in future days and years I'll be cast more and more on the Lord so that I can increasingly become more and more his.
God does what he pleases. He will have his way. Will I trust him -- regardless?