Another Way of Knowing

The story of Balaam kept coming to my mind yesterday. God initially told him no, not to curse the Israelites as the king asked him to do. Balaam made a pretense of obeying God by telling the king no. With each increased offer from the king, Balaam went back to God seeking permission to take the wealth and curse Israel. Eventually God told Balaam yes but only because Balaam was going to do it anyway. Balaam went to curse Israel deceiving himself into thinking he had God's okay.
     For several days I have been asking God is there something more we could do or needed to do in order for Him to answer. Tuesday He put this idea into my mind and of course, immediately Satan pounced. I spent some time talking with Stephanie about it, seeking advice and counsel from someone else as Proverbs says to do and we agreed that this could be a good thing and a tremendous opportunity for God to work. And Satan pounced again. Every so often on Wednesday, Satan put the thought into my head that God only said yes because I pestered Him about it and that I was taking matters into my own hands, that I was doing this on my own and God wasn't in it. Thursday was even worse. Then came Friday. My specific set-aside time came and as I began to pray Satan was right there, once again putting doubt into my head.
     I am currently reading in Genesis. Today was the story of Sarah deciding God was not answering fast enough so she gave Hagar to Abraham to have a child by. What Sarah did did not fit into the promise God had given her. God had promised her that she herself and Abraham would have a son. He did not promise her that Abraham and Hagar would have a child. Sarah went against God's plan, it didn't fit in with what God had said. That is what God was trying to show me about our decision to devote today in prayer. When God said to ask, He said to ask Him, not to go through any other channels or means to get Tebow's attention. That's exactly what we did today...ask Him for an opportunity to meet Tebow.
     Had I pleaded with God to make a YouTube Video until He said okay, then I would have been Balaam. If I had asked everybody to write ten letters to the Tebow Foundation every day for the next month, then I would have been Sarah, taking matters into my own hands. What we did do today, however, did fit in with His original plan of asking Him and Him alone to make this meeting happen. It is how He wants this promise to be fulfilled.
     Doing things that fit in with His established plans and promises are another way of knowing and recognizing God's will and hands in a situation. Anything we do that goes against what He's already shown us His will to be will never be the right thing. And what a blessing of assurance God gave me today through Sarah that a day of prayer most decidedly was in accordance with His will and fit His plan of how He wants this to be accomplished.