Impulsiveness: Good Ideas Versus God Ideas

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Matthew 17:4

The natural inclination in Christian living is to act on the impulse of a good idea. Not every good idea is from God. Sometimes good ideas get in the way of God ideas.

Where does your inspiration come from? The vision of the transfigured Christ inspired Peter: “‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’” (Matthew 17:4). Our natural impulse is to do something good for Him. We make a plan to do something good for God and suggest it to Him.

The tendency of the well-meaning person is to prepare a plan to do some good idea, and then pray, “Jesus, this is my plan. It is a good plan. It hurts no one, and I want it to please You. Lord, please bless my plan.” It is plan, then pray.

So many of our ideas are impetuous. They are not what the Lord wants to do. They do not resemble in any way the things which concern Him. We have good ideas, but they are not God ideas. His agenda and our agenda conflict. We want to build Him a shelter, but that is not what He wants. “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them” (Matthew 17:5, emphasis added), and God spoke, ignoring Peter as though he were not even there. Peter’s idea was so impetuous that God interrupted Peter—didn’t even let him finish.

When Peter, James, and John heard the voice of the Lord, “they fell facedown to the ground, terrified” (Matthew 17:6). They abandoned their inventive-but-self-made idea. The presence of the Lord magnified, and His holiness brought them to their senses. Jesus gained their attention, not by subduing them with a stern scolding, but by magnifying His presence until all the genius of their human ideas was bleached out by His refulgent face.

When they abandoned their good idea and fell facedown before the Lord, He could work with them again. “But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid’” (Matthew 17:7).

When you and I abandon our good idea and fall to our face before the Lord, then He will come and touch us, too. When we pursue our own plan, He cannot use us. We must abandon our good idea and fall facedown before Him. Then He will be able to use us again. Then He will reveal what He is doing—a God idea. “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them” (Matthew 17:9). It is pray, then plan. Through prayer, Jesus instructs of His plan, a God idea.

Prayer removes the impulse of the good idea, the good idea born of human ingenuity but not of God. Pray, then plan. It is the habit of the surrendered saint.

I SURRENDER

Lord, I must confess that my way has been “plan, then pray.” I have wanted to do good things for You; my motives have been to please You. But I realize that I have built shelters You didn’t need and never used. I have wasted so much valuable time on matters that don’t matter. I surrender all my plans to You, Lord. I will forget them. I will pray, then plan. I will pray and wait for You to come and touch me and say, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” I am listening now, Lord. Instruct me with Your plan. Amen.