Have you ever had to make a hard decision, not knowing how it would turn out? You weigh all the pros and cons, get counsel from others, try to figure out what the result will look like, and then make the decision. And something goes horribly wrong. Usually, it's due to what we call "unintended consequences." After you made the decision, something happened that you either didn't foresee or perhaps couldn't foresee. And things don't work out. And so others get mad (after all, their hindsight is better than your foresight). And whatever it was that you intended to do isn't what happens, in fact, sometimes you're left with a result you were trying to avoid.

To make things even more difficult --- what do you do when it's God who's orchestrating the events? After all, was God surprised by the outcome of your decision? Not at all, and yet, He allowed it.  And He allowed it for His own reasons, which He may or may not have shared with you through His Word. Perhaps He allowed this decision to go poorly because there were lessons you needed to learn, or lessons others needed to see (maybe your life is just a warning to others!). Maybe your decision failed in order to bring about some future circumstance you couldn't possibly be aware of. And probably it will all be used for your sanctification.

This week we'll be in Jeremiah 42-43 and the surviving people of Judah have to make a decision. And so they ask Jeremiah to inquire of God and tell them what God wants them to do. And Jeremiah does that. And things still end badly. How does this happen? Why does God let it happen? What can we do about it? And what are we supposed to be learning when it does happen? We'll be looking at those kinds of questions this Sunday. I think you'll find it helpful. See you then, Dr. Dave

P.S. Please start praying for the Carolina Mountain Mission Team as we'll be leaving before church on July 14th. If you're interested in what we'll be doing, this video will show some of that: http://www.carolinamountainmission.com/