God's Intervention and Our Heart

I didn't have time to write something yesterday, but something has really been on my heart and mind and was brought to the forefront, so I thought I should write about it.  It's about God giving people over to their desires.  I have been praying for God's intervention in some particular areas, like He did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  I have been praying specifically for His deliverance, but if not, praising Him for still being in control.  

Wouldn't it be nice if God would intervene every time I asked Him to?  Wouldn't it be nice if we could save someone from a mistake?  Jordan is always telling me to stop "mommying" my sisters and I always say, "yeah, but if they would just listen then...." or "didn't I say this was going to happen, if they would have just listened to me then...." 

Now I'm not talking about my sisters, specifically, right now.  But if God could intervene, why doesn't He all the time?  Sometimes it's so that we grow and learn from our experience.  Sometimes God knows that He could use our hurt or misfortune to further His kingdom.  However, there are other times it's because He gives us over to our own desires.  

My Psalm said this, "So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices" (Psalm 81:12). Wow.  Or read Romans 1:26.  It says the same thing.  Verses 13 and 14 continue, though, "Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!  I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries."  God wants to intervene, but sometimes He gives us the things that we want over what He actually wants.  But, He is ever present, waiting for us to turn back to Him.  

So how do we make sure that we are following His will?  One way is to surround ourselves with wise and Godly counsel.  If the majority of people in your life are telling your to hold off or back away, then maybe you should take a second look and see if you are doing God's will or what you want.  The Proverb I read yesterday also spoke to this.  It said, "He who trusts his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26).  We can walk wisely by surrounding ourselves with people who want to honor God and will help us see His will.  The Proverb literally says that the opposite of being wise is to listen to our heart. 

But what does our culture have to say about this?  

In our culture many will say, "Listen to your heart," or "What is your heart telling you?" or something of the like.  To do something based on just your heart is to be a fool, because the heart not only can be, but is deceitful! (Jeremiah 17:9).  That's why it is so important to surround ourselves with Godly counsel!  People who fear God help us to figure out what God wants us to do.  Sometimes this might hurt because it goes against what our heart wants, but eventually we will see it as a blessing.  

I have often prayed for God to intervene, to show me the way, to appear.  Perhaps His intervention isn't appearing as a burning bush or as the Angel of the LORD as I'm fearing for my life about to be burned to death.  Perhaps His intervention is in the form of the people He has placed in my life.  The people who I know are praying for me, have my best interest at heart, and whose opinion I trust.  

I guess He does intervene every day, I just need to be wise enough to perceive it.