I don’t think God laughs because he likes arbitrarily messing around with us, but because our perspective is so finite that our plans just aren’t going to work. We often can’t predict or comprehend (1) what God has in store or (2) even the natural consequences of events we do see and participate in.

The thing I value most from having read Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God is the simple prayer, “Lord, let me join you in your work.” This slant keeps us from the arrogance of telling God what to do because we know the greatest needs and the best approaches to take in meeting them. We can be humble, realizing we don’t have to know what is going to happen or what he is doing in our world right now (although it is wonderful when he makes it possible for us to glimpse that).

But we do need to make ourselves available to him as he requires, and he will give us the wisdom, strength, and chicken-noodle soup to do what is necessary. Until then, I’m going to relax in the knowledge that he holds the reins.