Am I Being Babbled?

The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 has always been an interesting one to me. I can't even imagine the panic and chaos as mother scolds little Jimmy for not eating his peas, and little Jimmy goes from not listening to mom...to not understanding her in an instant. Oh, the look he must have given her as she babbled on!

But what's more interesting to me, is why this happened. Here, many people had come together and were united in their purpose to make a name for themselves...to show the rest of the world that they were here to stay. Things didn't quite go according to plan.

God not only deserves to be first and foremost in our lives, but he expects it. (He's aware that he is the Lord, after all.) And he knows what's best for us, even when we think we're making all the right decisions. When we are bound and determined to do the wrong thing, God won't force us to do the right thing...but he may throw a few stumbling blocks in the road for our benefit!

How many times in my life have I wondered why it seemed that my plans were falling apart, or thought that nothing was going the way it should? Maybe I was being babbled. Maybe I was desiring something I shouldn't have been, and God helped me out by letting a few of my plans fall apart.

Going forward, I'm going to be on a better look out for "Babel Situations". When something I've really wanted doesn't work out for me, I'm going to get on my knees and take a good hard look at my heart. Am I desiring to make a name for myself, prove to everyone that I'm someone special, prove to myself that I'm valuable? Or am I ultimately motivated by my heart's desire to exalt the name of the Lord?

I don't think God's behind every bad thing that comes our way. But if he's trying to keep me from going down the wrong path, I want to make sure I'm not just stepping over the road block. I want to get back on track. When things fall apart, it's a time to either thank God for the blessing of his intervention, or to worship Him in the midst of those circumstances, and put what we say about faith and trust into action. Either way, our relationship with Him will be strengthened...and that relationship is far more important than any plans we've been making for ourselves.