Rick Pino made a great point when he said, “I have never regretted saying ‘yes’ to the Lord, I have only regret the times that I didn’t.” Here’s the thing though---saying yes requires first seeking God’s will. Which is what I did a few months ago when I casually asked God what I should do with my summer break. I knew I could probably stay in Nashville again and work, enjoying the city and my friends…but I didn’t want to be selfish with my time. So when God directed me to a very whimsical idea of doing ministry internships in Germany for the summer, I was, quite honestly, a bit daunted at the thought of traveling alone through another country, just me and Jesus.
“…and lean on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is His name.” (Isaiah 48:2)
I’m a planner. Anyone that really knows me will tell you that I adore color-coded tabs and neatly ordered lists. But there are times when Jesus will invite, “Step out of the boat! Trust Me,” without any further explanation.
Here’s the thing about leaning---it means not supporting your own weight.
“Lean on the God of Israel”…in a world that tries to condition us to be self-sufficient and independent, how many Christians can truly say that they are leaning on God? Being led by the Holy Spirit rather than by reason and logic? Trusting in a King and Kingdom not of this world? It’s often contrary to our nature, which is part of the reason I believe Paul exhorts us in Romans 8:6 that to be spiritually-minded is ‘life and peace.’ In the words of Bill Johnson, "Heaven has perfect confidence in God. This world is filled with unbelief and resistance to God. We will always reflect the nature of the world we are most aware of."
As I prepare to leave for Germany in the morning, I’ve been reflecting on the incredible support and encouragement I’ve had as I’ve prayed and planned for this adventure. I’ve also encountered those who have voiced doubts though, well-meaning individuals who brought up concerns about money and safety and reliability and security. Yes, these are valid concerns. But I’ve been learning that if we are to truly live out a life of faith in the One who we call Jehovah Jireh, we don’t get to know everything. Think about this: In Ezekial 37, Ezekial is told to speak to a bunch of dry bones and prophesy that they will live.
Stop. Imagine that. You are in a valley full of HUMAN BONES and the Holy Spirit of God tells you to tell them to live. Now that is having faith, trust, vision, and purpose! Ezekial does so and look---“there was a noise and a rattling, and the bones came together, bone by bone.” These bones came from the grave to compose a great army into which the Lord spoke hope and life. But it took Ezekial’s faith and trust.
This is not to say it is easy, but God has been teaching me that He is trustworthy. He, who promises, IS always faithful. So if He tells me to (seemingly foolishly) march around the walls of Jericho blowing on a trumpet, to lead a group of His people to a promised land I have yet to lay eyes on, or to step out of a boat onto water, I know His ways are gloriously higher.
It just takes a bit of gumption, a focused gaze in the loving eyes of Jesus, and resting in the knowledge that our precious Father tenderly whispers to us, “I’m every step ahead of you.”
We can’t get back hours of worry. I want to look back and say I lived a life of faith and adventure, of trust and miracles. As Bob Goff joyously proclaims, "I would rather have improbable faith than a predictable life!" (and bear with me, I know this blog is oozing with quotes, but what can I say, they’re so true!) Norman Vincent Peale always exhorted, “Empty pockets never held anyone back---only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”
Where God guides, God provides, and if it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill. It hasn’t been an instantaneous result, but God has continually provided my every need each step of the way as I pursue His plan. And I would much rather risk the odds of failing or making mistakes than risk not risking at all to further establish the Kingdom of heaven and the healing, transforming, redeeming work of Jesus’ love.
Lately I’ve been reading through Hebrews. Most people associate Hebrews with chapter 11’s recount of the most faithful Old Testament individuals. My bible makes a fascinating note about it: “there is no mention of the sins and shortcomings of those listed…the obvious reason is that the blood of Jesus Christ has blotted out the sins and failures, so that their iniquities are remembered against them no more.” Same with us. We’re under the new covenant. No reason to fear. As noted in 1 John 4, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” We’re covered! And as our loving Father, God delights in our every effort to engage Him in our lives and in our obedience to His desires. He also acknowledges the desires of our hearts and has our best interest in mind in all of His plans. He wants our good! Living in this revelation reminds me of A.W. Tozer’s happy assertion that, "Outside of the will of God, there's nothing I want, and in the will of God, there's nothing I fear."
Greater is He who is in us. He’s called us to extraordinary living and extraordinary love, both of which require risk. He’s every step ahead of us. :)
Always hope. Always trust. Never fear.
Let’s making our lives a daring adventure with King Jesus.
