No matter how strong we think our
faith in the Lord is we often act as though certain things in our life are out
of his control. We may see them as being too big for him to handle or too small
for him to care about. Fortunately for us, this isn’t the case. The truth of
the matter is that these things seem too big or too small for us and out of our
control; therefore we have a hard time believing that this thing, this
situation, this hardship is within His control or something that He could even
be concerned with. Furthermore, I think that we (I) have a fear that the more
we (I) hand over to Him, the more disappointed we (I) may be when things don’t
turn out the way we (I) wanted/expected them to. (Yes, I added all of these I’s
as an indication of the fear that I have recently realized in myself)
Let’s
take the story of Abraham and Sarah for example. Sarah had wanted to give her
husband a son for years but was never able to do so and was now too old, based
on human wisdom. One day the Lord appeared to Abraham through three visitors who
told him that his wife Sarah would have a son the next year. Sarah overheard
this conversation from the tent.
So she laughed silently to herself
and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially
when my master--my husband-- is also so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why
did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for
the Lord? I will return this time next year, and Sarah will have son.” (Genesis
18:12-15)
And wouldn’t you know…..a year later just as the Lord said, she
gave birth to a son named Isaac.
In this
case it sounds as though Sarah underestimated the power of God. She thought
that her wishes, her dreams, her desires were out of God’s control, and may
have even thought that they weren’t important enough for Him to care about. But
more than that, when she was told that it would happen she tried to laugh it
off in disbelief. I can’t speak for her myself, but I am guessing that it had
to do with the fact that she didn’t want to believe it, only to be
disappointed.
How many
times have you disregarded a feeling or a nudge you’ve received from God because
you didn’t think that it would turn out the way you wanted it to? Of course it
has a lot to do with our fearful nature, but it also has to do with our
unwillingness to let God do what he knows is best. I mean what if God had
another plan for Abraham and Sarah. Let’s say the next year comes around and
she hasn’t even become pregnant. That would be a huge disappointment, likely to
crush her spirit. But what if she was to believe that next year she would be
with son, never ended up pregnant, but God sent an orphaned child into her life
for adoption. (Now, based on this particular story that would probably have
been very unlikely; the gift of child in this case was more about giving heir
to God’s kingdom than it was a blessing to Abraham and Sarah). Her wish still
would have been fulfilled, it just wouldn’t have looked quite as she had
expected. Is that necessarily a loss?
When God
gives us a nudge towards something (someone) we often look at what we want or
can get out of the situation. Then as a way of talking ourselves out of it we try
to give ourselves every reason in the world why it couldn’t work out that way. In
doing so we not only disobey our calling, but we also miss out on other great opportunities;
great things that God has in mind for us. Yes, the journey getting there may not be
quite as appealing as we had hoped, and in some cases it may even end up being
a painful roller coaster ride, but in the end we have to remember the promise that
was made to us….
And we
know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love
God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)
So let's forget about our fears and our doubts. It’s time we (I)
became obedient to His calling.
Be Blessed,
Brian.
