"God is able to do far more
than we could ever ask for or imagine.
He does everything by his power that is working in us."
Ephesians 3: 20
I’ve been praying for a long while now seeking God’s counsel on many things. Frankly, I’ve been seeking His counsel on most things. But what I’ve also done is sit still in uncertainty as time passed. My sitting still included some suffering and my suffering became “long suffering”, which is self-explanatory.
What do we do after we seek the Lord through prayer and petition? Do we wait? Do we wonder? Do we worry? Do our thoughts become twisted inside our minds leading to uncertainty? I’ll confess this has happened to me many times. In fact, due to lack of knowledge, I’ve taken this approach for years. Then, I’d be forced to wait for my life's circumstances to unravel, then begin again, not really making much progress along the way.
But through wise counsel I’ve come to some sage advice that makes sense for all of us in the modern world: Once we have an issue on our mind, and we’ve prayed, studied, and even waited to hear a clear directive, the next step of obedience is to rise up and literally take the next step. Decision-making is part of the path in walking this out, but we often wonder to ourselves, “What is God’s will?”, making His wisdom seem difficult to understand or implement. I’ve even used the analysis paralysis technique which included logical thoughts such as, “How can I be obedient to God when I cannot hear his audible voice?”.
Recently, I was advised to stop seeking revelation because I already have godly knowledge and that it is time for me to move out, to move on, to do the very thing I know I need to do. Simply put, I needed to start; just begin. Frankly, this advice seemed too simple and certainly gave me pause. For years, I'd chosen the self-righteousness path. What is that? I tried to position myself into the right standing. I tried, through my own tenacity, to make myself smart enough, righteous enough, holy enough. I was trying to do what could only be accomplished through the bestowed grace of God. My self-righteous attitude was wrong and therefore my action plan was off.
A while back, I came across an interesting quote that I jotted down, “Don’t hesitate at thresholds.” In its context, it is a poetic way to say "Step into the room" or “Take the next step!” It was a wake-up call of sorts pointing out that when I choose to sit still in indecision I am actually hesitating in doubt. Regarding spiritual purposes, I needed to accept that I was not going to be righteous enough using my own intellect or logic. This is called surrender. To the contrary, my Wait-It-Out mode of operation, which included counting on me to eventually feel up to the task, spiritually or otherwise, was wasting my time. Note: Waiting till we feel qualified enough or prepared enough to meet certain standards will keep all of us in a perpetual state of waiting. This is truly a vicious cycle that can lead to inaction; and that is exactly what I've been doing, making my being qualified for godly pursuits contingent on me. With my hang-ups and insecurities, sitting in a posture of “wait & see” seemed like a good idea. I was waiting on God; however, God was waiting on me.
In regards to this writing, what are some examples of thresholds? For me the answers are: Longing to be good enough, righteous enough, qualified enough, etc. I’m speaking to both of us when I say, we don’t need to wait for a holy push. We can just take the next, small step of faith by doing the next propelling thing and watch as God provides for us inside our current circumstances. It’s easy and not complicated. It’s safe and not overwhelming. We can do it. We can accomplish godliness safely within our lives with one decision to just start. Take one step. One step at a time, in the right direction. One choice with the faith that God is with us and He is speaking to us in our circumstances, in our daily lives, in these exact choices. Just trust that He will show up where we are, within the need that seems so pressing at the moment.
One of the keys to stepping out is actually trust. It’s about faithfulness in and of God. Where there is faith there is trust and therefore a confidence that allows us to move forward. We must trust our God enough to start. AND, we must trust that God trusts us enough to honor our decisions, especially the hard decisions and circumstances in which we find ourselves.
In summary, my latest revelation is this: Because I trust God...I can trust ME. I can move out doing the next correct thing. I can just simply start; my next project, my next goal, my next writing, or even my next dream.... and as I do so blessings flow from there. God steps out with me. The courage of God propels me and the protection of God provides for me. It is all present-tense. These types of provisional stepping stones build upon each other...but they will never reveal themselves if we do not move out, in the moment and just start. Once we do, all our necessary provisions will be provided. Our very faith in God tells us ‘anything is possible’. Personally, I have missed the clarity of this for years.
SONG RECOMMENDATION:
More Than Able
BY: Elevation Worship
Words to More Than Able:
“I’ve come along way...
I’ve seen how you work.
There’s so much goodness and grace...
much more than I deserve....
‘cause I know who I am...
and I can’t stay where I’m at.
We’ve come this far by faith
and I just can’t turn back!
‘Cause You're not done with me yet.
You're not done with me yet.
There’s so much more to this story....
You’re not done with me yet.”
“Who am I to deny what the Lord can do”
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