DUH - I hear someone say.
The trouble with many of us is we think we can solve our troubles by words.
Some of that is true. Words matter. God can't confirm a word in our life that we never speak out or hear from the prophets.
Moses didn't lay his staff at the edge of the Red Sea and go to lunch expecting God to part it while he was off at Olive Garden for soup, salad and breadsticks. Moses held his staff and declared the word of the Lord and the Red Sea parted. He was a part of the move of God by showing up.
We have to do more than talk about it. In Ecclesiastics 11:4 there is a verse that says: He who observes the wind won't sow; and he who regards the clouds won't reap.
That means if you are waiting or hoping for just the right time to do something you will miss God. If you wait to do what God has told you to do until you are 100% sure you will be too late.
Some impulsiveness in trusting God for the outcome is appropriate. Some courage of conviction in action is needed. Something other than making our life verse, "God will fight out battles for us" is required. God will fight our battles but we have to show up, take action, do the thing we are called to do.
In 2 Chronicles 20 there is a famous bible story of King Jehoshaphat fighting against an overwhelming army. He seeks the prophets. The prophet says, "don't be afraid, God will fight the battle for you, he will destroy all your enemies".
That was a good thing. What happened next is the issue. They went to battle. Wait! Didn't God say He would fight the enemy and destroy him? Why go to battle?
In fact, Jehoshaphat fielded the army. They marched. They put the praise team at the front of the army.
Then God confused the enemy and destroyed the whole bunch.
Here's the question, what if after getting this strong prophetic word from God, Jehoshaphat and his army had decided to stay in bed the next morning. Not go to the battlefront. Not to show up. Would God have fought the battle for him or not? I mean, God is good as His word, right?
NO, I am convinced that even though it is true that God fights our battles for us we still have to strap on the armor and go to the battlefront every day. He fights our battles only as we engage in the battle.
Those who believe they can stay in bed spiritually, wait for the right time, regard the wind and the clouds will miss God.
If we wait until everything is 100% perfect to act we will be too late.
GO, MOVE, ACT, SHOW UP.
Consider this a spiritual kick in the pants which I heard last night from Pastor Marla at Faith Center.
I'm just passing it on. You're Welcome.
1 comment:
We have been telling you this for a long time, but words that seem brilliant to you when written about religion fall on your deaf ears when about other topics. If you love the earth that God created for you, and you can love it as a gift from God, and beleive that we should be good stewards of it, you are an environmentalist. You dont even have to beleive in global warming to see that we are outstripping the earth's ability to sustain us and that we need to change the way we interact with nature from an abusive relionship to a mutually benifical one. If you beleive in local water conservation and local air quality and local wildlife habitat and so on, you should get involved in something local. Volunteer for a prairie restoration or a forest preserve and cut brush for an afternoon. Get licensed as an herbicide applicator because every project needs them to herbicide the stumps after brush clearing. Learn which plants are true natives and recommend them and give solid design advice to customers so that they can use as many native plants as possible on projects. Suggest substitutions for non-natives that they order. Suggest to suppliers that they plant more native species and buy more natives than non-natives from them. Take action on local environmental issues and give up flailing against wider global ones just because Al Gore's name appears on or near them.
Post a Comment