I’ve been thinking about faith and courage the past few months, and especially the last few days. It takes courage this walk of faith. It takes gumption and borderline insanity at times. There’s nothing easy or trite about it. This business of listening to God, believing that he interacts with us today, and leads us to places of real abundant life is intense.
Right now, for me, it’s because of all the problems. There’s always these hiccups in the road – these boulders that stand directly between me and the promise. It never goes quite how we imagine it, does it?
Have you ever been part of a vision casting party, where everyone throws out great ideas – dreaming, thinking about the possibilities, and then you realize the vision casters don’t all agree on the implementation of that vision? Well, the Bible is filled to overflowing with stories like that.
Take David for example. He gets anointed to be king at a young age. Quite the vision. Wonderful promise. Then he kills Goliath and it’s all looking up for him… until this tiny thing called jealousy takes over the current king’s life – and then, it’s running around like a madman for the next few years for little David. Not weeks. Not months. Years.
Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors is another great story about vision. And problems. He gets these dreams. Who cares, right? They’re just dreams. Well, his brothers care and almost kill him. In their defense, he is a bit of a spoiled jerk. But, no mercy for little brother. They’re terrible to him. They throw him into a pit, sell him as a slave, and then he’s a stranger in Egypt. It gets worse for the guy after that. Falsely accused – for rape – and he spends years in the dungeon. Then … Oh Yes – about those dreams. They were real, after all. And he becomes the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. God wasn’t joking.
And if we look at Abraham the father of our faith – it’s a real mess for him too. It takes years and years to get what he was promised. But he held on, because he knew that voice was the most real voice he’d ever heard in his life. That voice had weight. He spoke to Abraham and Abraham heard…
Courage. Be Strong. Do Not Be Afraid. We hear these words over and over – and I see why. Because when you’re out there, in the middle of freaking nowhere – just going off a promise you received from God – fear creeps in and tells you that you heard wrong and it’s not going to go down the way you’d hoped. Maybe you didn’t hear from God, after all.
Well, if it’s any consolation – people have been risking it all for this God of Faith for a long time. This God who proves himself on his own time table, and moves in mysterious and dangerous ways … this One who shuts the mouths of lions, multiplies bread and fish, makes oil flow for days, and somehow made a nation out of one man who had shriveled loins and a woman with a barren uterus.
My take on it is – if everyone around you says IMPOSSIBLE, just maybe you’re finally starting to move in the right direction. After all, the example of those who’ve gone before us is pretty outrageous.
If we have decided to follow this dangerous God, this Mysterious One who does not answer to me – our lives shouldn’t make earthly sense. They should shine out as “No Way.” Because Faith is just that crazy. There will be problems. Big Ones. I’m sure Sarah got mighty tired of never getting pregnant. I’m sure for Joseph those dreams became distant memories in the deep dark dungeon, and for David – he was just trying to keep away from Saul’s sword.
We must keep in mind, Abraham had to pack his tent, had to set out in a new direction. His family probably thought he was out of his mind … hearing voices? Right.
And yet, here we are today, still listening to that Voice. After thousands of years … that same Voice is still leading people to new places, asking them to trust Him…
Much love,
Tina
Thanks, Tina. That was encouraging. For me, the faith part is easy. The courage part is hard, especially when others say, “what you said God said hasn’t happened yet. It’s been years. You must have heard Him wrong.” Why do people do that? People who are in ministry leadership positions are the ones who do that the most. I guess there’s a lesson for me there.
I thought of you when I was writing this. I will continue to pray for courage, for the strength to hold on.
Much love,
Tina
Tina, I’m intrigued by this post and it led me to read several others. I’m sure you have posted somewhere on your blog but I’d love to know what your objective is… what is keeping you on this difficult path? – A mission? A family calling to be in Rodrigo’s culture? I hope you will share what the still, small voice is requiring of you…
Diane,
It is indeed a long story – one that has taken many years – but we came to Chile in part, for the kids to know their other culture, to learn Spanish, to be with family here … and also because we sensed God calling us – but not for anything specific. Mainly, to live and be here, to love God in this place and to be faithful to him in Rodrigo’s home country.
Thanks for writing. And for commenting.
Tina
Tina,
I loved the examples you so eloquently word-smithed. Reminding me of their no doubt, heart wrenching and harrowing journeys of some of the great figures in the bible….
I am most encouraged when God shows me glimpses of a dream He has for me (perhaps even a calling) once revealed years prior. He pops them up in present time in the time line of my life just when I thought that it might have been a distant prayer or foggy memory of His direction for my talents/gifts and ministry calling and there in plain sight with total clarity He reveals to me in his still small voice the dream he wants me to step into- with total Faith, and courage, bearing no burden of fear….all because He is capable to use us…I am not worthy.
I too delight in His consistent voice no matter how far off the path I think He’s choosing to take me, or how long it will take me to understand the hints he leaves me along the way because I know deep down, it’s oh so worth it!..or else my journey would be pointless.
You are a woman who definitely knows his voice and the fruit is there – for all to see – listening to God is life-giving and always leads to life. I think you do an incredible job of listening and loving God in a gentle way – leaving a trail of his goodness for all to see.
I love you,
Tina
Our home group is reading “Your God is Too Safe” by Mark Buchannon….this totally reminded me of that. Lot of the same threads of thought. Such truth. I’ve long loved the way you chat/write about Bible stories. Simply because very few people even know the stories, have truly read them, soaked in every word enough to throw out a meaningful summary that is anything but trite.
Your faith and courage is an inspiration to any who get to watch it lived out.
Thank you … likewise my friend. C.S. Lewis says that goodness is different than evil, in that the more evil one becomes the more uncreative, the less unique you are … becoming replicas of one another. And when we become more good, moving towards God, we become more unique, different, like a tree with branches shooting out. I think of this when it comes to you … as you’ve moved towards God, your true person, your true self is so unique – and shines out. You and me are so different but not so different. Does that make sense?
Love you.
Tina
Oh it absolutely does, I’ve never read that C. S. Lewis quote before – but its a wonderful explanation of that phenomenon. Our uniqueness lived out in the security of who we truly are is such an incredible thing.