Absolute surrender requires that one abandon the right to know the specific will of G_d. There are moments of abject waiting on Him.
~ Makala Barnabas Doulos
“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, And looks to God alone; Laughs at impossibilities, And cries it shall be done.”
~ Charles Wesley
“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.”
~ Charles Mueller
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.
Hebrews 11:32-35
Hebrews 11:32-35
WOOT!!!! Amen beloved! Look where faith can take us!
But hey, wait a minute… What is this next section all about?
Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:36-40
Hebrews 11:36-40
Oh my… That’s a different breed of cat.
Yeah, tough stuff.
Can we believe Him even when we cannot see the end of the means through which we are passing? This is where our faith becomes, well, faith.
What if our faith were such that we did not have to see where we were going? What if we could just trust Him and fly blind? Oh friends! Can we see that we are not putting our trust in some fickle being, or some Peanuts character name “Lucy” who yanks the football out from in front of Charlie Brown’s flying foot?
We are, beloved, putting our trust in G_d.
We are trusting the One in whom there is no shadow of turning. We are trusting a Person who does not just have wisdom, but created her as that most beautiful of creatures in all creation. We are trusting not just a Person who loves, but Who is Love itself.
We are trusting the One in whom there is no shadow of turning. We are trusting a Person who does not just have wisdom, but created her as that most beautiful of creatures in all creation. We are trusting not just a Person who loves, but Who is Love itself.
He hammered home a truth in my spirit today. i am to stop trying to discern His will.
What? Aren’t we supposed to do His will always?
Yes.
Well?
Regardless, this fool of a writer is learning to stop trying to discern His will all the time and simply trust Him to work His will in and through my life. It is not that we never ask. It is more that – when we don’t get an answer – that we take that as a cue to wait on Him. This waiting we do, rather than getting more and more wound up about an issue when we don’t know what to do about it.
Here’s the point. When we keep going to G_d and asking Him His will on a particular issue, it is sometimes like we are the little kid who keeps asking his dad when they are going to leave for the store. Oh, the Father in this case, is kind and gentle and regards us with the warmest type of pity. But this same Father may not be ready to give us an answer to our question. And so, we must trust that it is not yet the right time to know – because the One who does know deems it right to withhold His counsel (at least to us) on the issue.
So we wait. So we trust. So we obey what we already do know from Him.
It seems that the Word of G_d has a distinct flow to it. Everything proceeds forth from Him to, in and through us. And any time we try to change the direction of that flow, we will surely mess things up. Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the focal points of this truth:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make straight your paths.
Notice the flow here. HE will make straight our paths as we simply acknowledge Him for who He is. Oh, by the way, this is the linguistic and spiritual direction-of-flow throughout both the Old and the New Testament.
So, when we are flying blind, we absolutely must be convinced about the fact that G_d is in control. He is most surely doing that which is necessary for us to move forward in our walk with Him. Once we start to grasp this truth, it yields a very calming peace in our lives. And those of us who have experienced this, simply know it to be true.
Anxious about flying blind? There is only one answer. Let G_d be G_d in your existence. Close your eyes, hold on tight and enjoy the ride. i promise you friends, He never loses vision. Not ever.
Faith does not wish, hope, or desire—faith receives.
~Ord Morrow
