Confusing Callings

The worst feeling is knowing what God has told you to do and feeling like you misheard or misrepresented Him. You know, those times when God has very clearly told you to do something or shared something with you, and when you share it, people think you're absolutely ridiculous? That's okay. It is definitely a struggle when you have no support for something you know God has clearly told you. There are even times when other Christians don't support you, disregarding the fact that you heard it from God. Which seems quite ironic when you think about it... that those who hold the same beliefs as you would look at you like you're crazy when you share what God has told you to do or what He's shared with you. And it's always discouraging. Those people, the ones who believe and trust in the same God, don't accept that you've been told something. That has always made me question if it was right. "Well, if my Christian family and friends don't think this is what God wants for me, is this what He really told me?" But, God is showing me we should question others' opinions before we question what God has told us. 

I've been reading in Exodus. If you don't know the background, the Israelites are slaves to the Egyptians. The Israelites had been crying for help. 

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. Exodus 2:23-25

God then reveals to Moses that He will set the Israelites free from the Egyptians, and Moses is the one God is going to send to Pharaoh and the one who will lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After a conversation with God about not feeling qualified, Moses is going to do what the Lord has asked of him. Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and tell Pharaoh that the Lord has commanded he let the Israelites go, but Pharaoh refuses. 

Now onto how this relates to what I began with:

It isn't surprising that Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go (1. because he wouldn't have slaves and 2. because God already decided to harden his heart {Exodus 4:21}), but what is surprising is that the Israelites are not even supportive of Moses. I would assume the Israelites would be ecstatic and supportive if God told Moses He would set the Israelites free. But they aren't. In Exodus 5:21, the Israelite foremen said to Moses and Aaron, "May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!" To me that's a little harsh for someone who is trying to save them. 

So Moses returns to God and asks why... Moses is looking for reassurance for what the Lord has told him. And God, so patiently, repeats to Moses what He is going to do and assures Moses that he will lead the Israelites out of Egypt. 

Moses, like us, brings up to God the fact that no one is supporting him. Even those who will benefit from what God is going to do through him aren't supporting him. Moses says in 6:12, "But Lord! My own people won't listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I'm such a clumsy speaker!" So on top of not having any support, Moses is awful at public speaking. 

God sometimes calls us to things we aren't necessarily ready to do and sometimes without any support. We have to be ready to be strong in the Lord and do what He says despite other people. Our support is God's voice and assurance in what He's told us. And like Moses, maybe in the world's eyes we aren't even qualified to do what God has asked of us. But, I've heard this quote before and I agree with it: "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called." (In my opinion, it's better that way because it's easier to stay humble when we don't feel adequate.)

You won't always have the support and encouragement from family and friends when God asks something "big" or "extreme" of you. But what is most important is that you're assured in your heart of what the Lord has asked and that you're faithful to it. Don't let the environment or circumstances around you change what you know you heard God speak. He is faithful to our obedience, and He always does what He promises when we hold up our end of the bargain. 

Don't be afraid to stand alone. God is standing there with you if He told you to do it, and He will walk with you through it which is better than having any person for support. 

The Wind & The Waves

Recently I've been going through a phase in my life where God is teaching me not to surrender to fear and worry - like truly to give it up to Him in a practical way. He's showing me I do have an active role in order to get rid of fear in my life. It has not been easy, and I haven't always succeeded, but there is grace, mercy, and freedom in the Cross.

We're told in Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
God, through Paul, wasn't simply suggesting, "Hey, I think life might be a little better if you don't worry but pray instead." When I read this, I see it more as a command. Do not be anxious about anything. By prayer and petition, present your requests to God. I think we (Christians) often complicate trying not to "worry" and act like it's a sin, and then we act so troubled thinking, "Oh, I need to work on not worrying. I'm not really there yet." The solution is clear to me: When you're worrying, pray. It doesn't matter if you feel like praying or believe it will make a difference. God is faithful to our actions of obedience when we feel faithless. I've been learning in my own experience that even when I don't feel like praying when I'm worried, when I do, God is always faithful to give me peace simply because I'm trying to obey Him and surrender my fears.

It'd be a lot easier to not worry if we didn't have things to worry about, right? If life were just simpler. Well, God being as wonderful as He is, gave us a solution for that too. In Matthew 14, Jesus is walking on water towards the disciples in the boat. Peter says to Jesus in verse 28, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." So in response Jesus tells him to come. If you're familiar with the story, you know that Peter looked away from Jesus, got terrified, started to sink, and then Jesus reached out to grab him. In verse 30, it specifically says what distracted Peter from Jesus: "But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink." 
I'm going to present this more as a metaphor to our lives, but I believe it to be completely relevant to this passage. Because Peter looks at the wind and the waves, he failed to see the One who would bring him through it. Our eyes cannot be focused on 2 different things - unless you're really talented. But realistically, it's not possible. We cannot be looking at how I'm going to pay this bill, how I'm going to get food, how I'm going to fix this relationship, etc. We must focus on Jesus. And to do that, we have to intentionally take our eyes off of distractions, stare straight ahead at Jesus and keep walking. That is the only way to make it through the wind and the waves. When people say, "If God led you to it, He'll lead you through it," I believe that to be true, but only if we're focused on Him and not how we're going to overcome the circumstances.
Faith shall be our substance to walk on.
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 
Peter wasn't walking on any tangible substance that would keep him afloat. His faith and fixation on Jesus was his substance that kept him from sinking.

I'm not saying I've mastered fixing my eyes on Jesus, but learning this lesson requires a constant battle against distraction. It must be intentional on our part to pray, and ask, when we're filled with fear, worry, or doubt. And God will be faithful.
Matthew 21:22 "You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."




For those of you interested, God has shown me all of this through a sermon I was listening to. The essence of the message wasn't about prayer in anxiousness, but it was focused on faith and asking. If you're interested in listening, the link is http://sermon.net/newdaysc/sermonid/2411550 It should be titled, "How (and when) to walk on water".