Today I was looking through scripture to see who God worked through the most. What type of people did he work through? The more I looked, the more I saw how God worked through a desperate people. I see God working through the humble, the broken, the willing. He didn’t use the perfect. He didn’t use the rich, the healthy, and those who had it all together. If he did work through those people – they had to go through a period of “brokenness” to realize that they were in need of something else besides their good looks and riches.
As we live in 2010 and in the U.S., we live completely different lives as those who lived in the bible times. We live a plush lives, with roofs over our heads and food for breakfast lunch and dinner. The biggest worries we have is whether we’ll be grounded for 1 week or 2, or if our parents are going to let us go to beach week this year. Or perhaps on a more serious note, we face struggles like popularity, self esteem, or family issues. By no means do I want to belittle those real life problems & difficult issues – but I think of how life must have been for them back then, or even for people today who live in some of the poorest countries in the world.
Follow me for a second – exercise produces muscle & endurance. Think about two types of people – 1 guy is a hunter who lives in Africa. He must be mobile/agile to hunt and make ends meat and provides for his family. His exercise comes out of the necessity of live. The other guy lives over here in America – and he just wants to get in shape “just because.” Guy #1 was forced into being stretched and exercised because it meant life or death. The other guy has to come up with his own workout regime because he doesn’t necessarily “have to.”
So those who are less fortunate or those who are desperate people – faith is forced. Think about those who believed in Jesus – it wasn’t the rich or the wise, it was those who needed much. Satan puts idols in our way to distract us from the need of faith. We’re complacent with what we have, in need of no God.
Do you see how that applies to us today? We’re not necessarily forced into faith. We’re not necessarily forced into action or into building up our faith. In America – it’s a choice we make.
Let me take this a step further – we blockade our life so much that there is no room left for faith in God. We play it safe. We don’t take risks. Why do we need faith? If we set up this plush, safe life – then what? So what do we do as a result of this? Do we move over to a poor country and start living it rough?
No. I’m not suggesting we all pack our bags and leave our comfy little lives. However, I would say that God wants us to trust him. Not just with our family & finances, but with our active service for him. Pray big prayers. Ask God to use you. Ask God to serve his people. And then when he calls you to move to another city or even out of the country . . . or anywhere out of your comfort zone for that matter – trust and follow his leading.
I think we deprive ourselves of a spirit filled, dynamic, exciting life. We play it safe and stay right where we feel comfortable. Imagine the faith that missionaries hold when they are in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and are facing civil wars. Imagine how they are able to see God at work. Imagine when they pray – they can see him moving.
So – take chances. Pray boldly – asking God to show himself to you. When I read scripture – the time where I see God move the most is when he’s using people to impact other people’s lives. He’s using people to share himself with others. Not to provide someone with a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
That leads me to my next point. It’s amazing how when we pray, we think we’re praying something that sounds so “right.” It seems right on target. For instance “God please keep me safe.” Or like this: “God work it out so that we don’t get hurt and that we’ll be able to pay all the bills.” Our prayers tend to become very self-absorbent. We want to think only about ourselves. Satan loves this.
God provides – but it’s not in the ways we might think. God might allow us to go through hardships so that he can move in a way that has never before been seen. Instead – the goal is to stay focused on the “exercising.” We need to be focused on building out faith. Our whole life is full of building blocks. We’re on a journey towards heaven – we know our destination, but we can have a little piece of that destination here on this earth. We can have peace, not just by snapping our fingers our blinking our eyes, but by living a faith filled life. Praying for God to be involved and that he shows you what he wants from in the situation.
So what should our prayers look like? I’m not saying pray for danger and pray to not be able to pay the bills. But try these: “God I don’t know why this happened, but I pray you make it clear.” “God I am struggling and I want to honor you with my actions, give me the strength.” “God Satan is lying to me, and I stay focused on you.”
All of this to say that God is faithful to hear these cries and give you favor. It might not happen the way you want it to happen, but he will be actively working if you keep an open and willing heart. Take risks. Live life. Pray Big or go home.
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