Good morning my son,
Good morning my daughter,
Sometimes you feel like such a fool.
You go around telling everyone else about the wonderful things God
will do through and for them. How God will transform their lives.
How he will make them whole. How God will “show up and show out.”
You point to times in your life when he has done so. You can look
back and see all the times that God has done so much and more for
you, when you literally only had a prayer. The other person is
encouraged and they stay the course, following God and then they see
the same in their lives.
Then you come home. Home to all your
problems and issues that you are dealing with right now. Even issues
that you do not want to deal with. The knowledge that God did in the
past does not seem to act as a salve on the pain, anxiety, and fears
that you are facing at the moment. You remember what you spoke just
a few hours ago, minutes, seconds . . . and you remember how the
words rang in your ears and reverberated in your spirit. You
remember how they brought hope for the person you were speaking with,
and how you re-lived the salvation of God in that moment. But now, .
. . now you are home, and unlike in their lives, nothing seems to
have changed in yours. Where is God? You may find yourself feeling
like I do now . . . I am a child, with childish dreams and
expectations . . . a child who has spoken of a belief in a God to do
that which in most persons minds is improbable if not impossible.
Who am I? And do I just need to “grow up,” get up and do for
myself. Shut up and live. Back off on all this “God is” stuff.
Strength of my life? My portion for ever? My joy? My peace? My
victory? My salvation? God!! I am just a child!
This anguish I brought to my God this
morning. I opened my bible, the Word, and let my eyes fall and
started to read. This is what “leaped off the pages”
Jeremiah 1:6-8
“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I
do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say,
'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say
whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you
and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
I understood what Jeremiah felt. In
crying out that he was a child he was saying, “I can not be
responsible to do this! God, Go get yourself a man.” I too
understand that sentiment very well. Jeremiah felt overwhelmed. He
felt like he could not fulfill the expectations of what was required
of him. And what was that:
Jeremiah 1:4-5
The word of the Lord came to me saying,
Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a
prophet to the nations.
Okay God. I kinda like the idea of the
knowing me before you formed me in my mother's belly. I even kinda .
. . and I do mean kinda . . . like the idea that I have been set
apart (I have always secretly wanted to have a secret mission and
task). But can't you hear Jeremiah thinking, but God you scare the
crap out of me when you say that you have appointed me to be a
“prophet to the nations.” Gee Whiz! A prophet to the nations!?
Really God, couldn't you at least have limited my responsibilities to
just ONE nation? Really!? Look at me! What prophet uses the word
“crap” in describing anything! I just can't do this!
Yeah, God, I, me, Murphy Peterson, can
not do what you have put before me to do. I am inadequate. In fact
I would like to you to see, I am a child. And right now, Lord, I am
scared . . . dare I say it . . . crapless!
“The just (righteous) will live by
faith.” Habakkuk 2:4
One of those truths that scares the
pants off of many, including myself, this faith thing. See we like
to make it all so mysterious, and in so doing we take away the
understanding by which we can live. See in that statement from
Habakkuk we see a couple of things . . . first we see a God who is
going to lead us past and outside of our comfort zone. He is going
to lead us WAY out there. He is going to require something that we
can not do on our own. And so comes the second part of what scares
us, the fact that we can not do it on our own means that we must
trust Him to complete it. Those two things requirements of this
“living by faith” stuff would be scary enough if we did not have
a couple of other concerns: Is He really leading us past our own
understanding? And, will He be there for us, if does?
There were many a Christian who were
thrown before the lions. Where was God for them? Yes Paul was
content in every circumstance . . . including his beatings,
imprisonment, and horrendous death. This God I serve seems to place
a value on things we don't see much value in – pain and suffering.
Or would it be more accurate to say, this God we serve seems to place
significant value to be obtained from experiences we would rather not
go through. Because of this unknown, we come up with a phrase to
explain it . . . “blind faith.”
Now THAT is scary beyond compare! And
may I be the first to tell you that that is stupid! And most
importantly, that is NOT God's way. He leads us and prepares us. It
is not with blindfolds on (although sometimes I wish it were). There
is nothing blind about it. On the contrary it is with enough of an
understanding that we really should not be so surprised.
Look back at what God told Jeremiah.
Allow me to pull out from what he says, what Jeremiah knows as to
where and what he is going to be doing, where he is going to be
going, and how God is going to treat him.
Vs. 5 – he knows he is going to all
nations.
Vs 7 – he knows he is going to people
God is working on, with, or through – everyone God sends him to.
Vs 7 – he does not have to worry
about what he is to say for God will tell him what he is to say
Vs 8 – he will have reason to be
afraid – it ain't going to be easy “Jerry” these people are
going to be after your hide.
Vs 8 – God is with him everywhere he
goes, no reason to fear.
Vs8 – God is with him to rescue him.
No “blind faith” here. So when he
is threatened with death (Jeremiah 26) he has no reason to be
surprised and no reason to fear for he knows this is what God called
him to do, he has spoken what God told him to speak, he is where God
wants him to be, and God is with him . . . with him to rescue him.
Feeling a little comfortable now?
Thinking, poor Jeremiah? Poor Jerry. I am so glad that wasn't me!
Well, my child wake up it IS you.
You are unique and placed where you
are, equipped with your life experiences and understanding, with your
love of God and His love shining through you to do that which only
you can do. You are set apart and set aside for your own particular
purpose. And you alone can do it . . . and indeed, . . . it is
GUARANTEED to be an improbable if not impossible task. Why?
"You are my witnesses,"
declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that
you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no
god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” Isaiah 43:10
If you will allow me, I would like to
return back to the passage for today and highlight the particular
words which leaped off the page:
“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I
do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say,
'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say
whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am
with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 1:6-8
The words: do not be afraid, I am with
you and will rescue you.
I will continue to tell of His wondrous
works. I will continue to serve Him. I am not walking in blind
faith today. I am walking with my eyes fully open. I will bring my
requests to the Lord; my petitions with thanksgiving. I will trust
that He will guard my heart and mind.
I am not a child, because mine is not a
fairy tale dream. I am a grown man who knows that to be so is to
walk in what I am called to do, to live as He directs, and to trust
Him to do what He says He will do.
In this respect you and I are no
different.
God bless you this day as you walk in
your purpose, knowing His word to you, and trusting in Him as He
completes it through you . . . with your eyes wide open.
Love yah,
dad
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