These are a couple stories that I ran across about trusting the Lord when He ask us to do something. I found these stories in Prime time with God. I hope they inspire you as they have inspired me.
(#1) A distinguished Indian evangelist named Sadhu Chellappa was on a mission trip to a village north of Madras, when in the middle of the night he suddenly sensed God speaking to him: "Leave this house quickly and run away!"
Not exactly a convenient thing to do. But Chellappa was accustomed to accepting even strange instructions from the Lord without debate, so he dressed quickly and ran into the darkness.
After a while, he was in open country. As he passed beneath a large tree, he felt God tell him, "Stay here and start to preach!" Now, even for an experienced evangelist, this was puzzling--because there was no one to be seen. Why did God want him to preach to an empty field in the middle of the night? But he stopped under the tree and began to preach the gospel.
Finally, he reached the point at which he called on his unseen listeners to give their lives to Jesus. He was surprised to hear a voice from the top of the tree and see a man climb down, crying. The man tearfully gave his life to Jesus. When Chellappa asked why he was in a tree out in the middle of nowhere, the man admitted, "I came out here to hang myself."
How is your obedience quotient? God calls us to be obedient to that small voice inside that can direct us to sometimes do strange things. Jesus was obedient in ALL things. "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Rom 5:19). God can do exceedingly great things through one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to God's voice. Ask for His grace today to be obedient to His voice.
(#2.)The disciples were fishing. It was after Jesus had been crucified. Peter had gone through his most agonizing moment in which he had denied Jesus three times. He had lost a friend. No doubt he probably wondered whether the last three years were a dream. What now?
Peter had been prepared three years, but he was not going out to preach; he was going fishing. He had returned to his trade of days gone by. He had a level of experience with Jesus that no other human on earth can boast. This was the third encounter he was about to have with Jesus after His resurrection. Jesus looked to Peter and John in their boat and made a suggestion.
"Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some" (Jn. 21:6a).
Now, if you are as seasoned in your fishing as these guys were, wouldn't you be a bit irritated if a stranger suggested that you simply put your nets over the other side to catch some fish? Yet we find that they took this stranger's advice. Once they were obedient, the Lord revealed Himself.
When they followed Jesus' advice, the catch was enormous - 153 fish in total. In most cases such a haul would have broken the net. Jesus invited them to have breakfast with Him - fish and bread; He had already started the fire. I can only imagine that this scene would resemble some buddies going out and camping together.
There is so much that we are to learn in this passage about God's ways. As a workplace believer, we must understand that after we have spent years with Jesus, this does not always mean we must leave our professions in order to fully follow Jesus. Peter went back to his profession - fishing. It was here that Jesus asked him a simple question: Do you love Me and will you feed My sheep? He didn't say to Peter, "Fishing is a waste of time for you now, Peter." This recommissioning was in the area of his original calling - his work. We need not feel that we must go to the "mission field" to please Jesus. Our work is our mission field. We must, however, make a paradigm shift in our thinking about our place in the work world. We must have an overriding sense of mission and ministry that comes out of that work. This is what is meant when we say that we must all be circumcised before we can enter the Promised Land. When this happens, we can expect to see God fill the nets with His blessings. He wants to do this because He now owns the net, and He can trust us to manage it.
12 comments:
If we don't hear God, we'll never know what to do. Jesus said "I do what I see the Father doing."
Good word, brother.
For most people hearing God means they have to listen for His words. It is like tuning to a frequency on a radio. Once you got it locked in you have to hit the save button in your mind so you don't loose the frequency.
Eventually you will keep it on that frequency in your mind for ever so you will never miss any thing He has to say.
I definitely notice that God frequently works in ways that are not the way I would have thought to be right or best; and His ways are always way better than mine!
I call this way of life you're describing here immediate obedience and I really seek to live my life that way. When I believe God is prompting me to do something, I try to do it right away.
But I've noticed that sometimes I let the pressures of life get to me and lose that, in your analogy, "frequency", and then I have a hard time hearing what He wants from me.
I'm so grateful for His grace and mercy that continually brings me to Him.
Tracy:
In a way, We all do loose that frequency from time to time due to letting life's issues clutter the band width. Once tuned back in, He is always there to guide us back to Him.
For most people hearing God means they have to listen for His words. It is like tuning to a frequency on a radio. Once you got it locked in you have to hit the save button in your mind so you don't loose the frequency
I once read essentially the same thing once in a Pat Robertson book years ago. How in tune we are with God greatly depends upon our prayer life, faithfulness in tithing, and study of scripture and meditating upon it.
This priest is diligently preparing himself throughout Lent... I enter Lent I do not do so alone. We're in this together. I'm joining my feeble prayers with the prayers of the whole church. I'm joining my feeble almsgiving and fasting with the almsgiving and fasting of the whole church. Check him out sometime. He's the best.
JD:
I did. Odd that the color purple has such an effect. However I should not have said that considering I get fired up singing and playing music worshiping God which also leads to the same effect he has mentioned.
I love that first story about preaching to an open field. God says that He desires obedience not sacrifice. His purpose is accomplished through our obedience and others are blessed as a result... and so are we.
I agree Jack.It does seem His guidance intervened on that one preparing to hang himself.
I love that you said we don't need to leave our profession to follow Him. Unless HE specifically instructs us to do so, our work is now for His Kingdom, no matter if that's here or there!
Yes Deborah it is. It took me many years to understand that sadly through many years of not having His voice properly tuned in.
Thanks for sharing these stories. Great insights!
Matt:
Thanks for dropping by. You can find inspiration any where you look.
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