“You follow Me”

In the story, “The Horse and His Boy” from the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, the boy Shasta is overwhelmed by the Lion who deeply injures his companion, Aravis. Later the Lion comes to him and he is perplexed and afraid. He does not yet know that this is Aslan — who for readers is a symbol of Jesus Christ.

Shasta asks the Lion, “Then it was you who wounded Aravis?” The Lion said it was, and the boy asks, “What for?” The Lion replies, “Child, I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”

Jesus is like that. He does not tell others about my issues like a gossip might do. He also can be trusted with the secrets of my heart and will never blab them to someone else.

That said, He does give the gift of discernment to some people. With it, discerners just know what is happening in some cases where God wants them involved to help, encourage, or exhort. But there is one huge problem with the gift of discernment; misuse. Chambers calls it “being an amateur providence” because those who have this gift can attempt to interfere with God’s plans for other people.

For instance, if someone is sick, I might assume they should not suffer, forgetting that God uses sickness. Sometimes it is a way to glorify Him in the healing, but sometimes it is chastening for sin, or His way of drawing people closer, or even His way of taking them home. How I talk to sick people requires a great deal of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Otherwise when He talks to me, God will keep quiet about details in the lives of others.

Peter was the first to learn this lesson, and was likely the model for this part of Lewis’ story. He was with Jesus after His resurrection . . .

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:20–22)

For me, this is a vital lesson. I know to pray or even encourage a Christian is not growing spiritually, but even then I must seek God’s face for discernment in the way to do it. If any person suffers in any manner, I cannot assume that their suffering should be removed because I know from my own experience that God can use suffering in powerful ways. But I must not assume they are sick because of sin in their lives. The Lord wants my full dedication; sometimes I need suffering to bring me to that. There are other reasons for it also, so I cannot pray to remove or prevent it without God’s direction.

As Chambers says, my relationship with God determines whether or not His discernment will be shared with me to use in someone’s life. I need to be continually devoted to Him, listening always for His guidance.

Chambers adds an even greater challenge. He says that being consciously devoted to God is immature, adding that genuine maturity means being so abandoned to God that the consciousness of being used never enters my mind. That is, any consciousness of myself and what God is doing through me is just not there because I am only conscious of being utterly dependent on God.

I’m not there yet.

Giving orders is not the same as asking. . .

Last week challenged me. What do I do when someone else is silent, refuses to talk to me, treats me as if I am not there? I racked my brain with ‘what have I done’ and came up with nothing. It was not about me; it was about her.

Yesterday we figured it out. Some things, unimportant things (most ‘things’ are unimportant) are missing from our house. Guilt cuts communication. The guilty person will not talk, and even though we continue to be nice, that it simply raises the guilt level and lowers that communication level even more.

I don’t know what to do with that. Confrontation will certainly bring denial. We already told her to ‘help herself’ and write the empties on the grocery list. So why sneak things? Why hide what obviously is okay to have? But some of it should not be taken, such as gifts that belong to us. I don’t understand this behavior, but I do understand what guilt does to communication. When I sin, I don’t want to talk to the person I’ve sinned against, and this includes God.

I think about what God does with me when I’m in that ‘I won’t talk to you’ mode. He waits. He knows that the guilt I feel will become uncomfortable, but even more, that the separation from Him will be more than I can bear. He also knows that I know that He is waiting for me to bring the thing to Him in confession. He knows I know about His forgiveness.

She doesn’t know that about God. Am I supposed to show her? The missing stuff is not the issue; the mixed up heart of a guilty person is a big issue.

Today I look for answers and I’m directed to Isaiah 45:11. My devotional uses the English Revised Version and quotes it: “Concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.” The author concludes from that verse that God has limited Himself to our free will. He could do whatever He wants and move us like pawns on a board, but instead gives us the great responsibility of choice and wants us to tell Him what to do.

My flesh would love that power. Yet something is not ringing true. Yes, Jesus limited Himself by adding humanity to His deity when He came here, but I don’t buy this explanation of God limiting Himself to my choices. What does that make me? And what does that make the person who needs the work of God to change their life? If God’s work is limited to our choices, I know apart from Him I would always choose sin—and He could not do anything with me.

And after reading several versions, I found several that have a totally opposite take on what this verse says. For instance, from the English Standard Version, “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?”

The NIV and other versions take the same approach, and this seems to fit in the context. The chapter is God telling His people about His power. He forms light and creates darkness, brings prosperity and creates disaster. He says, “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker . . . Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making? . . . Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?”

This is a rhetorical question. God has the future planned and who are we to command Him differently! We don’t have the power to change the world, to direct the traffic of its people. We cannot change the way others act or how they think. Only God can do that.

My question to God today was “Do I confront this person? Or do I leave her in Your hands?” At first glance, the answer to it depends on the version I am reading. One tells me to tell God what to do, to take charge, maybe even help Him do it. The other says, “Who do you think you are to meddle in the work of God?”

Last week I read three criteria used by a pastor to help him evaluate his sermons. Those three help me decide which direction to take with my question. He asked, “Does it humble sinners? Exalt the Savior? Promote godliness?”

I cannot humble anyone else by confrontation or otherwise, but I am humbled when I admit that this. Changing another person is utterly beyond me. I cannot manipulate or produce change. Only Jesus can, and thinking that way also exalts Him.

As for promoting godliness, again, I can’t make that happen in her, but the fruit of the Spirit includes patient endurance. I can allow God to produce that in me. Taking charge, even trying to get God to push the issue, is not patience nor is it what Isaiah is saying. He is warning me that prayer is okay, but I’m never to think that I can tell God what to do, nor usurp His role as He works in another person’s heart.