Do all things through Christ . . .

Months ago, the Lord gave me an idea, or at least I thought it was from Him. As the weeks went by, I became less certain. What if it was merely my idea, a way to bring attention to myself instead of a way to glorify God?

On the other hand, if God was in this, why was so little happening? Is Satan messing with me? How can I be sure that God is in this? Is God’s silence telling me to drop it? I’ve been praying that He would reaffirm this idea was from Him, or tell me otherwise.

This morning’s homework for our weekly Bible study had several challenges to this conundrum. As I went through the questions, I realized that my problem is not with God but with me. The idea calls me to do things that I’ve little experience with, to be willing to learn (and make mistakes), and to not be fearful but trusting Him at every step of the way.

I’m thinking my faith isn’t big enough, but the study material reminded me that this isn’t about my faith, but about my perception of God. Is He faithful to bring about the idea that He put in my heart (or that I think He put in my heart)? I was directed to this verse:

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

The word ‘establish’ means “marked by a firm determination or resolution.” I have to admit that I’ve been waffling. Instead of seeking the Lord concerning what to do next, I’ve felt like folding, giving up, neglecting the reality that if this is from God, it cannot fail; He will accomplish it.

With the issue still on my heart, I turned to the devotional reading for today which points to the reigning power of God. Like a series of exclamation marks, it emphasized the answer to my questions and those  excuses.

Who am I to question the power of God? “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?”

Why be afraid of anything or anyone? “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.”

Dare I limit God’s creative powers? “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.”

My age and strength are barriers?  “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:12–31)

Am I limiting the power of God? “He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod. Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”

Why me? “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:1–10) 

There is more, but for now I’ll refer to two lines from this reading . . . The first: In myself I am nothing, only what God allows me to be.

Second: God governs all things and all beings . . . In Christ, I can accomplish His eternal purpose.

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Jesus, may Your will be done in this idea. Do make me willing and also make me able — by Your power and grace — that I will wholeheartedly do as You say and You will be glorified!

Dancing rather than speculation

One of my pet peeves is the tendency of media to speculate. They project winners in political elections, consider the odds in sports events, figure out who is going to win tournaments, and chatter continually about the likelihood of this or that happening or not. While asking “what if?” has a definite place in the life of a fiction writer, it is almost always a waste of time and energy for the rest of us.

After Jesus died and rose again, and after He appeared to the disciples and over 500 others, He ascended to heaven. The disciples stood there, watching Him depart.

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10–11)

These two men, likely angels, rebuked them for their speculation. Yes, Christians are told our citizenship is in heaven and we are to store up treasure in heaven and consider things above, not things on the earth. So what is wrong with gazing into heaven?

The answer is in the context. Like all of us, these disciples were eager to know the exact time Jesus would come and claim His kingdom. Even though He repeatedly told them this was hidden from them, even hidden from the angels in heaven, their last question for Him was about that very thing. But He told them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7)

Christians have been asking and trying to answer the same question ever since. Predictions about the Second Coming of Christ have become so commonplace, that the entire subject is mocked. The Bible even says that, “Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3–4)

Not only has the promise of Christ been trampled on by speculation, so has the character of the church. Jesus told us to wait patiently for His return, believing that it will happen at the right time. Instead, our speculation has created date-setting and a host of doctrines and arguments that are divisive rather than edifying. Such a focus also breeds disappointment, skepticism and invites mockery and unbelief. The enemies of Christ blaspheme the very idea of His return, even as many Christians wonder if it will ever happen.

Is the guilt of scoffers shared by believers who speculate? What is worse: to say that He is coming at such and such a time and being wrong? Or the failure to confirm the Word of God that says, “Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32)?

Every time I start trying to figure out if this or that will happen, I am entering into forbidden territory, even if I am gazing up into heaven while I do it. Jesus didn’t intend that I stand there watching Him go or wondering when He is coming back. Even as I can pray to Him about everything and trust Him to answer my prayers, I have never been able to guess what He is going to do. He does not offer me that information.

Instead of wasting time in speculations that absorb energy and paralyze action, He wants me to leave that “mountain of ascension” and get busy in everyday life. I am to pray, but also to trust Him and wait in confidence for His grace to live each day. Like a dance partner, He wants me to hold His hand and follow His lead for each step, rather than trying to figure out when this song will end and heaven’s music begins.