LIVING BEYOND UNDERSTANDING

LIVING BEYOND UNDERSTANDING

“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:3-5 NLT

I desire to live in freedom from fear of the unknown, to allow myself to rely on an understanding beyond my own. I have been escorted off of a plane at gunpoint. I have been detained in the airport and searched. I have been in the company of evil men that have threatened to kill me because I have shared the gospel. I have had a meal with the head of the Russian mafia. I have been in the presence of Pablo Escobar as I was on a mission trip in Columbia. I was staying only 50 yards from his home while I was there. There are countless other places that I have been and people that I have encountered that could have harmed me. I read this and thought about how dangerous it was to go to those places. Well, I may have thought about it once, before we left for Russia. We were heading near the war zone in Chechnya. The Lord gave us the scripture in Jeremiah 29:11 (plans to prosper and not to harm) before we left. Even in the midst of people telling us not to go, my wife and I were compelled to follow the path God had put before us. I'm familiar with the feelings that are fraught with uncertainty. I wonder where this Christian (me) lost sight of the vision the Lord has for my life. When did I lose the zeal to walk into the unknown without the knowledge and scope of the final outcome. Was it when I had children? Was it when I started my own business? Was it when we uprooted our family from our home church and moved to the church we felt God called us to? When did I become comfortable enough in my faith to rest on my laurels and stay on top of the mountain? I thank God for the valleys, every one of them. Though I may stand in ruin, He is my hope and my salvation.

God grant me the desire to step back into the unknown. Help me face what I do not understand and cannot control. Let faith rise up and stand where fear would say surrender. Father, no matter the outcome, let it be said that I am faithful to you. Let me lean in to touch your heart as I am pressed and conformed to your image. Be my strength and shield.

How comfortable are you in your faith? Does it challenge you to step out of what feels comfortable? Are you willing to act on the still small voice when He speaks to you, or are you frozen in fear of what people may think?