Of all things in the Christian life, I marvel most when the irony of God’s will completely contradicts human logic and ultimately reveals a magnificent display of His glory, a finished, breath-taking tapestry we’ve only been able to see from the messy underside.
I think we don’t get to see the wonder of God’s power very often because we are too afraid to walk in faith. I spoke recently with a young woman expecting her first child. She was hardly considering quitting her job to stay home with her newborn not because they couldn’t afford it, but because she didn’t feel comfortable when the checking and savings account fell below a certain amount.
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?…you of little faith!” Luke 12:25-28
Reading the story of John Bunyan again yesterday left me in awe. He had one passion: to tell others about Jesus. So much so, that he disobeyed the law to keep preaching. And then he went to prison. For 12 years. How easy it would have been for bitterness to set in. How tempting it would have been to shake a fist in God’s face (after all, he had children to care for) and say, “I was doing this for you! Why did you let this happen?”
In fact, would any of us not have reasoned that “if preaching is against the law, I’m biblically bound to obey”? We so quickly default to our own understanding and raise it higher than God.
But his faith did not waver. And because of that, John wrote the most powerful, most popular book besides the Bible, ever read–The Pilgrim’s Progress–among many others.
But the great irony is that his voice for the Gospel has reached hundreds of thousands and that number growing, long after his life, and far more-reaching than his preaching voice.
Faith. God took John’s obedience woven with his very heart’s desire and multiplied it beyond what he could ever have imagined. He’s done that all throughout history.
I’ve watched Him do that in my own life.
I should not have 10 children. Logic told us we couldn’t afford them. People told us that too. And we couldn’t. Human wisdom would have had me back out in the work force because we had too many bills. And certainly logic would have stopped the babies. But we knew what God had said to us and we believed that He was going to show up. He did. Not before heartache and fear and being pushed to our limits, but when He did, it was amazing. If you ask me how I know He lives, I’ve seen Him do what could never be done on human terms.
I think God delights in showing Himself mighty in our lives. I think we really never get to see what true faith is until we come to the end of ourselves and our own wisdom.
Think of John Bunyan, then let God move your mountain.
14 comments
Thank you for this! We had thought our life was going a certain way and then my husband felt a calling to another state across the country. It is scary but we know we can never wrong in God’s will!
Kelly,thank you for this short but powerful article. This is exactly where my family and I are right now. “What 9 children,Lord?!” I’m 41 my body is tired and very weary,we don’t have the finances to homeschool. What are you trying to tell us? Thank you for the reminder that we don’t always get to see the bigger picture.
Gail, just some encouragement:
I’m 43 and am recently pregnant with #9. I, too, am weary 🙂 I have been struggling, not that I won’t adore the baby, but I didn’t want to go through pregnancy again. It’s hard and I don’t like it!!! But far be it from us to put off what God says is a blessing. Also, don’t give up on homeschooling. We have much less than enough. We can’t even feed our kids ourselves and pay our house payment. We spent $16 so far on homeschooling materials for this year and may spend about $50 more. We are just going to make do – and we live in a highly regulated state. Please utilize thebooksamaritan.com for help. It was a tremendous help to us. Just remember, as I often forget – you are not alone! I at least am right there with you 🙂
Amy,thank you for the encouragement. it is much appreciated. I too felt the same when I found out I was pregnant again, and though I don’t understand why God entrust me to raise all these children for His glory, I know He is much wiser and kinder than I could ever hope to be. Thank you also for the website I definitely will be checking that out. Blessings to you in your pregnancy.
Thank you so much for your encouragement! Love reading your blog!
🙂
Eph. 3:20: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
One of my favs, Bambi.
Ditto Kelly’s comment, Bambi. Or, as it’s worded in the KJV, “…exceeding abundantly above…” — ooh, about gives me the shivers (in a good way, of course!), that verse does! 😉
Love this. So true. So true.
I am here now. I have three kids of my own under four, we took in a foster child 7 weeks ago and two days later I found out I was pregnant. I am continually asking God if this is really what he wants for me? I don’t feel there is enough of me to go around. I am praying for perseverance and that God will be glorified through this season.
Alexandra,
And you bet, faithfulness always brings Him glory.
Indeed God delights in showing Himself mighty in our lives. The sermon text last Sunday included some of the closing verses of Romans 8, among them verse 32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”, and the last three verses of the chapter, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I have a feeling, no, I am persuaded, to use Paul’s words, that God is going to be moving a huge mountain in my life, maybe even very soon. But whenever He does, it will be all to God’s glory that this mountain gets conquered…
Amen.
Love the post. I am grateful I am not my own but was bought with a wonderful price.
One of my favorite verses. Since my body houses Holy Spirit and my soul and spirit, I don’t take this simply as “my body” and nothing else. It is my life that belongs to Him and for Him to do what He wills. I am grateful that He knows my intimately and still uses me to advance the Kingdom and to be part of Christ, here on earth.
“19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians
Oh, amen! God has not just nudged, but ROCKETED me out of my comfort zone so many times! In just a few days, we will not only go from being the anomaly of a family of 10 to be the even stranger fish swimming upstream … the family of 10 living in Kathmandu. Logic tells me that this is the worst thing I–we– have ever done. We have teenagers! Babies! And yet … and yet …
He leads. We follow. And therein is the joy!