By Adam C. Harper
I’m not the best swimmer. I can swim, but there is a moment of panic that can set in if I find myself in water unexpectedly or find the water deeper than I was prepared for. That panic has me flailing about looking to get control and get back to sweet, solid, comfortable, stable ground.
We often stand to sing songs at church or belt out songs in our cars that follow themes of God’s greatness, how He’s proven Himself time and again, or about Him being worthy of our praise, adoration, and our very life.
We follow the prayer of Jesus and say, in some translation or another, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”, and we should. In fact, I would even strongly encourage the practice.
So, how do we respond when we face the promised trials or tribulations (John 16:33)? Do we try to escape them and pray for a return to comfort? A return to stability? A return to safety? When we are faced with the difficulty, are we splashing and flailing about trying to find a return to our “safe “places?
How well do our prayers align with those mentioned in Hebrews 11 and the notorious “Hall of Faith”? How well do we respond to Jesus calling us out of the boat to walk on the water? Do we justify the safety of the boat and how God would never call us into the dangers of a walk on the water?
It’s so easy to find biblical accounts and point out how wrong certain situations were handled. Moses is often a great example. Imagine, he is at the burning bush and GOD IS SPEAKING to him directly. There was no doubt God was speaking. How many of us ask for that? “God, would you speak to me about this situation or that”?
I wonder if there are times that He does speak to us, but we respond much like the ridiculed Moses in this example. Moses gave excuses believing God’s plan wouldn’t work. Can I be honest with you?
I would have too.
Yes, I sing the songs. I belt them out in the car. I pray the prayers. However, when I begin to feel the waters of difficulty rising, instead of resting in His embrace, I begin kicking and struggling like someone who can’t swim when they fall into the pool.
Has following the Spirit’s leading become so foreign to me, much like the surprise of water rushing over my head, that I resist it when He speaks? I resist the reality that God’s will is often very uncomfortable. It’s not safe. It’s not secure. It rattles us to our foundation.
…but what if that’s what He needs to do to bring us to the place He wants us?
…What if we wouldn’t experience the Promised Land in our leadership unless He brought us through the tension?
…What if He is pulling us through the place we have been singing so desirously about?
…What if it is His very will?
Today, the waters may feel like they’re rising. You may be feeling that tinge of hysteria creeping in because things are slipping out of your grasp. You may be calling out to God to a return to “dry land” because you feel like you can’t possibly bear what you feel rising in your life.
I want to tell you, He sustains. On the other side of this trial is a deepening that can only happen through the trial. A usefulness He can only bring you to as you brave the very waters you fear. He has you.