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30 March 2011
"He said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. You will not see wind or rain,
but this valley will be filled with water. You, your cattle, and your other animals will drink."
~ 2 Kings 3:16-17
I really want to thank Elevation Church for the inspiration for this post. Steven Furtick, author of Sun Stand Still (a book I'm reading for the third time), did a sermon series at Elevation at the beginning of the year called "Get Back." I've been listening to the church podcast weekly, sometimes multiple times a week, for about the last six months (when I first learned about Elevation Church). I haven't been listening to the podcast as it airs, I've been skipping around through sermons from the last few years. Elevation Church is not only what has kept me filled these last six months, but they have really made me a new person in Christ. So today's post is inspired by the first sermon in the series "Get Back." I really hope to be involved in a church like Elevation Church one day. There really isn't anything around here like it, but just having the chance to listen to the sermons and read the book makes me feel like a part of their family.
So here we go.
Too often in life we wait for the blessing before we act on something. I know I'm guilty of this. "When I get into a size 7, then I'll be happy when I look in the mirror." "When we get one free night, honey, then we'll go on a date." "When I get a raise, then I'll pay more than the minimum balance on my credit cards."
You can really insert any subject above - career, relationships, finances, faith, health, kids, etc.
Christians are especially guilty of this. I've heard it (and even said it) more times than I can count. "When God blesses our bank account, then we'll be able to help others in need." "When God gets me that promotion, then I'll be able to enjoy my job." "When God heals me, then I'll be able to sing his praises."
We just wait and wait and wait. I'm not saying God can't (or won't) meet your needs without your help (he can), but I don't think God intends our faith to be fulfilled by acting only on what and when we see something. Just take a look at Hebrews 11:1 "Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see." If you could see the blessing coming, you wouldn't need faith. If you knew you were getting a promotion this week, then it would be easy to work harder and enjoy your job more. If you knew were going to meet the man you were going to marry, it would be easy to get up early and make yourself look your best. If you knew the rain was going to come, you would dig a ditch with no question.
Take a look at the scripture at the beginning of this post. It illustrates this perfectly. The words are from the prophet Elisha. He was telling these words to the king of Israel, who led thousands of men and animals on a journey to take over the city of Moab and within days ran out of water completely.
He didn't say "watch the sky for rain." He didn't say "when the rain starts to come in a few days, then you'll have drinking water. Just hang in there." No, he said go dig ditches to catch the water that is going to fall. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was no sign of impending rain. I'm sure the king and everyone else thought he was crazy.
But despite the lack of signs, he told them to prepare. Prepare for the answer to the prayer they were all praying. Prepare for what they needed God to do.
But what does that mean in our own lives? Well, it means prepare to be blessed. Work as if you know the blessing is already on its way.
If your health is lacking or your pants are too tight, give up a little sleep and work out in the morning or rework your diet and stop eating junk. If you feel like you are qualified for a better position at work, stop complaining and start putting that energy into working your tail off and being proud to go to work every day. (This one is Pastor Steven's example) If you still haven't found the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with, stop looking for someone to be happy with and start learning to be happy with yourself and who you are.
We spend far too much time in this life waiting for things, instead of acting on faith now to help things change. In the (paraphrased) words of Pastor Steven: If you do what you can do, God will do the rest. Praying takes faith. But is faith without action, really faith? If you really believe (even a fraction of a fraction) that God can do what you're asking him to do, then show him. Don't just tell him you believe, show him you believe... and in the process, you'll prove to yourself what it means to have faith.
