I often quote Dr. Henry Blackaby’s study, “Experiencing God”. I suppose because it has shaped my perspective on my life and the lives of others. Helped me to understand life in its spiritual context. Dr. Blackaby said that there are four ways that God speaks to us by His Spirit; through prayer, His Word, other Believers (the Church) and circumstances. God has been speaking to me about life on earth and its frail nature through the life – circumstances of another Christian. I met this man through an outreach of our Bible class at church. He was a man who was sick and need some help moving furniture. The class leader asked for people in the class to help. I agreed along with some others.
The man has ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The ALS has progressed to the point he is bound to a wheel chair and a bottle of oxygen. He is clear minded and articulate so that has not been robbed from him at this point. On our second trip to their house, I was able to observe his wife and daughter as they interacted with him. What a heavy load they are carrying. It was then that the Lord spoke and said, in His still small voice, “Help them.” It was not by moving furniture. It was in the capacity of our ministry in which God has shaped us and provisioned us. That was the real reason I was there. They had a goal – finish the dining room in time for Thanksgiving for the family. There were a number of things they could not do in the house – electrical, flooring, drywall – that needed to be done. The contractors they had hired had failed them. The tension wrought by the unfinished work was merely a symptom of the burden the family is carrying – the father – the husband is dying. How could I walk on the other side of the road and pass the family by?
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
I could not do all of the work. I knew how but did not have enough time. Everything had to be done in a week and a half. When I yielded to the Spirit and said “Yes Lord”, God revealed Himself by providing the right people through us. And so we are on track to finish the work by the middle of this week – a full week before Thanksgiving. Not because of me, but because of God. God provides – Jehovah Jireh! There is more work to be done there. I think that perhaps we are not done with this work.
So what about you? Has God been speaking to you in some way. About things that are beyond your ability – God things? A turning point in my life was when I stopped trusting in myself first and trusted God. Like 10 of the 12 spies feeling like grasshoppers as they faced the task that God had put in front of them. Only 2, Joshua and Caleb, saw things from God’s perspective. The other 10 never returned after wandering in the desert for 40 years.
“And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But He [Jesus] said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’” – Luke 18:26-27
Are you tired of wandering in the desert – a spiritual wasteland – clutching desperately to your ticket to heaven in your hand thinking that is all there is to your new life? Trust God and do what He says – and watch the impossible become possible. Then give Him the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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