It is common to hear Christians say “I don’t want to move ahead of God.” Why this bias for inaction? Why such a cautious, even a timid, approach to life and ministry?
Maybe it is because we are often too unsure about how to discern God’s leading when He leads naturally and gracefully rather than through stunning circumstances. We keep waiting and waiting. But, one tragedy of this bias is that we can miss huge opportunities for godly glory and the Gospel’s advance.
At times this waiting posture expresses a deep humility before the Lord; yet, at other times it can be a cover up for deep fear, cowardice, desire for comfort, even laziness. We tend to think it is more holy to be still, to wait, to do little if nothing, even hoping for a sign from heaven. Surely, there will be times, even seasons, of prayer and waiting. However, most certainly we can pray with our eyes open, our feet moving, our minds racing, and our mouths speaking!
When trying to figure out our next steps in life and ministry we sometimes reveal a bias for inaction and maybe make the comment “I don’t want to move ahead of God.” We might want to consider whether we are truly taking advantage of the obvious opportunities God is giving to us, even following His obvious leading. Too often we deliberate beyond the facts and past the point of usefulness when instead the right thing to do is make a move!
Sometimes we are held back by strong ideals or myths of what we think would be most pleasing to God but in reality they are nothing more than our opinions on our preferred lifestyle. We all need other trusted Christian friends to speak into our lives with the voice of clarity; and to push us forward in faith, courage and energy to make the move we know God wants us to make.
The Gospel demands that we keep on making decisions and keep on moving forward, even more so when we are talking about ministry as a church. We will be in a much better position to discover God’s will when we are moving, not when we are standing still. The famous explorer and missionary, David Livingstone, said, “I don’t care which way we go, let’s just go forward!”
We can trust the Holy Spirit of Jesus to lead the way, as the story of the Macedonian Call illustrates:
We should at least be equally concerned not to move too slowly for God as we are not to move ahead of Him. It should be more common to hear it said among ourselves, “I don’t want to move too slowly for God.”
Maybe it is because we are often too unsure about how to discern God’s leading when He leads naturally and gracefully rather than through stunning circumstances. We keep waiting and waiting. But, one tragedy of this bias is that we can miss huge opportunities for godly glory and the Gospel’s advance.
At times this waiting posture expresses a deep humility before the Lord; yet, at other times it can be a cover up for deep fear, cowardice, desire for comfort, even laziness. We tend to think it is more holy to be still, to wait, to do little if nothing, even hoping for a sign from heaven. Surely, there will be times, even seasons, of prayer and waiting. However, most certainly we can pray with our eyes open, our feet moving, our minds racing, and our mouths speaking!
When trying to figure out our next steps in life and ministry we sometimes reveal a bias for inaction and maybe make the comment “I don’t want to move ahead of God.” We might want to consider whether we are truly taking advantage of the obvious opportunities God is giving to us, even following His obvious leading. Too often we deliberate beyond the facts and past the point of usefulness when instead the right thing to do is make a move!
Sometimes we are held back by strong ideals or myths of what we think would be most pleasing to God but in reality they are nothing more than our opinions on our preferred lifestyle. We all need other trusted Christian friends to speak into our lives with the voice of clarity; and to push us forward in faith, courage and energy to make the move we know God wants us to make.
The Gospel demands that we keep on making decisions and keep on moving forward, even more so when we are talking about ministry as a church. We will be in a much better position to discover God’s will when we are moving, not when we are standing still. The famous explorer and missionary, David Livingstone, said, “I don’t care which way we go, let’s just go forward!”
We can trust the Holy Spirit of Jesus to lead the way, as the story of the Macedonian Call illustrates:
Acts 16:6–10 ESV “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”The BIG timing question in knowing and doing God’s will requires sensitivity to the Spirit, as well as, true courage in our own spirits to act.
We should at least be equally concerned not to move too slowly for God as we are not to move ahead of Him. It should be more common to hear it said among ourselves, “I don’t want to move too slowly for God.”
Good words, Daniel. I agree that ministry involves decisiveness and action. Nature attests to us that inactivity leads to stagnation, decay, and fossilization. I've often found that people don't act because they are hoping for a clear sign that moving ahead will result in a favorable outcome; "favorable" meaning pain-free or without what they perceive as setbacks.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of R.C. Sproul's book on knowing God's will, where he points out that most people aren't looking for God's will so much as they are looking for a crystal ball. They want to make a choice that will lead to happiness and prosperity, assuming that such an outcome equates to God's blessings and favor.
I completely agree. Great insights. This reminds me of a t- shirt we used to give team members. It had the Matthew 28:18-20 and said "What about the word GO don't you understand!"
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing those t-shirts. One of my favorites.
DeleteI want one of those t-shirts, Dan.
DeleteWhen Jesus told his disciples "the fields are already white to harvest" he was telling them that God was out of ahead of them on all fronts.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is not to wait, but to act in concert with God. When Scripture agrees, circumstances permit and the inner voice constrains, you need to move ahead.
Thanks for your insite and willingness to obey.
Ron Mancini