6/30/12…Today on my hike I listened to a message by Tom Oyler of Grace Fellowship Church. The series title was Xmas in Conflict. And yes the month is June. The message was Belief vs Skepticism and the content centered on John the Baptist’s parents. As usual Tom dug deep and offered wonderful insight. One quote which caused me pause was the following:
“Sometimes we ask for more than we need or more from God than He ever intends to give us to solicit our faith.” As an example, Tom explained how the angel only told Zacharias just enough to elicit a necessary response of faith. The angel never explained how his son would foreshadow the Messiah and eventually baptize Jesus. Indeed, maybe God never intends to tell me everything, just the minimal amount to cause action on my part. I think back on my short time in Mississippi. Upon my return to God, He blessed me with a wonderful church in Grace Fellowship, a wonderful community group of friends and a beautiful area of the country in Northeast Tennessee. And yet, as I was in-between jobs, all the doors kept closing on me until a job in Mississippi opened up. Somehow, and I cannot explain, I felt this is where I needed to go. I told God in prayer I wanted to serve Him and know Him better. He had been so good to me, and in turn I wanted to serve Him out of my gratitude.
Weeks later I am in Mississippi in my new house, starting a new job, not knowing anyone and ten plus hours away from family and my friends. The first year was incredibly difficult and many times I asked God why? And then all of a sudden incredible blessings began occurring. I met deeply committed Christian brothers and sisters. I wrote a book. I served in a downtown street ministry, whose impact still burns in me. And towards the end of my time there, I met my future wife. All this in one year’s time. God did not tell me all this before I moved to Mississippi. All I received was a prompting in some voiceless thought in my mind, somehow encouraging me to go. Somehow, just enough to solicit my faith.
“Sometimes we ask for more than we need or more from God than He ever intends to give us to solicit our faith.” As an example, Tom explained how the angel only told Zacharias just enough to elicit a necessary response of faith. The angel never explained how his son would foreshadow the Messiah and eventually baptize Jesus. Indeed, maybe God never intends to tell me everything, just the minimal amount to cause action on my part. I think back on my short time in Mississippi. Upon my return to God, He blessed me with a wonderful church in Grace Fellowship, a wonderful community group of friends and a beautiful area of the country in Northeast Tennessee. And yet, as I was in-between jobs, all the doors kept closing on me until a job in Mississippi opened up. Somehow, and I cannot explain, I felt this is where I needed to go. I told God in prayer I wanted to serve Him and know Him better. He had been so good to me, and in turn I wanted to serve Him out of my gratitude.
Weeks later I am in Mississippi in my new house, starting a new job, not knowing anyone and ten plus hours away from family and my friends. The first year was incredibly difficult and many times I asked God why? And then all of a sudden incredible blessings began occurring. I met deeply committed Christian brothers and sisters. I wrote a book. I served in a downtown street ministry, whose impact still burns in me. And towards the end of my time there, I met my future wife. All this in one year’s time. God did not tell me all this before I moved to Mississippi. All I received was a prompting in some voiceless thought in my mind, somehow encouraging me to go. Somehow, just enough to solicit my faith.
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