You know the spots we get into where we are sure that God is calling us somewhere and huge obstacles stand in our way? The places where what stands between you and God’s dream for you seems insurmountable?
I have been thinking about those places a lot lately. Personally it may be a battle with an addiction, it may be a child with a disability that you can’t change or fix, it may be trying to climb out of debt. The list could keep growing.
As a church it seems that there are always huge gaps between what God is calling us to and the resources to get there.
I don’t know what they are for you but I know that you have them because the more I read in the scripture that more I realize that these places are normal places to be in when you are following God.
God is the God of the impossible. The insurmountable moment of the people of Israel standing between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, The Giant and the kid with the slingshot, The walls of Jericho and a Jewish marching band, The Roman Empire and a homeless King hanging on the cross breathing his last breath.
I am thinking now that if we are not in these places we may need to ask ourselves how closely we are following in God. Time and again this is where the people of God end up. God takes us to these places for a reason. It is here that he does some of the deepest transformational work in our lives.
Here are some of the things that I am learning about God in the midst of insurmountable odds.
Awareness
The first thing that I notice is that God has my attention. I am no longer resting in the ease of things. I am God attentive. Aware of the obstacle before me I come face to face with my own limitations. I don’t have the resources to overcome it. I am in great need. God alone has the ability to take me through this place he has lead me. He is the only one that can make it happen or bring about the change.
Faith
All of my doubt is coming to the surface here. My quickness to blame the situation on others bubbles up to the top. I think of the Israelites asking Moses why he led them to this place. “Were there not enough graves in Egypt?” EX 14 I am quick to look for who is at fault for me being in this place. I may be asking a different question than they did but it is this really the same doubtful question in the midst of my fears. “Were there not enough failed pastors that you needed another one?”, “Did I not have enough pain in my life already that you wanted me to have more?”, “Did I do something wrong that you brought me here to ruin me?”
Waiting
It is in the in-between that we are called to stand. Nothing more than that, just stand. We can try to avoid the waiting by working hard to find our own way out of the situation but it wont work. We know it won’t work because we have tried it over and over yet we still end up here. It is in the waiting that I am learning about God and myself and the school of discipleship is taking root and growing Christ in me by his Spirit. So I wait. God allows me to wait. It is in the waiting that my emotional doubt starts to subside. I have to get them out of my system and give voice to them so that the deeper voice can begin to be heard. The voice of God. There is a lot for me to learn in the waiting but I wont catch it until my soul gets quite and begins to be still and know that he is God.
These three things seem to be the starting point of moving into and through the insurmountable places that God leads us to. I wouldn’t call any of them very fun. There is more going on here than fun. God is doing something with us and in us and through us and he is taking it very seriously. For God more is at stake than quick passage through hard times. He is shaping a people for himself that will be salt and light in the world. That comes through deep and profound change. God is making that change in these in-between moments where we stand between our Promised Land dreams and the obstacle of large seas and oppressive armies.
What has God taught you in the in-between places when you are facing things that are too big for you and promises that you are called to stand in?
God in the midst of insurmountable odds (Part 1)
July 22nd, 2010 | Published in Rick McKinley | 11 Comments
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July 24th, 2010at 2:55 am(#)
Rick,
My husband & I are currently going through a transitional time as we plan a move to Salt Lake City. In the midst of this move, we find ourselves totally out of money and scared.
We know we’re supposed to do this. The journey to this place in our lives is a great story of triumph and blessing alone. We know God would never let finances get in the way of His plan.
I keep going back to Matthew 6:25, where Jesus tells us to not worry about the things of this world. To not hold on to status, belongings or the things we deem important according to the World’s standards. But, to focus on the Kingdom; to live like the birds and the flowers…without want or need to belong to anything other than the Lord’s fold. Straight up brings tears to my eyes…
Basically, I’m still scared. But I know it’ll all work out as long as we keep our eyes focused on what is important. As long as we have God’s ministry in mind and we recognize this this life is not ours to dictate or plan. It has to work out.
Two weeks and counting… we’ll see.
July 28th, 2010at 8:04 pm(#)
Pastor Rick:
I am new to the Imago community and am so excited to be baptized here this sunday. Although I have been intentionally following the Lord for over two decades and am a commited member at Irvington Covenant Church, I know that our awesome God has called me, invited me, to be a very intentional particpant at Imago, including being baptized.
I very much identified with your “the Kingdom is already here and not yet” comments a couple of weeks ago in the context of giving thanks to God for the incredible provision of the new campus and great conscern over the financial realities at Imago. In my flesh, I always tend to focus on the negative and give more weight to what is not right as opposed to what is right. But it turns out that I am very coachable and the Lord thru many people has been demonstrating to me and inviting me into solution based and faith based perspectives.
Currently, I am both jobless and seeking an intentional Christian living arrangements. I was very excited to see that there were a number of opportunites on the Imago needs site. In particular, one housing situation seemed to be an excellent fit, however, I was rejected. It was very painful. Obviously any rejection is not pleasant, but this rejection particularily hurt because I was rejected because of past failures. My fellow brothers in Christ did not even have the courtesy to check out some outstanding references that I have–one even from the VP of Christian Leadership Concepts, the leading Men’s ministry in the South!
I rallied at God: It seems like church is the place that least supports (aside from sermons and classes) the biblical idea that the past does not define me but rather my relationship with Christ is what I should be judged on?
He was not intimadated by my anger and sent His Spirit to comfort me. Holy Spirit convicted me that this was a great opportunity for me to grow in my reliance upon His faith in me and let go of my childish needs to expect everyone to see me as Jesus does. While I am still disapointed that I have not found Christian housing, and slightly perplexed on why, I have never had a better relationship with Him. Thanks be to God for Blue Like Jazz which has revolutioned my relationship with Him and thanks be to God for The Search To Belong which has revolutionized my relationship with His Church. Thank you for sharing your hope and thanksgiving amidst tough times.
Peace of the Lord,
Hans Peterson
July 29th, 2010at 2:34 pm(#)
I love these stories, they are a great encouragemnet to me. I’m sorry to take comfort in hearing that I’m not the only one scared to death that everything is going to far apart. As my wife was dying of cancer many people were very Christ like to us. Bringing over food, visting doing anything they could to help us get through this difficult time. I realized that this is what Jesus looks like. So I started a series of portraits with the stories of how these people were Christ like to me. Evently my wife got to be with the Lord. During the process I was laid off work. I took odd jobs to pay the bills but inbetween these jobs I felt a nudging to continue to do paintings. God you want me to paint? While I’m painting I’m not pursuing other jobs to pay bills. I’m consuming up my savings. Toren between my passion to paint and being a responsible provider for my two boys. I eventually will have to stop painting and go work at Jiffy Lube or somewhere. But God nudges me and says for now just finish that painting. My faith is weak and I sin in my worrying. As I get frozen, I somehow break free and go paint. Trying not to look at the foggy future. Feeling irresponsible in my joy. It’s very weird.
July 30th, 2010at 1:43 pm(#)
“What has God taught you in the in-between places when you are facing things that are too big for you and promises that you are called to stand in?”
I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. Sometimes I’m not even sure where I am standing, I only know that I am afraid. It feels the way I imagine the Hebrews felt standing between the parted, but still horrifying Red Sea, and the terrifying and quickly encroaching army of Egypt. I’m not even sure I am supposed to walk through that sea, and far too often I feel myself resigned to an overwhelming sense that being destroyed by the army of Egypt might be my real calling.
I only know this one thing. He is here with me, and if I manage to put one foot in front of the other again today, if I manage to make it through that parted, but still horrifying Red Sea, it will be because He is here with me.
Maybe, there is nothing more to find than the distillation of our fears into this vapor-like knowledge of His presence, a knowledge that cannot be touched and held to the ground, but yet, it moves one forward. How can something that we cannot see, we cannot touch, we cannot hold in our hands do that? I don’t know. I only know that I know Him, and I know He will not leave me or forsake me.
I can look at the horror of the parted Red Sea and become immobilized by my fear.
I can look over my shoulder at the terrifying army nearly upon me and resign myself to death and defeat,
or I can look at Him.
He is beautiful.
July 31st, 2010at 2:37 pm(#)
Dear Beth, Hans, Donald: Beth, my husband and I have gone through this. We got up and left WA state because we felt God calling us to TX to start over in our lives. We left, God provided both jobs and housing for us within 2 months of getting to TX. Then, at the end of almost an exact year, 9-1-1- hit and the house we had left up for sale in WA state had not sold even though we thought we had a perfect buyer for it (our son and daughter in law) but it all fell through. Oddly enough, we felt called to go back there immediately post the 911 crisis. We were very scared going back into a devastating job situation for both my husband and me with a major crashed economy. Even in those times, though, we knew that God wanted us to go back there for some reason. We went back, did a remodel job on our house in the midst of my husband being in a not great job (but one that allowed for the house to be remodeled very inexpensively)& my job causing a devastating injury to my shoulder which put me out of work for 6 months. Even in the midst of that, God provided, we finished the remodel on our house, put it up for sale (this time it sold in about 8 hours) and went back to Texas within 2 weeks where we now live and have good jobs again by His great provision. Trials? Yes we still have them but He is ever present even amidst all the pain we are going through with loved ones right now. I feel weaker now than I ever have but the ONLY thing I cling to right now is the faith that led me through the other problems we have come through. The waiting can be and usually is tortuous as we let our fears and doubts assail us. But I just keep clinging on. Be of good cheer – when things feel like they are at their worst, then there He will be with possibly the most unlikely source to answer your need – pray and read your Bible and cling to Him.
August 4th, 2010at 12:13 pm(#)
The last time I went to church, my experience was very similar to this blog. The Christians in the room talked around me. I was the stranger amongst them, and they left me a strange. They addressed each other by name and looked right past me, right over me, right around me. I haven’t been back since. Someone once told me that pure hatred is to be ignored, not seen at all.
I have a son in prison and he called me a few days ago and asked me if he could borrow $30 because there is a young man in prison with him from Haiti, and the young man is attending the church services in prison, but has no Bible. I thought it was strange, that no churches around the prison are providing Bibles, although these prisons tend to be built in the poorest communities, probably to ensure staffing, but maybe this is just something God is asking me to do. $30 seems a lot for a Bible, but prisoners are only allowed to purchase reading materials from certain publishers. I never thought I would live to see the day when Bibles are scarce, but for one Haitian man in a Virginia prison, there is no Bible.
I will answer God’s call and take the money from my already stretched resources and send it. I just returned from seeing a specialist in DC for an ongoing illness. Treatment is very expensive and I don’t know how I am going to pay for it. Some days I feel as if my entire life is just one of those huge gaps between what God is calling me to and the resources to get there.
August 4th, 2010at 5:51 pm(#)
Just a follow up. I finished the paining if anyone is interested in seeing it go to: http://www.donaldkrause.blogspot.com .
August 5th, 2010at 4:26 pm(#)
[...] God in the midst of insurmountable odds (Part 1) [...]
August 6th, 2010at 12:21 pm(#)
Donald Krause–Wow!
September 13th, 2010at 3:56 am(#)
Great thoughts here Rick-When we are in the place where things seem so hard and impossible, it puts us in the position to tell God, “I cannot do it without you. Without your Holy Spirit, I cannot make it through.” That is where I am at and I am telling God that -I had told Him, Here I am, send me. And He is. And now I am telling Him, He has to be there to see me through. Because I am in a spot that I cannot do it without Him. And that is a good place to be. That is actually where we should always be.
January 12th, 2011at 9:10 pm(#)
I’m really glad I came across this today! I have a friend going through a transitional phase in life right now and as far as I can tell, the words you’ve spilled here rick are spot on with their situation. I’m going to pass it on in hopes that it will help them in their journey. Thank you Rick and thanks Imago Dei for this avenue of ministry.