I was reading Hebrews 11:8-10 today which says,
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
I got to thinking about my own call to ministry. We've been faithful and obedient, going to the place God had shown us. For nearly three years we have been waiting upon and serving the Lord. While we have seen great progress in this time, I sometimes find myself scratching my head, racking my brain trying to figure out God's plan. Where do we go from here? What is the next step in this journey of faith? How long are we to be here? What is the next piece of this church planting vision. A hundred ideas pop up in my head on any given week. I pray and ask God for discernment so that I can know what is from Him and what is simply my entrepeneurial brain at work. Proverbs says, "A man's heart plans his own way, but the Lord directs his steps."
I know this, yet I'm constantly questioning God, while waiting on Him for the answers. I know how Abraham felt when he arrived in the promised land, with his entourage, and waited upon the Lord for his next set of marching orders. One of the hardest lessons God has been teaching me is what it means and looks like to, Trust in Him with all my heart, leaning not on my understanding, acknowledging Him in all of my ways, so that He may direct my path (Prov. 3:5-6) which is one of my life verses, by the way.
I am at a point in this divinely assigned portion of God's great commission where it seems like not much is going on, like things have grown stagnant. Yet I know in my heart that God is moving and working at His pace, according to His will. As Abraham, along with his family and friends, had wait upon the Lord, so do I and anyone else who has heard the call to go to the fields of harvest. The old saying, "Hurry up and wait upon the Lord" is ringing in my ears. Actually, that was one of the lyrics from an old Petra song, "More Power To Ya."
Like Abraham, I know that there a place that I am longing for and waiting upon; a city which has foundations (Zion, God's eternal, holy city) whose builder and maker is God." I know that will require patience, diligence and great faith on my part, but isn't that what I signed up for when I said yes to His call?
