Next time you pray, be sure to wear a helmet.I prayed to the Lord for inspiration, what I received is the following:
My workout regimen is at times executed as my daily bible readings —religiously. Call me at work, in transit, anywhere — but call me during a workout and God help you —you might lose your head.
So, it is April 11th, and is the first day that I am not forced to dress as an Eskimo and I am taking full advantage, getting a run in at Prospect Park. And then I see them:
Two skateboarding teens in the same spot they were weeks ago, nothing interesting about either of them except for the fact one is wearing a black cap with red demonic symbols on it.
Last time, I rationalized not witnessing a few ways, one being the cold weather and another being, "Hey, I'm working out". But this time the Spirit ate at me to the point where it felt obvious that action was necessary: I ran myself all the way back to my place, picked up some tracts and booklets and placed them in a zip-up notebook.
To grasp the entire image, you have to imagine me, ready to run, down to the sneakers and side-strapped water bottle — with a notebook in my hand?
I hit the track once more, running in the opposite direction as everyone else, avoiding baby carriages, shirtless joggers and detoured cyclists. Struggling uphill, feeling less than stellar, I felt that burning in my gut, regularly reminding me of my assigned mission — I had to reach those guys, they had to know the path to perdition they had been skating on; all-the-while, a verse replayed over and over in my head:
"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams"
-1 Samuel 15:22
I knew I had to obey regardless of the outcome, even if those guys were not there, because, I mean, that is what the verse says.
And you know what? Though my intentions, were noble and though I ran as well as I could with the energy I had — they were not, and apparently they were no where near the track (because I looked).
Nonetheless I battled the disappointment swelling within me — the kind of moment when you get the feeling God is hurting you.
Nonetheless I battled the disappointment swelling within me — the kind of moment when you get the feeling God is hurting you.
"What is it you want Lord?" My soul cried.
And then...I saw him:
Walking with a younger lady (possibly his daughter), was a blind elderly gentleman, being led by the arm through the park. With his feeble gait, he scooted along, his grayed-out eyes pointed to the Heaven — yet he was smiling.
And I heard the Lord's internal speech thereafter:
"That is what I want" He said.
I almost broke down into a puddle of tears and likely would have if I had not been running.
The thought is incredible in itself: Not moving with any vision of your own but allowing your Father to move you to where He needs you to be: Blind Obedience.
I think of a Sunday School Teacher I had not too long ago, responding to a statement someone had made about God being a 'crutch'; "I disagree", he said with a southern twang in his voice, "God is my wheelchair, I sit down and he just pushes me around".
Notice I do not speak of 'blind faith' because our faith is not blind— rather calculated; the Father, Son and Spirit of God have performed miraculous wonders on earth and still do today. The forces of God yet still arrange all circumstances around us for the furthering of His Kingdom (Rom 8:28) and if that were not enough, had we not spiritual eyes to 'see', we could find enough wealth in archeological, historical and statistical evidence to satisfy our physical eyes, allowing an entrance into faith a la Lee Strobel.
But this animal of obedience, has a different wag to it's tail.
Consider this: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." -Psalm 119:105
In the Before-Christ Middle East, when one needed to walk in darkness, say on a road at night, he carried an oil lantern with him that hung about his feet, allowing for only enough light to illuminate his current space and his next step — God will show us the next step but that is, many times it!
Compare that lantern to our modern flashlights:' pick and point', point to where you want to go, focus on it and go for it. But remember this danger about a flashlight focus— if the only thing you can see is where you are wanting to go, you will likely end up walking in darkness along the way.
However, the Master says:
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
-Matthew 6:34
When you follow the Lord in blind obedience, you will not always be recognized, understood, congratulated, have songs written in your honor or attain the accolades you believe you deserve in the specific form in which you believe they should come, but in this I am confident — keep your eyes on Heaven and in this life (and beyond it), He will give you many a' reason for joy and a reason to smile.
And then...I saw him:
Walking with a younger lady (possibly his daughter), was a blind elderly gentleman, being led by the arm through the park. With his feeble gait, he scooted along, his grayed-out eyes pointed to the Heaven — yet he was smiling.
And I heard the Lord's internal speech thereafter:
"That is what I want" He said.
I almost broke down into a puddle of tears and likely would have if I had not been running.
The thought is incredible in itself: Not moving with any vision of your own but allowing your Father to move you to where He needs you to be: Blind Obedience.
I think of a Sunday School Teacher I had not too long ago, responding to a statement someone had made about God being a 'crutch'; "I disagree", he said with a southern twang in his voice, "God is my wheelchair, I sit down and he just pushes me around".
Notice I do not speak of 'blind faith' because our faith is not blind— rather calculated; the Father, Son and Spirit of God have performed miraculous wonders on earth and still do today. The forces of God yet still arrange all circumstances around us for the furthering of His Kingdom (Rom 8:28) and if that were not enough, had we not spiritual eyes to 'see', we could find enough wealth in archeological, historical and statistical evidence to satisfy our physical eyes, allowing an entrance into faith a la Lee Strobel.
But this animal of obedience, has a different wag to it's tail.
Consider this: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." -Psalm 119:105
In the Before-Christ Middle East, when one needed to walk in darkness, say on a road at night, he carried an oil lantern with him that hung about his feet, allowing for only enough light to illuminate his current space and his next step — God will show us the next step but that is, many times it!
Compare that lantern to our modern flashlights:' pick and point', point to where you want to go, focus on it and go for it. But remember this danger about a flashlight focus— if the only thing you can see is where you are wanting to go, you will likely end up walking in darkness along the way.
However, the Master says:
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
-Matthew 6:34
When you follow the Lord in blind obedience, you will not always be recognized, understood, congratulated, have songs written in your honor or attain the accolades you believe you deserve in the specific form in which you believe they should come, but in this I am confident — keep your eyes on Heaven and in this life (and beyond it), He will give you many a' reason for joy and a reason to smile.
In Him,
Jean-Marc
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