We'd felt a restlessness, a desire for change. So we prayed and sought direction and been frustrated and prayed some more until God pointed us in a new direction. And suddenly it felt like we were pointed in a new direction and then left to drift. We saw what could happen if this new direction didn't work out and it was scary ...And nothing happened. It didn't seem like God was going to come through. Maybe we had heard wrong...
But for months, God said, "Wait."
So we waited. And we felt crazy. And we looked unwise. And we were misunderstood, I'm sure.
And we doubted frequently. And we tried to head different directions. And we tried to plan ahead. And we tried to jump off the path God had laid before us. And we tried to "go" in any area we could while still technically waiting…
But God kept saying, "Wait". So each time we tried to abandon ship or turn the rudder in a different direction, within a day or two we had to repent and tie our rudder back down to the course God had set for us. And simply wait...And that was painful.
From our perspective, it looked like God was sending us straight into the rocks and to certain doom. But the more we prayed and tried different things, the more He confirmed the direction He had pointed us in...and the more sure we were that He was saying, "Wait."
We didn't know how it would work out. We needed a miracle. We were scared of waiting and potentially crashing. But we were more afraid of disobeying...
"We don't have to know how it is going work out in order to obey God." Pastor Daniel Williams
So we waited and prayed and waited and prayed and kept working hard at the things God had set before us.
Then, about a month ago, we began to sense God telling us to "go" in one area. But it was an area that seemed to move us toward those looming rocks even faster, instead of steering us away from them.
So we prayed hard. And we talked about it often. And we prayed together and on our own and reminded each other to pray and set a timeline.
Then we began to tell people. Just a few. And we prayed that if this step really was what God wanted that He would allow the authority in our lives to support it.
A week later God opened one door we didn't think was possible, and another that we didn't know existed. It was as if He began to open up a path in the middle of the rocks just big enough for our ship to squeeze through.
And the first thought I had when the opportunities were presented was, "Why did I have so little faith?”
"Why did I doubt God's provision when He said to wait?""Why didn't I jump faster when He said to go and it made no sense?""Why do I struggle to believe God when He's proven Himself over and over?”
I'm so thankful that we obeyed even when it didn't make sense. And although there are more rocks ahead, my faith is stronger and I'm trusting that the path will open when we get there. He's never let us crash before.
And whether God is telling you to "go" or telling you to "wait", and no matter how crazy the direction He's asking you to take…obey.
Because..."Obedience precedes understanding." Pastor Daniel Williams
We didn't understand. And I know we won't understand again in the future...maybe even the very near future, but I'm more afraid of being outside God's will then I am of "crashing" while inside of His will.
