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I am a
risk taker. I am the dive in head first and think about the consequences later
kind of person. If you have been walking along with me on this new adventure
you will know that an opportunity to dive in has come up, and we needed to decide
on whether or not I could swim. In my last blog I talked about discernment and
how we need to be careful we do not take a step in a direction God never
intended us to go. (see link at bottom of page) Opportunities may present
themselves to us and we may see them as of the Lord, when in fact they are sent
by our enemy to knock us off our paths.
One
such opportunity presented itself to our business just the other day. For all
intents and purposes it would look like an answer to prayers. We talked about
it, we met with the person who was offering the open door to us, and we left
the meeting thinking that this might be our next step. After praying about it, talking
about it, and doing some digging, we realized that this was not the direction
the Lord wanted us to go and we needed to shut that door. I have to admit that
I was ready to dive in head first. I was ready to take the risk and not even
consider the consequences. But, thankfully, my God knows me inside and out and
had already prepared me through His word to follow His advice in discernment.
But
yet, I find that today, after I see the closed door, that there is this sense
of urgency welling up in my soul. I keep thinking that if we don’t get the ball
rolling soon we may miss out. My thoughts turn into questions and the next
thing you know, my mind is racing with questions. What if someone else does
what we want to do first and we miss out? We are following the steps; we are
slowly making progress, but what if we are not doing enough? What if we are not
moving fast enough? All these questions begin to roll through our minds and our
hearts become troubled. Then, in the midst of all these questions, I remembered
a very important truth, and a peace settled back into the inward parts of my
being. God is the Architect of this journey.
This
path that I am on, this desire to build our business and expand and grow is all
because of Him. He has planned it and plotted it. He has purposed it and placed
before me the very steps that I am to take. I cannot force open doors that have
been shut. I cannot run this path, I must walk it.
“Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In
all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs
3:5-6 (ESV)
The
dream, the hope, the promise that God has placed in our hearts when we started
this journey has not changed. The same God who gave us our dreams is the same
God who will bring it to pass. I am reminded of Abraham and how the Lord God
spoke to him in Genesis 12 and told him to leave his home, his family and all
that he knew and start out on a new adventure with Him. God put a promise of not
only a new land, but a promise that he would become a great nation, a promise
of a son.
“And I
will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2 (ESV)
Abraham
started on his journey with faith and hope in the promises of God. He could not
see the land, nor did he know where he was going. He trusted that the God who
promised was also faithful.
“Let us
hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)
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We have
been given a promise, a precious path to walk upon. Hold fast to that promise,
and to the One who promised it because He IS faithful. If we find
ourselves questioning His faithfulness, then we need to turn our eyes to the
proof of His faithfulness in our everyday lives. Look at the sun. It rises to
its place every day, giving light and hope to those who are in darkness. Every day
is a testimony to us of the faithfulness of our God; do not waver in your hope,
because He is faithful.
We must
recognize that when our thoughts turn to questions, and our hearts become
filled with “what ifs” then we are in danger of falling down in our faith. “For
all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him, Amen, to the glory of God
to us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV) God’s promises are yes and Amen not what if. We
may grow weary on our journeys, we may grow impatient. But we need to hold fast
and hold on. The substance we need to keep walking lies in the knowledge that
He who promised is faithful. This truth is our Cliff bar to keep us going. We
must have patience on our journeys, and we must have faith. Not because we can
see the steps, but because we trust in the One who placed the steps in the
first place.
Paul
tells us that Abraham “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief,
but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced
that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Romans 4:20-21 NKJV)
When you start to waver, or your heart begins to grow impatient, remember
Abraham, and Sarah, and all the hero’s of our faith, who also held strong to
the hope of the promises of God. Let us not waver because one door was closed,
but let us praise God for protecting us, for keeping our paths straight (Prov.
3:6) and for giving us the strength to walk this journey. Let us praise God for
the Architect that He is, and trust that no matter what doors close, or which
ones open He who promised is faithful. Amen.
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