Brief prefatory note from Dave: Holly, a frequent commenter here, passed on this link from a Catholic friend related to our conversation about the current troubles in the Catholic church. And a second perspective from the Huffington Post.
Through our Leap of Faith experience at my church in Minneapolis, I have been convicted of my lack of faith that God would be willing to do mighty acts in my life or answer big dreams in the short term or present time. Certainly, I have prayed for many people with physical, emotional, spiritual issues and have seen God do great things for them and to some extent even for me as I pray. But, how hazy is the line between believing in God for big dreams and using God-given talents (effort) to work toward dreams with sweat equity?
I've read stories in the Bible--Jesus healing the centurion's servant comes to mind--where the recipient of the good stuff from God seems deserving. If so, that would describe my approach: always trying to do the right thing. Certainly I ask God to direct/guide all aspects of my life. However, over the past two years, I have asked for prayer on multiple occasions regarding a common theme: When serious pressure mounts, I get this vision of having too many plates spinning and one, if not all, are going to crash. I take seriously the responsibility God has given me over the “plates” I can influence in my life, such as having quality time in my marriage, being a good father, being an entrepreneur, balancing a heavy workload, mentoring others, supporting ministries, keeping good family dynamics, maintaining wellness, experiencing spiritual growth, wealth building….and on and on it goes.
I have observed and felt personally, that there is a certain level of nobility in getting “exhausted for Jesus”. I mean, really, how could God not answer a prayer from that perspective? Just look at all the quiet suffering and selfless hard work being put in: helping the poor, mentoring, volunteering at non-profits, etc. The old prayer of, “Lord, give me a stronger back to build the character in me to be more like you, blah, blah, blah…” I don’t directly mean to down-play that prayer, but for this reoccurring issue maybe God has something else in mind.
Immediately following the centurion story, is a passage I have always overlooked. Jesus raises a child to life WITHOUT anyone asking him. No effort.
Here is where I get thrown for a loop: the answer to the equation, if there is an equation, seems to be FAITH. Yet, what is required to get an answer seems to change. On one hand, effort, an obedient life, submission, is required. However, like the second story, God sometimes performs BIG miracles in our lives, just because He has compassion for us.
So, there you have it. No clear cut answer. Is there a balancing act between faith and effort? Do they work in synergy or against each other? How does this work out in your own life?
At my church we recently went through a series called The Prodigal God, based on a book by Timothy Keller. The series, along with some stuff God's been doing in my life over the past year, really helped me to realize that a lot of the stuff I was doing "for Jesus," I was really doing in an attempt to control God and "make" him do what I wanted. Like you said, if I've done all this stuff, I should get answers, right?
My question after this revelation was, if I shouldn't do stuff to be the "good girl" and get the "good things," does that mean I stop doing stuff? I prayed a lot about this, and I did feel like I got an answer from God. The answer was, "Do it because you like to be with me, and I like to be with you." For me, this really applies to the ministries I'm involved in and my spiritual disciplines. Those are both places where I meet God, and upon reflection, I actually really love spending time with God. I especially love spending time with God when I'm in touch with the crazy idea that he actually really loves spending time with me.
Those are my thoughts on the matter. Thanks for blogging about this, it's really thought-provoking!
Posted by: Lauren | March 31, 2010 at 12:30 PM
I think we all do a lot of mental and spiritual gymnastics with this area. If I spend time with God while hoping that he fulfills my dreams and desires, are my motives pure? We look for formulas and correct ways to pray for the stuff we need. Then we try to consider the lilies of the field...
I think this is where faith is more tested than in trying to decide between choices like doing street ministry or surfing porn. That is an easy choice. Our faith is not tested in the obvious. It is tested in walking out a daily conversational relationship with Him and learning to trust him with each step. I think it is also a pouring out of everything we feel and experience to God. Engaging him in all of it. When you read the Psalms, and more than half of them are complaining Psalms, you realize that God just relishes the contact. He wants all of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am learning how to share with him when I am having trouble trusting him. When He has allowed something that has hurt me or when He waits too long to fulfill a promise (in my timeline), I am learning to pour that out to Him. I think sometimes we feel guilty for wanting good things in our lives or in feeling fatigue in the midst of work for the Kingdom, and all of that is human and good. It just needs to be connected to our walk with God, rather than being placed in our own minds over and against that walk.
Now, I am laughing as I write this, because I don't have any of this figured out. I am preaching to myself with all of this. I am a hard-headed people, and I pray that whatever is truth here will start to sink into my own mind and hard heart. But I wanted to share this, as it is what God has been talking to me about in this area.
Posted by: bsergott | March 31, 2010 at 03:04 PM
BTW, Marc, I wanted to also say that this is an excellent post. Thank you for being vulnerable and being willing to share your struggles in your walk. It helps all of us learn and grow!
Posted by: bsergott | March 31, 2010 at 03:06 PM
I wish I had a clue. I've been in a time of serious Waiting for almost 10 years now, and I feel like I've tried everything -- doing, not doing, and everything in between. What's brought me more peace isn't getting answers as much as it's been not obsessing over the questions all the time.
In addition to getting worked-up over the do vs. not-do issue, I also struggle a lot with other people's perspectives. I'd find it a lot easier to disregard people's advice if it weren't all well-intentioned. And I often find it hard to explain myself when I'm not in a Doing phase. Waiting on God looks a lot like sitting on your behind to the observer. Not that everyone else's opinion should be such a big deal, but I carry around a voice in my head that sounds a heckuva lot like outside voices I've heard, and it's always pressure-filled and discouraging.
A friend of mine asks an interesting question: What scenario allows God to be biggest -- to be most "God" -- for you in this situation? Is it the scenario where you feel empowered to act on your own behalf, or is it where He flies to the rescue? I like asking that question. If nothing else, it's helpful because it helps me to be more hopeful about what God can do, and is willing to do (either through me or outside of me), instead of being frustrated by my own inability to figure things out and get them all right.
Posted by: Holly | March 31, 2010 at 04:18 PM
This is key for me...at the moment and recent years. One way I ask this question is 'what's my part and what's God part' ... for 'abundance' and transformation (personal and the world).
What Holly says is very familiar to me (those voices in my head ... used to be my father quite often, but interestingly as relationship with my father has grown more intimate I no longer hear the accusations in his voice).
My current working theory is that God's hope for me is to be fully known ... and loved (aligned with Frederich Buechner's quote, "The place God calls you to, is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep need meet." So He has work for me to do here that is aligned with my gifting and limitations (my burden is light my yoke is easy). So as I delight in Him (as one with unique gifts, desires and limitations) He fulfills my desires. And yet I can be tempted to seek life from my calling ... and not Him.
Well, after reading what I just wrote, I guess its not clear to me. I think in the end I can only grasp for the hem of His garment (or as bsergott said invite Him into each moment). Hmm...maybe a helpful guide is considering a joyful / abundant life (Heb 12:12), somehow. And that relationship(s) and personal calling are wrapped up in that.
Posted by: Paul | March 31, 2010 at 09:42 PM
I wonder if the title to this blog post is a clue. If that's how you're feeling -- that there's something joyless and unhelpful about the amount or nature of the work you're putting in -- then perhaps that's at least a red flag. I think the joylessness bit is key for me. If all of life is process, and there's no joy in the process, then what's left?
Posted by: Holly | April 01, 2010 at 02:09 PM