Crazy Faith
Ok, so I have to admit, I love a good, end of the world kind of movie. The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, Independence Day, 2012... love them all. I love it when humanity is on the brink of utter destruction and then an unlikely person becomes the hero and saves the world. These movies generally depict a hero who puts him/herself on the line for the good of all mankind! You see people rallying together to help people they don't even know, they defeat extraordinary odds to ensure that humanity can flourish. Sometimes the hero makes it until the end and sometimes they make the ultimate sacrifice. These movies keep me on the edge of my seat wondering how they are going to make it through, what will be left when the movie ends? In most of these situations the hero is called to do something that they normally wouldn't do under everyday circumstances, drive through blizzards, blow up an asteroid, defeat aliens. They do so, knowing that what they are doing is the right thing to do, everything in their life has lead to this moment and they set themselves aside and think of someone else. Crazy!
I think of Noah, how many times did he try to convince people that the end was near? How many times was he ridiculed for his crazy faith? I think of Abraham, what did his family think when he told them, pack up the tents we are moving? He was 75 years old! David faced a giant, and killed a lion and bear. Esther confronted the king and could have been executed. The widow used her last bit of oil and flour to make a cake for Elijah, Hosea was called to marry a prostitute! The disciples followed Jesus and the list go on and on. These hero's of the Bible had tenacity, they saw a situation and pushed through. I like to think that they would have had valid fears about the situations that they were in, Queen Esther asked for fasting and prayer before she went to see her own husband! She knew that she could very well be sacrificing herself for the sake of her people. The disciples, with the exception of John, were all martyred for their crazy faith.
These people did not know how God was going to work out the final details of their lives. Would they come through unscathed or would they make the ultimate sacrifice?
I remember a time years ago when I felt God calling me to step out in faith and trust Him completely, that I needed to leave a secure career and trust that God was going to take care of me. I did not make this decision overnight, I spent time in prayer and fasting seeking God's confirmation that this was His plan and not my own. I also enlisted the prayers of some close friends. The day I handed in my resignation was one of the most frightening and exciting days of my life. I stepped into a whole new world of crazy faith. It was a time of complete trust in God as my source. It was definitely an, on the edge of my seat, kind of time. But I had the benefit of knowing the end, God would always take care of me.
We serve a God who is the rewarder of crazy faith!
So do I still have what it takes, crazy faith? Do you have what it takes, crazy? Do we have what it takes, crazy faith? Can we set aside our comforts, physical and mental? Can we handle the ridicule of those who say we are crazy Jesus freaks and laugh at us until it starts to rain? Can we uproot our family and move thousands of miles away to a destination that we are unsure of? Can we use our very last bit of food to serve a stranger who tells us it's the right thing to do? I pray that our answers are yes! Yes, God take us and use us.
How can we be sure that we have what it takes to stand by God when He calls us to do something the world thinks is crazy? We need to be near to God. We need to spend time in His word and talking with Him. We need to listen to the gentle call of His voice. We need to surround ourselves with like-minded believers who can lift us up in prayer and we in turn can lift them up too.
Now God may not call you to leave your job, or move across the country, or face a giant, but He does call us all to do something. We need to listen to the voice of God when He gently prompts us to step out in Crazy Faith!
~ Jenn
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