This post right now is not to tell you where our world is going, and it certainly isn't to put a label on our current leadership. Some of you may assume that is what I'm saying...it clearly isn't, and I personally had been running this in my head way before elections were going on.
Having said that and put that aside, I ask that you just think of this hypothetically with me and find a treasure hidden in the scenario. Please follow me, because my fingers are about to go frantic...
When we ask for the Church to wake up, how do you picture God needing to do it? Do you imagine God doing it one heart at a time? Do you expect God to bring a revival? What goes through your head? How do you see God answering this prayer throughout history?
Before I go deeper, let me make a few things clear:
We are beautiful and His Beloved...but we are His created as well. We have worth, but only because of Him do we find our worth. Apart from Him, we have nothing. Apart from Him, we can't do anything. Apart from Him, we are dead.
Having said this, God can do as He pleases because of His position and authority (). We don't deserve an explanation in all our circumstances other than to trust Him. We can cry, we can pitch a fit, we can run before Him and tremble because we are so scared of what He is doing because we can't comprehend it...but we trust and have a faith that says "I don't understand you, but I know you use all things for good for those that love you, and you make all things possible...so I put my trust in you and know that nothing is beyond you."
This is okay...David does this numerous times in the Psalms. He jumps around in his Psalms to show us that it is okay to feel the way that we do. In troubled times, we can be upset and scared and fear for our lives...but David knew behind all of the mess that God was bigger and God was going to fulfill His promises. David knew that God loved him despite what he saw.
God disciplines those He loves.
How did God get the attention of His people when they were "on the wrong path" "led astray" "did evil in the sight of the Lord"? He most likely put them into captivity. He allowed others to come and take them over. It appeared to the Israelites that God lost favor and that He didn't love them anyway. When tough times come, it looks like God doesn't love us anymore...but that just isn't the case.
Hebrews 12:6 says "because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
How do you get back on track? After someone has probably approached you and told you your wrong...and made you think differently than you did before. Many times, this isn't easy for us to do. God is no different. He approached us to correct us, but if we don't listen God will make it clear for us to hear...
Now for my bold thought...
Imagine if you will our Church today. We have such freedom in our religion and worship...such a blessing it is truly for us to worship without fear of persecution or death...but because of that so many people profess to be Christian without understanding a risk of following Jesus.
Paul faced many dangerous threats for Christ but continued to preach the Gospel no matter what came his way. He didn't fear death..in fact he found it to be gain. () His faith was stronger because of this persecution. Paul had many needs, and saw Christ overcome.
If there was no sin or troubles, there would be nothing for Christ to overcome.
The Church grew and united with Paul because of this. The Church had to be unified, because if it didn't Christianity would die. Christians needed to help the poor. They needed to look after each other. That need isn't as big today...and what do we see now?
People professing to be Christians because it's easy. There is not risk, and half the time they don't feel obligated to do anything outside of Sunday worship. I'll bet that a great majority of our Christians today would run and hide and deny their faith if their lives were on the line. They wouldn't truly have the faith they profess to have. They simply would hold the "faith" because it's an easy ticket out of hell.
I have found friends of mine praying for our Church to wake up. For our people to rise and become bright lights in our dark world. How has God done this before? Look at other countries where Christianity is not popular or even accepted. True lovers of Jesus will find any way they can to gather together and worship...and only the ones that really love Jesus will sacrifice everything to have that time with other believers...even their lives. They see Christ on a much more spectacular level because of it. They are more awake. We have many Christians today that don't really love Jesus because it is such a freedom. If we lost that freedom, those that really loved Jesus would shine all the more and I feel that our community as the Church would be all the more powerful. Our need for each other would be so much greater than it is now, and I believe God would cause us as the Church to be unified in a stronger bond through that.
Would it truly be a bad thing if we lost our freedom as Christians, or is this the wake up call we need as the Church to truly shine? I could foresee God having to do this...(I am not saying He will). It's bold, and I am certainly not hoping we as Americans ever lose that freedom...but my friends, I have prayed for God to show me more of the world through His eyes...to use this would be a terrible tragedy...but to God He would know that's what the Church needed, and He knows that's what would answer our prayers.
God doesn't answer our prayers the way we expect to, and many times we don't like His answer at all! But God knows what is going to shake us if we want to be shaken. He knows, and we need to trust Him no matter what His answer is.
I love you all. Keep the faith, and let God show you more of His perspective today.
