Skip to main content

Gold


          But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. (Job 23:10-11)

          I would like to be able to say this more than I can. Living with Dad was a challenge because he got to the point where he didn’t want to make any decisions and I don’t want to make any wrong decisions – which means that I’m horrible with arbitrary decisions. That means that 90% of the time, neither of us wanted to make a decision and in that 10% where we did make them, we tended to disagree. I got him to help me choose what kind of car to get by finally asking him which kind he would get for himself (that was how I got Deborah. Abraham was easy – I needed a truck into which I could maneuver Dad. Simple logic.)
          Most of the big decisions in my life are Abraham in Ur situations. God calls me to go somewhere that I don’t know and do something I’m not comfortable doing. What’s worse, and the point of this essay, is that I’m not even sure God’s called me. I started “walking with Abraham” back in 2015 when I quit my job to take care of Dad. I knew I was making a good decision then. This fall, as I came back to Florida without Dad, I didn’t know what to do. I made a couple missteps (in my opinion) and ended up buying a place. This morning, I’m standing for election as the secretary of the association. No one else seemed willing to run, which means the job is very likely mine. I don’t regret it, but I’m not excited. I can do the job, but am I supposed to?
I have the same difficulty with the whole writing thing. Is that the direction I’m really supposed to go? Am I wasting time and money? It would be so nice to be able to see the end from the beginning… to not have to take a chance… to know I’m doing the right thing.
          But, God is able to see the end from the beginning. God knows the way I take. It might not be what I consider the right way, but He’s promised before that He won’t let me miss my “exit.” He will guide and direct me. So, as I launch myself into yet another volunteer position, His test for me is not whether or not I can take minutes. His test for me is whether or not I will leave Ur, get out of the boat, or otherwise trust Him that He has not left me.
          Some people see the “when I have been tested, I will come forth as gold” as arrogance, and it could be. It could also be Job’s confidence that the process through which God was taking him would result in his coming forth as gold because God was in control. He still is.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more