June 4, 2010
There are certain times when our understanding of what God is doing demands more from us than others. It is the grander moments when God is doing a new thing in our spirits and lives that there is excitement and yet trepidation. It's that nagging thought that we were meant for more. Yet in those defining moments there is a reality that sets in that forces us out of our comfort zones. It makes us examine the comfort of our lives and the ease by which we exist in a Western culture. We preach about it more times than we can count, but actually doing something to address this comfort that dulls our senses to the move of God, well that is a whole other topic. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable and it’s not part of our natural makeup in my opinion. The question that resonates with me today is what am I made of when things get real?
See when things get real it costs us something. For each of us that something may be different. It may be a way of life or a financial standard of living, homes, reputation, friendships or maybe our idols. In many ways it is those things that we put before God in our lives that cost us intimacy with the King. There are moments when we talk a good game about being fearless and willing to follow God wherever He leads. It’s like Leonardo Dicaprio on the Titanic screaming, “I’m the King of the world!” However, if you notice he screamed that because he was in a place of great comfort. There was no storm; there was no water on the boat. But what are we saying when the water is ankle deep. When our ways of living and doing what we do are placed on the altar of sacrifice, what are saying?
Things can always seem exciting from a distance. A car accident gets our attention from a distance, but no one wants to be in the accident. How do we express our heart when we are moving in pursuit of our King and that pursuit has the potential of changing everything about our lives. Moses was there at the burning bush. Abraham was there with Isaac. The disciples encountered this in that moment with Jesus in the garden. It’s the difference between having head knowledge about God doing a new and glorious thing and actually being in the midst of the new thing itself. I think of Paul and Silas in the prison singing songs and praying before the earthquake or Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego on their walk to the furnace. Or even Daniel before he could smell the lions.
See many people bail on the “real” when it hits to close to home. Many people would rather look at “real” from a distance. They are normal. However, normal never changed the world. I’m not judging those that live in the normal. If I did I would have to admit that I’ve been normal at times in my life as well. I’m talking today about my personal journey to know my God in a personal and intimate place that costs me my idols. I have found a holy discontent in my spirit with normal, today. That doesn’t mean that it won't come roaring back like a race car in the Indy 500 tomorrow. That’s why I hate living by emotion. It changes the heart and distorts the voice of God and yet at times it is the mechanism that God uses to capture the heart of His people. Emotion without the Word of God is a dangerous thing.
Today I want to be in that place that a good friend of mine refers to as the “stupid zone.” It’s that place of living in Christ where we move so far outside the normal that if God doesn’t show up we simply look stupid. It’s in those places that God has the opportunity to be God. It’s where He proves just how big He really is. Many of us never see how glorious our God is cause we see “real” from a distance. I want more from the gifts and purpose He has placed within me. Lord, I’m ready for the “real”…. at least for today.
