So much of our lives are spent in the in between—in the place between the birth of a dream, or God’s initial calling, and the point of actual fulfillment. We want to step out in faith and follow His leading, but the stakes are so high. The possibility of supernatural success pulls us forward, but the potential for failure threatens our progress with menacing realities supported by human logic. It would be so simple for the Lord to just put a burning bush every ten feet, assuring us beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are on the right path, headed in the right direction. He could easily illuminate every dip and pebble on the road and give us an accurate road map of approaching terrain. But usually, He doesn’t. Sometimes, for reasons often unbeknownst to us, He gives us just enough confirmation to make us responsible to follow in obedience, but usually not enough to eliminate the risk. He may give us a glimpse of His plans, but not quite the whole package. And so we are left with unanswered questions that require us either to depend on Him in faith or succumb to unbelief. As difficult as it is, we must struggle to follow in obedience, fighting against our natural desire for stability and safety.
But Jesus didn’t come to give us a safe kind of religion. In fact, He didn’t come to give us religion at all. He came to give us love. And what kind of love is this? Certainly not the kind we are most commonly presented with. Not the kind consisting of pungent cologne and over-priced chocolates. Not Hollywood. Not Nashville. Not Woodstock. It is a real kind of love. This love is dirt under the fingernails after a day pulling someone else’s weeds. It’s a sore back from doing your neighbor’s laundry. It’s a hunger in your belly after giving up your meal for somebody hungrier than you. It’s the scars on the hands of our Savior. It is messy. It is at times unsightly and unpleasant. It is unexpected. And it is beautiful.
But what it is NOT is safe. Jesus wasn’t beaten and tortured for you and I to remain secure in our suburban housing districts with our nicely manicured lawns and convenient back-yard swimming pools. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these things (I myself have been blessed to live in such a place), I think our freedoms can all too easily become our prisons as we build up cages for ourselves, not so much to keep ourselves in, but rather to keep the mess of the world out. But Jesus didn’t die for us to live like this. He calls us out of ourselves into the life outside that will only be lived when we agree to live it. We are called to follow Him into a life of love, adventure, self-sacrifice, and service. But in the process of seeking out His path for us, we often come to this point of the in between. It is a frightening point where we must not only break down our cage, but also jump off the cliff, give away our money, pack up and leave, man up and stay, or whatever else God might call each of us individually to do.
And why is it that it that God doesn’t just lay it all out for us and tell us the outcome of everything? Why does He often give us just enough confirmation to compel us to action, but not enough to eliminate all doubt? I think it is because it is in this in between place that faith is cultivated. It is here that we learn to trust and to persevere, and these are the qualities that produce the character in our hearts that God is after. The book of James says that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. And Paul writes in Romans that from this perseverance comes character, and from character, we learn to hope. “And this hope does not disappoint us,” he writes, “because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
And so when we are afraid that we will hit bottom after jumping off the cliff, we can remember this: hope does not disappoint.
And when we are afraid that after giving our money away we won’t be able to earn enough to pay next month’s bills, we can remember: hope does not disappoint.
And when God tells us to pack up and leave, or man up and stay and we are afraid that the dreams He has placed within our hearts will come crashing down on us, we MUST remember: hope does not disappoint, for God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. He will never leave us or forsake us. David writes in the Psalms, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.” Scripture is filled with divine promises of provision, both spiritual and material, for those who rely on Him and trust His goodness. And He will honor our desire to step out in faith.
I think God is more interested in making us holy than making us happy. And the holiness will eventually result in happiness, but for the present, there is much pruning to be done. In the inbetween there is the joy of His presence, strengthening and encouraging us, filling our hearts with His hope that does not disappoint. The process is often painful, but will one day result in a harvest of righteousness. And so sometimes the Lord will keep us waiting, keep us trusting, keep us believing in faith while He intentionally leaves out the details. Because it is most important that we learn to trust our heavenly Father and rely on Him for everything.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:9-13
by Sarah Northup
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