Countless Joys

Deep Trust is Required

On the day John the Baptist was led to his death, did he still believe that Jesus would finally appear to deliver him? What kind of fear and terror did he experience during that walk of death? Ultimately, when his head was laid down on the guillotine, did he still have faith in Jesus’ delivering power? Did he still believe there would be a reprieve from the ultimate sacrifice of his life in exchange for obedience to his calling?

How do we fully trust God when everything seems to be caving in and falling apart in our lives? When all we are seeing in the natural seems contrary to the idea of a good God, how do we continue to rely upon His wisdom and plan for our lives?

In my journey from doubting God back to trusting Him with my life, I learned to take my eyes off of people and circumstances. When I focused on the truth of what God’s Word says about His character and nature, I was able to separate what people say and do in life situations from who God is – regardless of what people say and do. God does not change because of the hurtful or neglectful actions of people in our lives. The truth about who God is remains the same even when the situations of life take devastating turns toward sorrow, chaos, and loss. God is separate and apart from all of these interactions in life, yet His abiding presence is always near for our comfort and strength.

I learned that while He is all-powerful and all-knowing, He still allows us the free-will to make choices in life. Through the consequences of these choices (both my choices and the choices of others), He allows my temperament to be molded and shaped to become more like His temperament. And, it is the collective choices of mankind that either bless others or cause sorrow for others. This is the full impact of the sin nature of mankind, and its overall result is the many sorrows and hardships in life. It began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and it will end when Jesus returns to the earth.

I learned that until I am fully delivered from the impact of sin in the earth, I can trust in God for individual deliverance (being rescued and set free) in the situations of my life. This kind of trust is a firm belief in the reliability of God to be there for me. I am confident with a strong assurance that He is not only able, but willing to help me, strengthen me, and deliver me. I must also trust in His timing, in His way, and in His will for me – and for everyone involved.

It is certainly during these times, when the very core of our thoughts and feelings about faith are being tested (times like John the Baptist experienced; times like we all experience), that our temperaments and spirits are also being transformed. After all, what other kind of pressure would cause us to give up our strong self-will to have our way in almost everything in our lives?

And would this be especially true when it looks like we are exchanging our will for death? Did Jesus really know what He was doing in John the Baptist’s life? Do we trust that He knows what He is doing in our lives?

Preparation for Purpose through Applied Pressure

When the Lord calls each of us to begin preparing to fulfill His call, it certainly can seem like an unusual, even foreign, life experience. We don’t know everything John the Baptist did prior to stepping into his calling, but we do get to see him by the Jordan River screaming at everyone to repent! Do you ever wonder what John’s last day of preparation was like—the day before he burst onto the scene as a forerunner of Jesus Christ? What actually happened to thrust him headlong into his calling on that particular day? What kind of pressure pushed him over the edge between preparation and active-duty service, right into the fires of life challenges and God’s service?

So often, the call of the Lord becomes alive in our lives, like an actor who hears the call, “Lights, camera, and action!” The call that triggers sudden activity for us could come via an unexpected life circumstance or a life loss experience. Indeed, this is the kind of applied pressure that thrusts each of us into active duty service!

For me, one of the calls came through a rapid-fire series of unexpected circumstances that thrust me into the fire, so to speak. It began with increasing abdominal and pelvic pain to the point of excruciating attacks. Those experiences led me to a doctor, and then to being referred to “that kind of doctor I didn’t want to see.” The progression continued through the dreaded possibilities of a cancer diagnosis. Then, the circumstances dramatically worsened when the pre-surgical bloodwork report confirmed that ovarian cancer was a high probability. If it could really be possible, the circumstances plummeted even farther with the grim prognosis of a six-month life expectancy following the first cancer surgery. This particular call of the Lord was all about strengthening and deepening my faith and trust in Him – for He knew what I would need for all that lie ahead – both in terms of His destiny-related plans for my life and regarding what the enemy would seek from my life.

Each of us has different and multiple calls to service throughout our faith walk. Where have you heard the call, ‘Lights, camera, action!”– the active duty service call? Are you engaged in a call to action now? If so, remember that the applied pressure (that God is allowing and Satan is relishing in) is all about preparing you for your purpose and destiny in Christ. God is for you and He is there for you – through it all – if you will seek and trust Him – through it all.