Have you ever heard a sentence that grabbed your attention. A sentence that was perfectly harmless in the context of the message, but followed you along all week long? That happened to me last Wednesday as I watched a pastor share his vision statement online. It was a great message, and I appreciate the ministry of this pastor, but I found myself focused on one single sentence. As I listened to the pastor introduce his vision, he began with the statement, "We want to have a vision that makes God sweat."
Isn't that a powerful statement? I have never heard it before, and found myself excited by the implications. As the pastor continued preaching though, that statement kept bouncing around in my head. The more I interacted with it, the more conflicted I became. It was a statement that created excitement in the dreamer, but pride and worry in the naive. It was easily remembered during times of boredom, but hard to forget during times of setback. It was a statement intended to motivate others to consider their potential impact, but it unintentionally brought my false beliefs to the surface. Ultimately, the reason I was conflicted by the pastor's statement, was because it revealed some of my own false beliefs.
There are things I believe about God that are not true. There are also things I believe about myself that are not true. These false beliefs create doubt, sin, and self reliance in my life. These beliefs are eager for an opportunity to turn me away from God and render me ineffective for the Kingdom. There are two false beliefs are fairly common to all people, but what are they?!
The first false belief is that we can put ourselves into a situation that is too great for God to handle.
Do you ever worry that your problems are too big for God? Do you feel as though a situation is so hopeless that even God has abandoned ship? I know we all feel this way at times, but just remember, the bible is clear that nothing is too difficult for God. He is in control over every situation, and will step in when He chooses to do so. Your problem is not too large, but neither is your goal or vision. If God spoke the earth into existence, don't you think He could speak a new job into existence? If He is able to manage the universe, don't you think He can manage your upcoming project deadline? But if this is such a fundamental idea from the bible, why is it so hard to accept? Well, for two main reasons:
First of all, it's because people like being in control. We want things to go according to plan and become frustrated when we are unable to dictate the course of our destiny. That's fairly obvious issue for humans, but the second reason is much more complex.
So why is it so hard to accept God's sovereignty when it's obvious that there are forces beyond our control? Because God's sovereignty means that He could have stopped all the bad stuff from happening in my life. He could have saved my relatives from death. He could have prevented me from failing at my job. He could have stopped Ebola, ISIS, Katrina, the Twin Towers, the Crusades, the death of Jesus on the cross, the rebellion of Adam and Eve, etc. He could have stopped it, but He chose not to. So where does that leave us? Does it mean God is evil? Does it mean He doesn't care? Does it mean that He is a bad leader?
I would say NO to all of those questions.
God is not evil because evil is rebellion against God. He doesn't rebel against Himself, but instead allows the rebellion to coexist for a period of time. God does care, because He came to earth, entered into our pain, and then died on a cross to make us right with God. God is a good leader, because He gave us freedom to either love Him or reject Him. He is not a dictator who demands submission, and eventually He will protect His people from every form of evil.
I am grateful that God used this statement not only to excite me, but to reveal my false beliefs. Just like that pastor, I want a vision that seems impossible for me, while simultaneously remembering that there is anything too difficult for God.
Next time I will share the second false belief that this statement revealed in my life.
