This Faith Thing

I am a planner. I get a vision or some objective in my sights, and then I plan all the steps to get there, order them appropriately, and assign a schedule for each task to ensure that the vision/objective is achieved by the target date. That is a very useful skill in my profession, and it can be very useful in my pursuit of life goals. However, there is one small problem. At least one problem, actually, at least two.

First, my "schedule" has not typically included any flexibility to attend to unforeseen needs, such as the needs of others, or time to just enjoy my life.
Second, my actions are limited to those required to meet the vision or objective formed in my mind, rather than taking actions that may lead to a goal that only God understands. So, I may be limiting His use of me. His objectives could be much larger than I can comprehend. They may even occur years after I have left this earth.

Today’s devotional hit a chord with me.

From "My Utmost for His Highest," Oswald Chambers, March 19, 2008:
"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason—a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world."

This clears things up for me. Sometimes I think faith is just doing stuff that makes no sense but I should probably do it because He probably wants me to and it shows I have faith in God – or something along those lines. Sometimes I think that I am showing a lack of faith when I work hard to accomplish tasks (because maybe I am relying on my own strength and don’t really think that God can do it without me-and so on). A book I am reading "10 Secrets for the Man in the Mirror" is opening my eyes a bit more. The author explains, with Biblical support, that we are to do our best, work hard, and improve our abilities to serve. It is not that we are working hard because we think we have to "pick up the slack" for God. We do our part (listen, learn, obey, work) and He does His part (ensure the outcome that He desires). We (I) get into trouble when I believe the outcome is entirely up to me.

So here is what I learned today. My faith is actually my belief that the one I’m following (God) is leading me through the best path, to accomplish His divine objectives. My job is to understand who God is so I will know when He is doing the leading, and then to make my best effort to do those tasks he sets before me. His job is to orchestrate the results.

Another sticky point is how to know His will. I can’t say I’ve got that completely tackled, but I am getting more comfortable with it. I get to know Him primarily by prayer and Bible study. I know that I am off track or running ahead when I don’t seem to have time for other people’s needs, and time to enjoy my own life, or when my activities or the fruits run counter to His nature.

I have a greater understanding of this now. Let’s see how I apply it.

Oh, the photo is of a dog named faith. You can click on the photo to go the site and read an interesting story.