Reliant

I grew up Baptist and went to a Baptist seminary. Growing up Baptist—I think I could probably write a book by that title—I had the deep tradition of missions impressed upon me. Baptist people, at least most, are known by their passionate involvement in missions. My own Southern Baptist tradition has one of the largest mission movements in modern times. Needless to say, we chatted about missions a lot, which involved learning the stories of missionaries, Baptist ones of course! One of the favorites among the stories, particularly in seminary, was the story of William Carey, the first Baptist missionary to India. Carey was hailed as a brave soul who went to India when no one else would and thus became the father of the modern mission movement. Carey was reported to have encouraged his fellow Baptists to consider missions by expecting great things for God and attempting great things for God.

Catchy, isn’t it? Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. I can’t tell you how many times I heard those words spoken over me, always with the same emphasis. We that were listening were to get out there and try great things for God. The first time or two I was excited. I would rush out and do whatever it was that I was instructed to do. Engage in ambush and drive-by witnessing. Feed the homeless. Give sacrificially. Whatever it was, I was willing to do it because I wanted to be like William Carey. I wanted to attempt great things for God. After the first couple of times these phrases had a diminishing return in my life because the more I acted on them the less I wanted to be like William Carey, the less I wanted to attempt great things for God.

Honestly, I got to the point that I wanted to throw things at every speaker who exhorted me to attempt great things for God. I think part of it was that I wanted a new illustration. The deeper issue was that I had tried great things and I had failed. I simply didn’t want to fail any more. I didn’t have it in me to attempt great things because I knew great things were not going to be the result. Slowly, I moved from excitement to dread to guilt to despair. Not only did I not want to attempt great things but I was a lousy, sorry person because I didn’t want to get out there and be William Carey. When I tried to voice my feelings, I felt dismissed, instructed to go try harder to do something great. So I gave up. I consigned myself to the reality that I would never amount to anything in God’s Kingdom. I was to be the broom pusher of God’s Kingdom while all my classmates got to be William Careys.

I think back on it all now and wonder how it could have all gone so wrong. Somehow messages meant to encourage me ended up discouraging me, sending me into despair, ashamed to stand before a God for whom I could not attempt great things. How does that happen? I think it happens when we accept the expectation that we are to attempt great things. Actually, nowhere in Scripture does it say we are to attempt great things for God. In fact, we don’t do anything for God at all. When I listen to the words of Jesus, nowhere does he say, “Get out there and do great things for me.” What he does say is that we will do great things, but not on our own. We will do great things because we are with God not because we are acting for him. When we are with God, experiencing life and relationship with him we enter into a state in which we know God and are known by God. Over time this knowing and being known moves from friendship to ever deepening levels of intimacy so that what was once fellowship and communion becomes union. In union, God’s life, his strength and power, his grace, all that he is flows into and out of all that we are. When that happens. . .well. . .great things happen. But it happens when we are with God.

It is into this with-God life that Jesus invites us in John 15. Jesus does not wish for us to move to despair over failing. He wants us to move into the joy of remaining, of seeing God’s power and life infuse our own because when that happens. . .well. . .great things with God happen.

A fellow traveler,

Blake

What’s my next step?

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of handing off faith in your family.

Pray Habakkuk 3.2 as a family: Listening to God is a community endeavor. We learn to do this starting in our families. This week, consider using the table tent containing Habakkuk 3.2 to guide a family prayer time. You might consider setting aside a time, perhaps a few minutes before or after meals, to say this prayer together. After saying the prayer, be still and quiet as a family, seeking to listen for God’s response and to sense God’s presence. For younger children consider pausing for 2-3 minutes. For teenagers, consider pausing and sitting in God’s presence for 5-10 minutes. You might consider talking as a family about your experience of sitting in God’s presence.

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of deepening your own faith.

Be with God: God desires that we go through life with him, not for him. One way to seek to live with God is to seek to engage others with him. This week, consider engaging in every conversation as if God were present, not just present but actually flowing out of you into the person with whom you are speaking. See if you can hold in your mind that God is present. You might consider using an empty chair in the room to remind you that God is present or you might have something such as a cross in your pocket to remind yourself that God is present.  As you recognize that God is with you, acknowledge that he is in you and flowing out of you as you engage the other person. When you finish your conversation, thank God for being present, and for moving through you to do great things.