In the world we live in today where so many of us are constantly goal setting have you ever taken the time to wonder what kind of goals guys like Moses, David, and Joseph set?
You hear it all over the place. I certainly did when I worked in the high end of professional sports. “You have to set your goals and go out there and make things happen for yourself” they said. “Those who wait never get anywhere. You can’t stand still unless you want to become another statistic” they added.
While I see what many are trying to communicate through the above statements I also realise today how limiting they can be to our lives. You see all of these sayings begin with us and very much depend on what we are able to muster up and accomplish. Yes there have been many that have indeed made big gains in their lives that subscribe to this approach. However have you ever wondered what would have happened if guys like Joseph, Moses, David, and even Jesus himself would have chosen to go out and make things happen?
Consider Joseph. He could have escaped prison in an attempt to make it happen for himself yet if he did he would have never come in front of Pharaoh, nor would he had been appointed as the Prime Minister of the most powerful nation in the world at the time. Consider David. He would have probably ended up in jail or killed and would have never become King should he had chosen to kill Saul when he had the chance. Consider Moses. He too most probably would have also ended up in much the same way and Jesus himself would have probably blown it all out of the water before it even began. So why is it that while in the world we are told to go out and make it happen, with God often the way to make it happen is to wait and be still?
For years I struggled with this thought until a recent conversation I had with a very close friend and brother of mine Kevin Devries whom is the Founder of Grace Explorations in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While chatting with him over Skype we began to unpack the Bible verse that says – “many are called but few are chosen”. For a long time I stumbled on this statement not really understanding what it actually meant. Time and time again I struggled with the latter part of it, especially when I took into consideration the unmerited and unconditional grace of God I so passionately love to share with others.
Yet after tossing ideas back and forth we began to realise that guys like Moses, David, Joseph, and even Jesus – whom were clearly called and chosen – chose to wait during their years in obscurity instead of trying to make it happen. Instead of hustling and rushing about they chose to listen to the stillness they carried within them that enabled them to understand that in spite of what their restricting circumstances told them, what had been promised and been apportioned to their lives would somehow be delivered in full. But most importantly we saw that none of them went after their destinies but instead their destinies came after them. In other words they didn’t make the choosing but instead waited for the appointed time to be chosen.
Today we need to understand that if we want to do something great for ourselves we then have to go out and make it happen. However if we want to do something significant that will impact the multitudes and change the course of history we then need to wait for God to set it all up as all of our doing and hard trying will very likely only prevent it from happening. Our role while we wait is to respond to whatever is before us accordingly never knowing what may be the key that leads us to the very place where we are chosen – like Joseph when he revealed the dreams of the cupbearer and baker in prison or David delivered some sandwiches to his brothers ,
I know ever so well how gut wrenching it can be to wait in obscurity and of course while we do it how easy it is to wonder if this is probably it and there will not be anything better for us. Yet as we do let us not forget that this is exactly what real faith and mystery are all about – and that they both will always require bigger guts than most of us realize.
Remember – Those that are chosen choose well.
Have a great and still weekend!
-pablo-
Photo by W. Monday
