Recently I was standing in waist deep water in the ocean. The water was calm and warm. But when I turned to walk back to shore, there were jellyfish blocking my way. Thousands and thousands of jellyfish. There were jellyfish as far as I could see. And I thought, “There is no way I can get to shore without being stung or even killed.” But I started to walk towards shore anyway. And as I did, the jellyfish seemed to part and get out of my way. And I wasn’t stung at all. When I got to shore, the tide went out in the blink of an eye leaving piles and piles of dead jellyfish behind.And then I woke up.
God speaks to me in vivid, amazing dreams (I figure it’s because the only time my mind shuts up long enough to hear Him is when I’m sleeping). Sometimes the message of my dreams is revealed to me as soon as I wake up. And sometimes it’s not until weeks or months later. But for this particular dream, I thought I knew the meaning but it felt a little vague to me. Then, this Sunday when I was in church, our minister was telling us that when a shepherd moves his flock to new feeding grounds, he will go ahead of the sheep to make sure the new area is safe. Just like God does for us. Ah-ha! So that’s what God was trying to tell me. He wants me to move in a certain direction even though it appears I might get hurt. He wants me to know that He has already gone before me to make sure the path is safe and clear. He wants me to know that He has already cleared all the jellyfish out of my way. WOW!!!
Genesis Chapter 12 says that God told Abram to leave his country, his people and his father’s household to go to a land that God would show him. Verse 4 tells us that “Abram left, as the Lord had told him.” Hebrews 11:8 puts it this way: “By faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
How many of us are willing to take that huge leap of faith when we hear God calling us in a certain direction? For me the answer is “it depends.” I’m a details girl. So I need a little more information before I want to take that step. Like, how much time is this going to take because I’m pretty busy. Or, how hard is this going to be? Or, are You going to open doors wide for me or will You close them to test my resolve and my faith? What is the risk involved?
What do I think God is going to say? “Hmmm, Robin. Well, you know I haven’t thought that far in advance. But now that you mentioned it, why don’t we set a time to sit down and go over the details a little more so you’re more comfortable with this plan.”
NO!!! That’s not what God says. He says “Trust Me.” He wants us to say. “Ok, God. I’m there. I trust You completely. And I’m willing to go where You want me to go no matter what.”
Well, yeah, that’s easy to do when the risk is low or when God clearly illuminates the path and opens doors wide for us to go through. Like when I moved from Florida to Atlanta. From the time God put the thought into my head to the time I moved, I tried (very unsuccessfully ~ duh!), to play “Stump God.” I tried to throw every obstacle I could think of in His way. But He tore every one of them down. I even tried stupid things like, “But I’ll really miss grocery shopping at Publix. Publix is a Florida store so they must not have them in Atlanta.” Then the next week I got a package from my cousin who lives in Atlanta. She had sent me an apartment guidebook to give me an idea of what apartments I could afford. And guess what she had used as stuffing in the box? Plastic Publix bags!!!!! BAM!! Another wall smashed to bits. Every time I tried to stump God, He would tear down that wall and open that door so wide. It was like He was saying, “Come on Robin, give me a hard obstacle. Hit Me with another one because I’ve got it all figured out and you can’t beat me.” God tore down every single obstacle I tried to put in His way. He clearly opened every door that I tried to close. And I had family here to live with so there was really very little risk. So that was an easy choice for me. God said “Go to Atlanta.” And I said, “Sure why not. Let’s go.”
But what about the times when God asks us to move in a direction that seems dark and scary? Those times when it seems like there is no way we can ever get down that path? What if He asks us to move to another town where we have no job, no friends and no relatives? What if He asks us to stop dating the person we think is “the one” but He’s telling us He has better plans for us? Or what if He asks us to quit the secure, stable job that we absolutely love when we don’t have another job lined up? Are we willing to do as Abraham did and just go even though we don’t know where we’re going? Man, that’s a tough one.
But that’s exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to trust Him and believe that He has it all worked out.
If you’ve ever walked in a maze, you know that there are many places that look like they lead to a dead end. But when you get to the “dead end” all of a sudden you see other paths that you can take. I think that God does this to us sometimes. I think that sometimes He leads us down paths that look like dead ends so that He can test our faith. He wants to know if we’re willing to walk by faith down that path until we get to the “end” trusting that He’ll open the way once we get there.
I’m trying so hard to walk on the path that I think God is directing me even though I see a dead end. And it’s a scary journey. But He’s told me in His Word and in my dream that He has already gone before me and cleared the way and made it safe. All He’s asking me to do is to trust Him even though I don’t know the details and I have no idea when or how I’m going to get to where He’s asking me to go.
What about you? Are you willing to go by faith where God has directed you even though you might not know where it will lead? Are you willing to go even when the path looks scary or impossible? Are you willing to believe that God has gone before you and has cleared all the jellyfish out of your way?
Remember: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5
Gracious and loving Father, I pray that each of us will have the faith of Abraham. I pray that we will be willing to obey You and go where You lead even when we don’t have all the details and don’t know where You are taking us. Help us to always remember that if you ask us to take a certain path, then You have already gone before us and cleared the jellyfish out of our way. Amen. ~Robin
