Even When I Don’t See It You’re Working
When I was interviewing for the Youth Director position at First Baptist, I was asked a question that made me stumble. Having served in church ministry for a number of years, I felt I could pretty well predict what questions would come my way. But then they asked one I didn’t see coming:
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
I knew that was a fairly common corporate interview question, but I never expected it in a ministry interview because I never really viewed church ministry as something with potential for upward movement. If I’m a pastor, then I’m a pastor until God calls me to do something different.
After stumbling over my words for a few minutes, I finally said something along the lines of, “Well, I guess it would be nice to not be the youth director by the time my kids get into youth group. But I don’t know how else I’d serve the church.”
Six years later, my oldest moved into youth group, and sure enough, I was no longer the youth director. God had worked through many situations, conversations, and events to arrange things so that I would not be my kids’ youth director.
Here’s the thing, though—I didn’t see it coming. While I thought it would be nice to give my kids the freedom to be themselves in youth group and have someone else pour into them spiritually, I didn’t have a plan in place to make that happen. While I had certain gifts that I thought might someday work well in a different position, there was no exit strategy. In fact, sometimes it felt like God dragged me—reluctantly—through some of the steps needed to lay the foundation for my current position.
God is always at work… To quote our opening song for this week, “Even when I don’t see it, You’re working.”
At face value, there is a tendency to take this song and make it about us. But really, “Way Maker” is a song highlighting how God is moving in us and around us, transforming lives for His glory—even when it’s hard for us to see it.
We are such linear people. We like to plan and map out a timeline and direction for our lives. We set goals, and as long as we are working toward those goals, we feel okay with life because it means we are on the “right path.”
But what if our path doesn’t align with the one God wants us to walk? What if the circumstances of life make it clear that we may never hit our goals?
There is nothing wrong with having goals. However, there is something more important than goals. As Pastor Chuck will illustrate this Sunday when we look at the story of Ruth, it is faithful obedience.
The big idea for this Sunday is: “Faithful obedience in uncertain situations positions us for God’s greater story.”
What God cares about most in our lives is that we are faithful to Him—day in and day out—that we live by His standards and for His glory. (That’s called worship, by the way—see Deuteronomy 6:4.)
The Apostle Paul lived this out better than anyone I can think of, aside from Jesus. He was faithful not only when it was easy, but also when it was hard. In the latter part of Acts, there are many accounts of the pain and suffering Paul endured for the sake of the gospel.
But notice what he says in Acts 20:8b–25
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Paul demonstrates faithful obedience in uncertain circumstances so that God may use his obedience as part of His greater story.
“if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus”
You see, we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Those of us who have made Jesus Christ Lord of our lives should no longer be concerned only with our own well-being, but also with the well-being of others (Philippians 2:4). And not only the well-being of others, but the will of God (Matthew 6:10; Luke 22:42). When we live this way, we step into the greater story of redemption that God is writing.
There is no greater honor or privilege than to be used by God for His glory. There is also nothing harder than saying no to what we want in order to say yes to what God wants. Laying down our own desires for His is one of the toughest decisions we will ever make—but in the long run, one of the best.
Is there something in your life that is getting in the way of faithful obedience to God’s will?
Matthew 16:24–25
“Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’”
The next time things don’t go as planned in your life, don’t mistake that for a lack of activity on God’s part. Instead, remind yourself that even though it’s hard for us to see in the moment, God is working all things together as part of His greater story of redemption for the world. And then take some time to reflect and ask God where you might need to give up your plans in order to pursue Him.
Adam