There are many, many people for whom God has laid a project on your heart but instead of starting, are waiting on details, courage, or money to begin. He has all of those things for you, but is waiting on your yes.
It happened to me recently. I often experience something before I know it's time to write about it.
God put a big job on the table and in my heart. It's something He'd prepared me for but it was still unexpected because like all humans, I had plans.
I had a plan for the year and it was a very good one, in my eyes. Even though this project was truly one I could see myself loving and enjoying, it felt bigger than I was prepared to embark on right now and conflicted with the vision I had for the days in my immediate future.
So when God placed this new plan on the table, I balked.
I prayed for more confirmation. A few nights later, I had a dream about it all working out. That wasn't good enough for me though. Fears and doubts circled my head and I prayed, asking for more details. Perhaps God could show me more of His plan? A three-six month projection? Printed out? In color? Today, if He's not too busy?
I prayed for peace and found none. Instead my chest had a knot of worry inside it. Unbelief is a heavy thing to carry. It's like sitting in a storm of one's own making.
I heard nothing else about the subject. It was like He refused to speak on the matter anymore and I didn't understand why.
But with each passing day I became more and more nervous. More and more anxious about it. How would I do it? How would I get all of the parties involved on board? They'll fight me, I know they will. Nobody will like this. Plus, I really can't do it. I'm not equipped. God, you know how I am? I'm going to mess this up for sure and it's not just me I'll be hurting when I do. I've dropped balls before, how will I manage this? Will it be awful?
It took about two weeks of hearing nothing about it from God for me to realize He was waiting for me to make a decision.
"Ok. Yes," I said with a nervous heart.
Within days, key decision makers came forward. I didn't initiate the conversations, it just happened. We talked and with words that just came to mind and peace in my heart, I explained the vision I had. Everyone said yes.
At the same time, a friend of mine who had been traveling for the summer with her family returned and said she'd was struggling with the exact same question in her heart but was resisting for almost identical reasons. Her situation had a few different variables but the crux of it, wondering how she'd manage and thinking it was too much for her, was the same.
I imagine God must have had a good laugh watching me tell her, "It's going to be ok, you just have to trust God," when a week earlier I'd been fighting for my life.
In the end, we decided we'd help each other. Embark on it together. Tell me God isn't good. I couldn't have set that up in a million years.
Not two weeks after my yes, the foundation was set in place. It was a firm one I could stand on, build on. I could think clearly, my thoughts were calm, and the weight on my chest was replaced with a small buzz of excitement as if I were standing in line for a rollercoaster (I actually don't like rollercoasters, but let's pretend).
There are still many things that need to happen. Each day a new task is ticked off the list and I feel God in the midst of it, leading and helping me through Divine providence the way only He can. I've been thinking about Psalm 23 a lot through this.
King David was not just a king, he prophesied over and over again, often about the coming Messiah.
Lately this Psalm has been unfolding to me as a description of the life of a follower of Yeshua, Jesus.
It, too begins with a "yes."
Psalm 23: 1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
An affirmation that yes, I will follow My Shepherd. I trust Him to take care of me.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.
A picture of a sheep's most basic needs being tended to: rest, food, and water. Jesus fed people. He healed people. He didn't just stand up high teaching them. Alongside giving them the essential Bread of Life, He gave them bread of earth as well. He met the needs of their bodies so they could be in a position to receive the needs of their soul.
He restores my soul.
He restores our souls to God, the one Who breathed them. After we come to Him, He restores our souls from the scrapes and pains of this world, too.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
As we walk with Him, He teaches us, guides us, and leads us in life because we bear His name as children of God.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Trouble comes on this path, but we don't walk it alone. His comforting presence goes with us and His power is made evident every day. Our faith is in Him.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
He has prepared a banquet for those who overcome. Kings were anointed with oil before they received their crowns. In this life, He provides for us and anoints us for specific callings.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
I have known the goodness of God in the land of living and can attest that walking through life with Him is infinitely better than walking without Him. I love the green pastures and still waters of refreshment that is Him. I have been given an eternal name, purpose, and power. We get to be a light to the world.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Heaven is in our midst and I am seated now in heavenly places. And one day, I will dwell in the house of God in a different way, forever.
Perhaps you can locate where you are in this Psalm. I think it's one we walk through in totality but also in micro-steps. Sometimes we are laying down by calm waters recovering, other times we hold His hand through the valley of the shadow of death, and still other times, we feel the oil running down our head and face as he anoints us for a calling.
But it all began with a yes.
"The Lord is my Shepherd."
I'm not my Shepherd, He is.
To the person waiting to feel or know something before you say yes- maybe you're waiting for the right bank account number or for more information on how it'll work, or for help.
Maybe you're procrastinating, circling with the job like a hawk, but never landing. Examining rocks and fallen leaves instead of picking flowers. Getting caught up in peripheral details in a subconscious attempt to run out the shot clock.
God is waiting on your agreement with the vision He gave you.
Months ago, when I was dragging my feet and getting caught up in distraction regarding another task He'd given me, a very simple one, He clearly told me that if I would not do it, He would give it to someone else.
I was surprised and hurt He said that until He showed it to me as a picture of me asking one of my children to do the dishes, them refusing, and me calling another child to do it who then did them willingly.
In reality, I know I wouldn't take no for an answer if I've given my child a chore but God will absolutely accept your no when giving you an invitation. Free will is one of His principles and He doesn't violate His principles. He lets us choose even when it hurts Him.
The bottom line is, the task needs to get done. It can get done by someone else.
The idea of Him giving to someone else a task He had given me was enough for me to get it done. I didn't want to let Him down and the childish side of me didn't want to share. The job was mine!
For some people, you're afraid of doing it badly. Maybe you've messed up with something in the past.
This isn't that. His mercies are new every morning, a verse says. He'll help you. But He does require your yes, your willingness, your agreement to get started.
A job on a construction site doesn't get going until everyone on the team is on the same page. Sign the contract and say yes. He'll handle the details. He's a good Shepherd.
love,
Bunmi
The promises of God begin and end with Yeshua, Jesus, because He is the reconciliation. If you've been walking through life on your own and want to walk with a Shepherd who will never let go of your hand, here's how to start.
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