God is patient, but tenacious. Exasperatingly so at times. Have you ever noticed how He keeps leading you back to where you DON’T want to go? No way, no how!
He is adept at continually bringing us back to where we have to face the unknown. Or worse yet, the known we don’t want to face!!
Why? What is the advantage in having to confront what we are so desperate to avoid? Why can’t we abide where it makes us feel safe and secure? What is there to gain from “risk”?
I know in my own life that control and guardedness are coping mechanisms. I feel so much better when I can control what is going on around me or when I can anticipate what may be coming to confront me. What I am least comfortable with is risk, vulnerability. For me to walk into the unknown, where I cannot foresee what is coming or what I can control, makes me feel insecure.
Maybe that is the point.
Because when there is insecurity, there is then opportunity!
For what you may ask?? For faith. For trust. For dependence.
As I read about the remnant remaining in Judah after it had been devastated by the Babylonians, their tendency to gravitate to their perceived “security” and avoid risk reminds me of myself. Jeremiah 40-44 describes the context of their story, from Jeremiah the prophet staying with the remnant left behind from going into exile, to some of the people assassinating the leader the Babylonians had placed in charge.
After Governor Gedaliah had been murdered, the remaining people left in the land to work it on behalf of the Babylonians were terrified. They feared that Nebuchadnezzar would retaliate against all of them because of a few trouble makers taking matters into their own hands. They had already witnessed first hand the siege and ultimate fall of Jerusalem, and having lived through that, now they were sure their end had finally come! No way would they be spared a second time!
So they went to Jeremiah to ask what they should do. Should they flee the land for the safety and protection Egypt could offer them or stay in the land to wait for the Babylonian’s response to the chosen governor being assassinated by one of the Jews?
The prohet answers them clearly in Jeremiah 42:7-12. He tells them that the LORD has told them to stay in the land and not to flee from what they fear will be the reprisal. He reassures them that the Lord will protect them and help them IF they stay in the land.
The promised blessing of safety and blessing is conditional. They are to stay where they fear but God will intervene on their behalf if they obey. How many times have they been in this spot?!! God continually brings them back to the place where they “need” but with the expectation that He will meet that need above and beyond their expectation.
Insecurity was providing opportunity for faith! Their looking to God for their need instead of seeking to meet it for themselves required them to exercise trust and reliance on the Lord.
Insecurity was meant to lead to greater faith!
Greater faith would facilitate greater intimacy with the Lord, which naturally flows into worship. To know Him is to love Him, to raise up voices and hearts full of praise and thanksgiving.
For many of us, we fight with all our might to avoid the risks and insecurities of life. We fight for our right to control and be independent, not relying on others, even God. We want what makes sense to us. So when God comes along and His will seems contrary to what we view preferred, we are at the same old crossroads.
Will we face our fears and trust Him or will we choose the predictable path of what we perceive better?
Whether it was trusting God to lead them out of bondage while they were in Egypt hundreds of years earlier, or trusting Him to provide food and water in the desert, or protection from enemy nations surrounding them, or delivering the promised land into their hands, God continually allowed them to face their fears so that they would overcome them as they looked to Him in faith.
As I read of the Israelites and their recurring theme of facing their fears, it is easy to then understand His work in my life. Although I would prefer the security of avoiding risk and vulnerability, it is unrealistic and harmful to my faith and relationship with the Lord. It is contrary to what I truly want more than “control”.
I am far enough along in life to realize what I want more than anything, even control and predictability. I want the Lord!
And as the Israelites found out the hard way yet again, when choosing disobedience and independence, trust is forfeited, faith is compromised. They were safer in the secure arms of a loving Father even in the midst of what they feared, as opposed to fleeing for the control and reasoning their own abilities afforded them. The security found in the Lord is far and above better than anything else can deliver or prevent.
What fear do you find recurring in your life? Where do you keep finding yourself? Are you at a crossroads where you keep choosing contrary to what God wants for you?
I know that by letting go and letting God direct me, even if it is into perceived risk and vulnerability, I have benefited more than I could have ever anticipated. I finally clued in to why I kept facing my fears and that was when I was able to overcome them, instead of just avoiding them.
God has nothing less than victory in the face of fear for us, if we will follow Him anywhere or remain steadfast where He plants us! It is in obedience to Him and by His side that we are most secure. No matter what!
So the next time you find yourself facing the unknown path ahead that seems obscure, or the path leading where you do not want to go, trust Him anyway, believing that in Him you are the most secure.
Stephanie Miller says
“God has nothing less than victory in the face of fear for us, if we will follow Him anywhere or remain steadfast where He plants us! It is in obedience to Him and by His side that we are most secure. No matter what! ”
Literally almost exactly what I wrote in my prayer journal this morning! Amazing!Much welcomed confirmation that warms my spirit! Thanks for sharing your post 🙂
gretchenfleming says
Thank you Stephanie and don’t you love the work of the Holy Spirit teaching us how to apply the Holy Word?! It is so relevant!
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I’ve been journey-ing with the Israelites over the past year, so this resonated with me! We can learn so much about ourselves and today’s society by studying the “trials and errors” of God’s chosen people. Visiting today from #MomentsofHope where we’re neighbors.
gretchenfleming says
Yes, I love how much we can learn from the Israelites. Even after all this time, the Bible is so relevant and valuable!
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Amen, Gretchen! Facing our fears and going where God is calling, is where we find victory. We don’t grow in our comfort zones! Thank you for sharing this hope at #MomentsofHope! You are a wonderful addition to the party! ♥
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
gretchenfleming says
I have enjoyed reading yours Lori!! So glad we connected and grateful for the opportunity to join the party 😉
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