God
brings us out in order to bring out of us. What does this mean?
As
we grow in Christ and develop a close relationship with Him, He brings us out
of situations, conditions, mindsets, attitudes and behaviors in order to bring
out the best in us.
He brought David out of the
bush tending his father’s sheep to be made king. He brought Esther out of
the comfort of her uncle’s house to be made queen. He brought Joseph out of
his father’s house to be made prime minister. He brought Daniel out of
the safety of his country to be governor in another. He brought Moses out of
Egypt to be made prophet and leader of the nation Israel. He brought Mary Magdalene
out of adultery to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He brought Abigail out of a
relationship with the wrong man to be married to the king. He brought the Israelite s out of Egypt in order to bring the Messiah out of them.
But most Christians rebel against
this plan of God bringing us out, because we are stuck in the “Used to”. We are used to the problems we face, used
to the challenges we encounter, used to the victories we attain, used to
the people around us, those who hurt and discourage us and those who build us
up, used to the failures, used to the systems and structures around us, used to
our routine lifestyles. This has created a false sense of security and comfort,
but we are used to it all. Not only do we rebel because of our “used to” but also because of our unwillingness to step into new dimensions and levels of life
because of uncertainty.
When God brings us out of our “used to” he first
brings us into an uncertain terrain, a new place, different structures,
different systems, attitudes and challenges. A place filled with so much
uncertainty, where we find nothing from our past to hold on to and no one in
our present to turn to, to give us that sense of security and comfort we yearn.
In this world of uncertainty, we are exposed to contentions and we are forced
to confront our hidden fears, and our doubts are stirred up to the surface and
laid bare.
In
this place we may have to cross a red sea, battle a Goliath, be thrown into a
fiery furnace, be locked up in a lion’s den, humbly submit to a multitude of
ignorant people, we will be betrayed, lose all we have, be falsely accused by
friends, stigmatized and isolated, be thrown into jail, miss certain
opportunities, be heartbroken, face assassination plots and we may even have to
face crucifixion. But we need to remember that in all things we are more than
conquerors according to Romans 8:37, understanding that the demonstration of
faith is not an absence of doubt, but the conscious decision to confidently
hold on to the word of truth in the midst of doubt. It is not by our strength
that we face and overcome but by the spirit and grace of God. We need absolute
trust in God to see us through. The bible says “trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him
and he will direct your path” proverbs 3:5-6.
It
is not our understanding of the situation that will sustain us but our ability
to remain confident in Christ that will preserve us as we learn to let go of
our doubts and trust in Him more.
And when God has seen us through it
all and He will see us through it all, refined us and brought us out, he will
bring the best out of us and set us up in our high places.
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