I think that one important element in this journey is learning how to recognize that inner witness, that certain unction, that still small voice—as the bible describes it. As I mentioned in the last post, that certain unction seemed adamant that we are to stay in North Carolina—and here we are. The arrangements are not ideal, but they are workable for this season. Another thing that I have been pondering during this time is the idea that the comforts of our 21st Century lifestyles make such a journey almost impossible. Is it possible that an unexpected journey has been relegated to the pages of a book? Is it possible that the control of religion has caused us to find comfort in the ordinary thereby dismissing such a journey as absurd? I am leaning to thinking the answer to be yes and here is why. Placing myself on the other side of the desk listening to my story, I am quick to jump to several conclusions. First I would question if I knew the Lord at all. I would follow that with the question of my relationship with the church, which would be followed by the question of if I were tithing or not? Upon hearing my correct answers to each of the questions, I would have to surmise that I was hiding something—it is the only reason such a thing could possibly be happening. There must be some kind of sin in my life that has caused God to remove himself from my life. Here is the kicker—all of that makes perfect sense! Except for the fact that I know that my life is right on track with my God and Father. This now presents a challenge, because if those things are in order, then how do I explain why these things are happening? It simply does not fit my paradigm of God in the 21st Century. I have a manuscript in place that deals with destiny in the life of a follower of Christ. The premise is that destiny is a destination rather than an event. The destination is eternity and the pathway is filled with challenges that are designed to prepare us for that destiny.
Consider this, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God the Father because he had fulfilled the course the Father laid out for him. This means that everything that happened to Christ happened in order to prepare him for something in eternity. I understand that the very thought beckons the question, “How could this even be uttered about Christ—much less allowed to be thought!? The answer to that is simple, Christ took on flesh. He laid aside his deity in order to be human. He suffered in the same way we suffer—yet without sinning in the process. This means that he spent time with Abba as a human, not as the Son of God. It meant that he got up early and stayed up late to get into God’s presence as a human. He had to struggle with the weakness of his emotions, his body as well as his surroundings just like we do. The Mel Gibson movie that portrayed Christ’s suffering offered a gruesome depiction of What Christ suffered in order to fulfill the will of the Father. How could this be? What kind of God would allow such a thing? In the present—the here and now—it makes no sense whatsoever. However in eternity it makes perfect sense. The brutality suffered by Christ was the punishment of sin. Death had to occur—and a violent death at that. The purpose for such an act resulted in humanity’s ability to choose life over death. The bible speaks of Christ despising what he endured. He went through it because it was the will of the Father—that served an eternal purpose. The point of all of this is the fact when we follow Christ we are invited to build such a relationship with the godhead. The result of this relationship will offer you a path that will become an unexpected journey. The purpose of the journey is to prepare you for your destiny in eternity.
This is what I have to go on. I know that I know that my relationship with the Father is intact. I know that I am hearing his voice—that certain knowing—in the things that I am doing for this family. I talk to my wife about it, she agrees. I speak with those that I have made myself accountable to and they agree. I proceed. This pattern of life has worked well for me during the good times. Even though I have many times doubted it in these difficult times, I know it to be the Lord directing my/our live/lives. This remains the reason that I am writing this down. I am still working on building my relationship with my son. There are still adventures that we must take. There remains the question of why we are to be in North Carolina and what we are to do here. These answers have not just dropped out of heaven since I have started writing this down. In fact, I have sold the car, someone is interested in the sofa and I have some appointments set to talk with people about assisting them with insurance needs. This past weekend we had our family fellowship time and our daughter lead it. There is a joy in the journey. The challenge to finding it is the ability to lay aside the humanity we are wrapped in and allow the spirit-man to emerge and take control. If faith is the belief or assurance that God is who He says he is, and will do what He says he will do, then the following action must also be true. Action is resting in the belief or assurance of God doing what he says He will do. It is not necessarily “doing” anything, nor is it sitting on our “blessed assurance,” until He does something. It is believing him, hearing him and acting—whether moving forward or staying still—on that which He speaks.