on water

My Utmost for His Highest is a devotional I just started, it was copyrighted in 1935 which I just think is awesome. Incredibly enough the first day I opened it, it could not have been more applicable. And so I feel like sharing it because I know that Mr. Chambers says it way better than I could:

“I may not understand what Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore He was mistaken in what He said.  It is never right to think that my obedience to a word of God will bring dishonor to Jesus.  The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him.  To put my view of His honor in place of what He is plainly impelling me to do is never right, although it may arise from a real desire to prevent Him being put to shame.  I know when the proposition comes from God because of its quiet persistence: When I have to weight the pros and cons, and doubt and debate come in, I am bringing in an element that is not of God, and i come to the conclusion that the suggestion was not a right one.  Many of us are loyal to our notions of Jesus Christ, but how many of us are loyal to Him?  Loyalty to Jesus means I have to step out where i do not see anything (Matt 14:29); loyalty to my notions means that I clear the ground first by my intelligence.  Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way. Obey Him with glad reckless joy.  When He says something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a conception of His honor which is not His honor.”  -Oswald Chambers

And to tag this awesome 75 year old bit of insight, this song has totally accompanied my thoughts:

Keep my heart amazed
Let me see Your wonders every day
Teach me in Your ways
So that I may fear

You are walking on water
You are calling me after
You are standing beside me now

You are the Maker of Heaven
You turn my world around
You’re making all things new again
Through it all I know
You are God alone

Set my heart on fire
Let me burn
With passion for Your name
Take over my life
I surrender now

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
You are God alone

-Desperation Band

I guess I just really think that Chambers is right. Its so easy to claim loyalty to the Lord.  And then He calls us to walk on water and He calls us to follow even when we don’t see why, or how.  And then we like to look down at the water and our circumstance and start trying to figure it out.  I begin to over analyze and plan and trump God’s knowledge with my own. But that’ not honor, that’s not loyalty. And it hurts to realize that. It hurts when we try ourselves and fail. It hurts when we feel that our pride has become more important than our Lord. It hurts when we miss an opportunity. I mean I think every situation can be related to legitimate trust in the Lord! From involving Jesus in conversations with coworkers and peers to deciding whether to go on mission trips from trying to decide where to go to church and be involved in ministry to family and friends. And especially the big things! The things I don’t really want to sort through but try anyway. It all requires to step out in faith and keep our eyes fixed solely on the Savior.

When living by faith we should be comfortable walking on water.

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