Spying out the Land
It has seemed like a long time since we have had something to talk about regarding New Zealand!! As I mentioned in our newsletter, it is often that we can become so fixed on a particular destination that we miss the journey God has us on! Since having our August date to leave postponed, we have experienced this truth in some very raw and significant ways. I'm not talking mountain top experiences or any bolts of lightening, but rather very practical, everyday types of ways. God has slowed us down, taught us yet again how to let go and let God. I have to admit, I thought this was a lesson I had more than covered in the past, but it is something different when the thing He is asking you to let go of is the very thing you believe He is calling you to!
You see, in my walk with Christ I have always sought to have a "yes" in my spirit to the things God calls me to. Fear, doubt, comfort, all wage war against us, seeking to pin us down, keep us where we are, never realizing the big picture God has for our lives. I have had to face these giants time and time again, many times not even wanting to fight, but in the end always knowing that it was for Him that I was created and for His purposes that I have been called. These experiences have changed me and taught me a great deal about what is real, what has meaning, and what is worth fighting for and especially, what is worth LIVING FOR!!
As we found ourselves amidst these challenges surrounding New Zealand, I of course, defaulted to this nature of wanting to fight harder, press more, stand firm and unwaveringly. For many around me, this posture came out as a stubbornness or close-mindedness to the possibility that now was maybe not the right time to go. And as I look back now, that is probably a right assessment. My desire was to not give up, to believe and not doubt, and to a degree, I think I succeeded in doing that. Where I went wrong was in taking His word and holding it so tightly that I failed to see what God might be doing outside of my perceived parameters.
The Lord has taught me that while we must be willing to fight and stand firm in the face of doubt and adversity... we must also learn how to live under the reality that "just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9. God does have an extraordinary, unique plan for each one of us. And as we seek to have a "yes" in our spirit each day to the things He calls us to, we will realize the enormity of His plan more and more. But we must be careful not to take what the Lord shows us today and use it to map out the boundaries of how He can work in our lives and lead us tomorrow. He is the author and we are a part of His magnificent story. He is the potter and we are being shaped into something glorious by the work of His hands. The clay is not responsible for getting a vision of what form it should take, and then making it happen on its own. Rather, the nature of the clay is to remain pliable and uninhibited in the potter's hands, even when the shape of things seems flawed or out of whack.
I know that New Zealand is in our future, I know that He is calling us there. But above and beyond that, I know my God, I trust His plan, His timing, His way. I remain in a posture of faith concerning our call to New Zealand, but I do so with hands open, letting go of everything that stands between us and the call, trusting that God will accomplish more than I could ever ask or imagine. Bottom line, I am learning how to be clay all over again...
Since laying all of this in His hands, he has given something back to us that we are very excited about. The Lord has put it on our hearts to take a little trip to New Zealand, in order to "spy out the land." What this means is that Gina and I are heading out this Saturday, Oct. 24th to NZ, and we'll be out there for 2 weeks. I cannot tell you how excited and overjoyed we are by this opportunity. It is a chance to pray and hear God in the land concerning His plans, as well as to meet with the people heading up the YWAM base that we feel called to be a part of. We will be touring both the North and South Island and blogging on along the way! Please sign up to follow us and pray for us, that we will be open and receptive to all that the Lord wants to do.
For Him,
Rick
You see, in my walk with Christ I have always sought to have a "yes" in my spirit to the things God calls me to. Fear, doubt, comfort, all wage war against us, seeking to pin us down, keep us where we are, never realizing the big picture God has for our lives. I have had to face these giants time and time again, many times not even wanting to fight, but in the end always knowing that it was for Him that I was created and for His purposes that I have been called. These experiences have changed me and taught me a great deal about what is real, what has meaning, and what is worth fighting for and especially, what is worth LIVING FOR!!
As we found ourselves amidst these challenges surrounding New Zealand, I of course, defaulted to this nature of wanting to fight harder, press more, stand firm and unwaveringly. For many around me, this posture came out as a stubbornness or close-mindedness to the possibility that now was maybe not the right time to go. And as I look back now, that is probably a right assessment. My desire was to not give up, to believe and not doubt, and to a degree, I think I succeeded in doing that. Where I went wrong was in taking His word and holding it so tightly that I failed to see what God might be doing outside of my perceived parameters.
The Lord has taught me that while we must be willing to fight and stand firm in the face of doubt and adversity... we must also learn how to live under the reality that "just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9. God does have an extraordinary, unique plan for each one of us. And as we seek to have a "yes" in our spirit each day to the things He calls us to, we will realize the enormity of His plan more and more. But we must be careful not to take what the Lord shows us today and use it to map out the boundaries of how He can work in our lives and lead us tomorrow. He is the author and we are a part of His magnificent story. He is the potter and we are being shaped into something glorious by the work of His hands. The clay is not responsible for getting a vision of what form it should take, and then making it happen on its own. Rather, the nature of the clay is to remain pliable and uninhibited in the potter's hands, even when the shape of things seems flawed or out of whack.
I know that New Zealand is in our future, I know that He is calling us there. But above and beyond that, I know my God, I trust His plan, His timing, His way. I remain in a posture of faith concerning our call to New Zealand, but I do so with hands open, letting go of everything that stands between us and the call, trusting that God will accomplish more than I could ever ask or imagine. Bottom line, I am learning how to be clay all over again...
Since laying all of this in His hands, he has given something back to us that we are very excited about. The Lord has put it on our hearts to take a little trip to New Zealand, in order to "spy out the land." What this means is that Gina and I are heading out this Saturday, Oct. 24th to NZ, and we'll be out there for 2 weeks. I cannot tell you how excited and overjoyed we are by this opportunity. It is a chance to pray and hear God in the land concerning His plans, as well as to meet with the people heading up the YWAM base that we feel called to be a part of. We will be touring both the North and South Island and blogging on along the way! Please sign up to follow us and pray for us, that we will be open and receptive to all that the Lord wants to do.
For Him,
Rick
posted by Rick at
10/20/2009 08:29:00 PM
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