Part of doing relationship with God is living in partnership with Him and trusting Him to lead. Sometimes He leads us in a direction that feels pretty clear, but other times it can feel obscure.
There was a short stretch of road I would drive on my way to high school every day. This road cut through an otherwise empty prairie - no buildings, lights, houses, or anything else on either side. On foggy days, driving along this road felt like I'd entered some other worldly place for just a few moments. I couldn't see anything in any direction. But as I trusted that the road would continue to be there and I kept my foot on the pedal to move me slowly forward, the road just appeared.
I had to trust that this road I'd gone down hundreds of times before in clear weather would still guide me directly on foggy days.
What does it look like to say "yes" to God? Is it tough for you? Do you want to see the obstacles and potential turns coming down the road before you'll put your foot on the pedal and go? Or, are you able to trust that He will lead you even in obscure situations?
Can we say "yes" to God before we know exactly what He's asking of us because we trust the One who's asking more than the assignment He's giving?
This ability to say "yes" to God requires something of us. We need to be in relationship with Him - getting to know His character and ways through reading the Bible and spending time dialoguing with Him in prayer.
We can also practice saying "yes" on smaller scales, incrementally growing our trust muscle while we watch Him come through. With each "yes" we give God, we continue to build trust, knowing that when those foggy days come, He will still come through for us.
Another way to prepare our "yes" is to be willing to strip away anything that doesn't line up with His best plan for us. "Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
What's slowing you down or tripping you up?
I mentioned in an earlier post that, over the months, I had begun to open my clenched fists - no longer would I be so entangled by our stuff and limited by the things we own and enjoy. With open hands, I can trust God to care for our needs as we receive and release.
My heart is that I would be nimble - able to more easily and quickly move when God says "Go."
This may or may not apply geographically. This can apply in everyday situations. I want it to be just as easy to move across the country as it is to go talk to that stranger in the coffee shop. (Yes, I realize logistically these aren't anywhere close to the same level of difficulty. But setting logistics aside, I want my heart posture to be just as easily moved.)
What feelings stir up in you at the idea of saying "yes" even before the assignment is clear? Is it frightening? Exhilarating? Overwhelming?