God Himself Knows What and When and Where

Musings today.  

Don't do anything, just wait!  Those were the words I thought I heard yesterday morning, but my brain said - no, don't just wait, take a step!

Wait on God to show me "for sure" what I should do here in our new hometown, or how I should proceed or when to begin.  That's what I thought I heard, but I really don't think that that was what I was told.

For one thing, If I read Matthew 17 correctly, it seems that, if I will but take even one step - a tiny bit of faith, toward serving Him, God will honor that.  Jesus told His followers that if they have faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move a mountain.

Matthew 17:20  He said to them, “. . .  . For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus expects us to serve Him and serve others in His name.  He tells us trust Him and to Go.

So let's look at an instance in the Scriptures that God said "GO."  Let's see if He actually said, wait.  

He sometimes does, and He sometimes explains why, and sometimes - He just says Go!  But does He say wait?  I think He did to Saul.

Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the early Christians.  He was hunting them down and sending them to prison.  He thought he was honoring God, but he did not understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promise of a savior.

Acts 9

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Jesus said Go, He did not tell Saul why, or what he was to to.  Basically He said Go, and wait - you will be told what to do.  I love the fact that Jesus made it clear to Saul who it was that was speaking to him.

The second "Go."

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, 

“Ananias!” 

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.  

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.  In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 

Jesus said Go; and because Ananias was concerned about the safety of Christians, he asked Jesus about his concerns.  Jesus explained what Ananias was to do and why.

Then Ananias WENT to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  

So, both Saul and Ananias went because Jesus said "Go."

So what was the difference?  Possibly, the situation, the people impacted, the heart of the man.  The Lord knew the people and the situation.  He knew and He provided answers as they were needed.  We cannot expect to know how God will use us, but we can know that He will, as long as we are seeking to do His will.