Into The Unknown

Frozen II - Into The Unknown

I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you

Into the unknown

The unknown is scary. I like knowing how things work, knowing what tomorrow looks like, knowing why something happened. It's safe to say that I much prefer knowing.

All too often, God calls us into spaces where knowing isn't an option. Where we can't see more than a step ahead. Where our only choice is faith. He calls us into the unknown. And that's a risk for us, because what we don't know, we can't control. And what we can't control tends to make us afraid.

But as one of my favourite quotes says, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." Known in the sense he is intimately involved in my life and loves me more than I could ever know. And more than that, that he is all-knowing and in absolute control of everything. I can know him, and leave the knowing of everything else to him.

Will we risk it all for the One who gave his all for us and follow him into the unknown?

100%

Psalm 130:7 

"With the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."

I so love that idea of FULL redemption. Unlike Dettol that kills only 99.9% of bacteria, God leaves literally nothing to us, because even if we just had to pay only 0.01% of the debt, we'd still come up short. But thanks be to God, in him there is 100% redemption! 

This means it's not at all about me. Not about my (in)ability, not about my (lack of) strength, not about my (un)righteousness. It's all Jesus. He is able, he is strong, he is perfectly righteous. 

Unfailing love and 100% full redemption. What a joy!

Far From The Shallow

Psalm 130:1

"Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;"

The word 'depths' brings two things to mind:

 1. Deep water can be scary and overwhelming and risky and life-threatening and uncomfortable. 

How am I at calling out to God when I find myself in places like this? Do I try and swim out in my own strength? Or do I just try and tread water until I can't keep my head above the waves?

Out of the depths of this overwhelming and uncomfortable life, I want God to be my number one speed dial—the first one I call always, but especially when I'm off the deep end (...watch as I dive in 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮). 

 2. This is not a shallow, half-hearted, out of obligation cry. This is guttural and real and desperate. 

Am I being real with God? Or am I pretending I don't need him, trying to convince him (but more myself, let's be real) that I'm doing just fine in the deep water? He's not fooled by my pretences, just like he's not put off by my desperation. He already knows, he is just longing to hear me cry out to him.

And as the Psalm goes on to say, when we cry out to him, he is right there with all his forgiveness, unfailing love, and full redemption.

You Are Not Forgotten

Genesis 7:21-24

"Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark."

Perished. Died. Wiped out. Wiped from the face of the earth. 

Imagine being in this situation. I'd fully understand if Noah and co. were wondering where on earth God was in all this. The whole world was flooded, every land-living thing outside the little boat was dead, and all hope of walking again on dry land had most likely dried up. If there was ever a time to doubt God's sovereignty, this was it.  

But the next chapter starts with one of my favourite phrases ever: "But God...". Stuff was going down, but God was about to move in. Something was happening, but God was about to turn things upside down. 

"But God remembered Noah..."

In the midst of the flood and the perishing and the hopelessness, God remembered Noah and the passengers that he had entrusted to him. He had not for even one single moment forgotten or lost sight of them. 

"But God remembered [YOU]..."

God sees you in your flood. He sees that there is nothing you can do to save yourself and those in your care. Trust him. He will send his Spirit to blow over you, to comfort you and bring you back to dry land. 

Remember that wherever you are right now, be it safe on the shore or lost way out at sea, God remembers you.

Highs and Lows

“In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”

Psalm 95:4‭‭

Our God is the God of both the highs and the lows. The depths of the earth and the peaks of the mountain. Dark valleys and bright, rolling hilltops. The good, the bad and the ugly. The yays and the nays. Our hits and our misses. Both extremes and everything in between. All within the hand and control of our God. 

He rules over and is present in the full rollercoaster of life. None of our experiences are outside of his reach and control and presence. He’s there in our peaks and in our valleys; there through the ups and the down. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. The best of our good days and the worst of our bad days are all held in the palm of his hand. 

The Surging Seas

“You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.” 

Psalm 89:9

I love how applicable this is to how so many people are feeling right now. The seas of uncertainty are surging, and the waves of anxiety and fear for the future are mounting up like never before. 

But our God can still the waves. He still rules over all surging seas. There is no wave too big for Him; no tsunami that can overwhelm Him; no change in tide that surprises Him. 

What a beautiful picture of His peace and His calming and His power over all the elements and emotions and uncertainty and fears.

When sorrows and fears like sea billows roll, we will yet say with hope and confidence: "It is well with my soul."

Established

“Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”

Psalm 87:5 

I’m so grateful to be established in Jesus. That my security can be rooted in His faithfulness and consistency and all He is. That, even in the darkest night and wildest storm, I can be anchored in his unshakable hope. That I can build my life upon His wisdom and Word, knowing that when (WHEN, not if), the wind and the waves come, my foundation of Christ will hold steady and firm.

How amazing is it that the Most High Himself is intimately involved in my story. He hasn't delegated the task of shaping and establishing me to someone of a lower grade. God Himself has rolled up His heavenly sleeves and got stuck in to the mess and mud of my life to shape me and make me more like Him.

And because of that, my identity and security stems directly from who He is and what He’s doing and has done. I don’t have to rely on my own mediocre achievements or failed attempts. Because in Christ, all that He is is mine. And in Christ, the Most High Himself will establish me, secure in Him forever.

An Attitude Adjustment

“Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.”

Psalm 77:10 

‭‭I love this turning point in the psalm. The first 9 verses are all “has God abandoned me, has God failed me, too troubled to speak or sleep, etc.” But then there is a moment of stopping and thinking of all God has done from the beginning of time, of His faithfulness and kindness and mercy and grace and consistency— and the whole vibe and attitude of the writing is changed. 

I watched Princess Diaries last night and Lilly’s thing of “I need an attitude adjustment” always sticks with me. And I think the best way to adjust our attitudes is to see something of who God is and what he’s done. It very quickly puts everything back into perspective and gets our attitudes right again.

Sharp Shooter

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double‑edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  

Hebrews 4:12

Think about how the Roman soldier back in the day would treat his sword? He would clean it, polish it, sharpen it, care for it. Always know where it is and keep it close at hand.

And to bring it forward to the 21st century, what about the modern soldier and his weapon? It needs to be kept in perfect condition. The last thing he wants is for his gun to jam when his life or his brother’s life depends upon it. He needs to be practised at drawing his weapon as quick as possible and a master of the targets at the shooting range.

That’s how we need to treat the word of God. We need to know it intimately, be certain how it fits together, care about it, polish it, and make sure it is always ready to fire. And that means being in the Word, reading it, praying through it, speaking to friends about it and learning scripture off by heart, so that it is familiar and effective in our hands.

Psalm 23

Reading Psalm 23 brings a good ole Spurgeon quote to mind: 

“All true rest begins with Jesus, as all the comfort of the sheep is provided for by their shepherd.”

True rest, how lovely that sounds! We’re not gonna find that anywhere else, but in following Jesus and trusting him to be the shepherd that will lead us to where we need to be. We won't find rest along the paths we forcefully forge for ourselves; those just lead to exhaustion and dissatisfaction. This year I'm wanting to learn more and more about what it looks like to follow Jesus' voice closely and to walk in step with the Spirit.

“I shall not want”

This is the exact opposite of the consumerism that the world throws at us daily. It tells us that we do want, that we need to want, that we want more. But I so want (lol excuse the irony) to be able to say like Paul that I am content no matter the circumstances, all because I have Jesus and he is always more than enough.

“He restores my soul”

There are days where my soul feels so exhausted and worn out, and days when I’ve messed up that it feels so broken. The Tenth Avenue North song covers this so well: 

I'm tired, I'm worn

My heart is heavy

From the work it takes

To keep on breathing

I've made mistakes

I've let my hope fail

My soul feels crushed

By the weight of this world

Life can be hard and tiring and soul draining. But my beautiful Jesus restores my soul. As the song goes on to say, we will see redemption win and our God can and will mend a heart that's frail and torn, He, and only he, can make me whole again (unlike what that classic Atomic Kittens' song says).

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”

It’s interesting how it’s ‘walk’. I know when I’m out in the dark and feeling unsafe, I want to run and flee. But this speaks of a calmness and an unnatural peace when walking through danger. That’s what happens when we walk with Jesus. Even in the midst of the storm, we can rest in him, because he is with us and will comfort us.

“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies”

This is also something that doesn’t quite make sense -- if there are enemies around, it means there is likely a battle raging, and that’s not the time to be holding a banquet. But with God, we can trust that he will win the war, so we can partake of his table, we can sit down and rest and watch as he claims the victory.

First Things First

In the auditing world, there is a time known to many as "Busy Szn". It is a seven week period from the beginning of January up until the filing date of the client, where work continues well into the nights and weekends and 'life' totally disappears out of the 'work-life balance' formula. As it's during winter in the USA, audit staff generally don't see the sun, many just don't exercise at all, and there is a lot of ordering in of unhealthy food. What a time to be alive! 

But in the midst of all that, today I was reminded of the much quoted Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness." That 'but' is there because before that, Jesus was talking about not worrying about tomorrow, BUT to seek him first instead. And I like to keep that 'but' in there because it reminds me that perhaps that would not be my natural instinct. That seeking first God and his will is something I actively have to choose to do every day. There will always be endless potential excuses, there will always be many things to worry about. But seek first Jesus.

So even though the next weeks will be overwhelming with drowning in work and meetings and long nights at the office, I want to choose to seek Him first. That my first thought (aka: panic) when I wake up in the morning won't be the long list of things I need to do for the day, but would instead be gratefulness to God for another day, and a calling on Him to be with me in my busyness. That I would still take time to be with Him and read the Word, even if that means sacrificing more sleep, trusting that he will refresh and sustain me through it all. That, even when I'm sleep-deprived and very tempted to be grumpy and cold, instead I would seek to glorify Him with my conduct at work being kind and patient and generous, reflecting something of Jesus to my colleagues and client staff.

Because at the end of the day, and at the end of my life, these days aren't THAT important, they'll just be a blur. But what is important, and what will always remain, is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. So I will choose to seek that first.