This morning, a friend and I were talking on the phone. It was a very eye-opening and providential conversation.
As the conversation took its course, and we exchanged the realities of our specific circumstances, certain themes began to expose themselves. Before we explore these, perhaps it may help if you knew some of the "stuff" we're going through. Between the two of us there is unemployment of parents, financial difficulty, family health concerns, academic struggles (getting back into school), relationship strains, etc. Can you relate?
One of the themes that caught our attention was the seemingly incongruent relationship between right doing and reward. It dawned on us that often the rewards for right doing don't seem....well, right! We referenced the story of Joseph. He boldly declares in the place of unholy passion, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). The next thing we know, Joseph is in an Egyptian prison. Take Daniel and his friends. David. Job....Job! The immediate circumstances that followed their right stand didn't seem to harmonize.
Another theme that stood out was the seemingly disproportionate steps in a certain direction. How often do you feel like you're taking two steps forward and four steps backward. As men, we tend to be the most frustrated when there is no tangible, substantial, and/or consistent evidence of positive progression.
The next theme worthy of consideration is the seemingly imperceptible activity of God in our behalf. We both agreed that sometimes the acts of God aren't on our emotional or spiritual radar. We cannot see, hear, touch (feel), taste, smell...sense what God is doing in our lives. He shared with me, in considerable transparency, that he often considers taking matters into his own hands because there is no visible or tangible evidence that they are in God's hands or that, if they are, He's doing something with them. What do we do when God's activity cannot be "picked up" by us? We acknowledged that there is not a substitute for waking by faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). Substitute....we talked about these too.
Let's be honest: trusting in and waiting on God "ain't" easy. As men, it is easy to find substitutes, space-fillers, or alternatives to provide temporary peace or escape from what is reality. Smoking, pornography, drinking, racing, clubbing, spending, eating, etc. If not checked, we often find ourselves indulging in the destructive thinking that therein is peace. In our prayer, we prayed for the Power of God to keep us from running to our substitutes, take them away, and give us true peace (cf. John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-8).
My friend and I share a mutual desire to be Men of God. When I look at the characters in scripture who were privileged with this title I realize that they went through some serious "stuff". Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea (YIKES), Peter, Paul, John. One Man of God who truly stands out happened to be that Man who is God. Jesus Christ. His "stuff" including a garden and guards, a council and a cross, a tempter and a tomb.
Even the Preeminent One Himself experienced (1) the seemingly incongruent relationship between right doing and reward, (2) the seemingly disproportionate steps in a certain direction, and (3) the seemingly imperceptible activity of God [His Father] in His behalf (cf. Matt. 27:46).
Fellas, maybe this kind of training is necessary in order for us to be the next generation of Men of God in our schools, in our homes, on our jobs, in our communities, with our friends, in this world. I'm not sure what your "stuff" is, but I have mine too. Somehow I believe that it's serving a greater purpose then we could ever prayer for. Blessings
-Richard Martin
Richard is a student at Oakwood University.
Thanks for the word of encouragement. God Bless!
This is great and so true. Proverbs 3:5-6 and Galatians 6:9 help me keep my eyes on Jesus when it seems that things aren't working out for me.