Month: November 2018

There were three of us that made the trip out to the island to snorkel. One guy goes regularly – he had no problems. For me it always requires some mental coaching to stick my face in the water and breathe through the tube. I’m constantly reminding myself, “Relax. You can breathe. It’ll be good.” One person in our group had never snorkeled before. After about five minutes she gave up. She couldn’t bring herself to trust the snorkel.

My face mask leaked water sometimes, so I’d have to stop often and empty it. It was frustrating. But it was also worth it. It was worth taking a risk on the snorkel and worth sticking my face in the water. The fish were amazing. The coral, sea urchins, sponges – it was absolutely beautiful. I had a staring contest with a fish for about 30 seconds. The fish won.

I got to thinking about trusting God. Sometimes people have a hard time trusting Him. Maybe they get frustrated because things don’t go smoothly or the way they anticipated. They wonder if there’s a point, if there’s any benefit. But when you trust God, He reveals awesome and beautiful things hidden from the naked eye. The things were always there, but they were hidden just below the surface. If you give up too soon or if you refuse to trust Him, you’ll miss out.

God is more vast and full than the ocean. Just like the ocean water was teeming with life, He is full to overflowing with abundant life. That kind of fullness and delight are what He wants to give us, for us to swim around in and be completely saturated with.

It’s hard to put your heart in the water. You understand that it’s your life, your one life, that’s on the line and you don’t want to lose it. But Jesus said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:24). God is completely trustworthy. And if you will put your heart in the water because you desire to gain the abundance He offers in Christ more than you fear drowning, you will find it is absolutely beautiful and totally worth it.

We’ve come to the end of a bitterly divisive election season. I’ve tuned most of it out – tossing mail unopened and letting the phone go unanswered. What I’m looking for more than anything in the midst of all the shouting is an oasis of calm. Some peace. And I’m not going to find it in the rhetoric of overwhelming fear.

Where can peace be found? In God. His Sovereignty offers us rest. “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power. He determines the course of world events; he removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars” (Daniel 2:20-21).

God is the one who has the final say. He knows what’s best and has the ability to bring it about. There’s great comfort in knowing that the world doesn’t revolve around me or rest on my decisions. My choices on any given day can never cancel out His grace.

But what if “your” candidate doesn’t win? What if the person in a position of authority isn’t a believer or even is against the things of God? The sovereignty of God is bigger than this fear as well. Jesus submitted to an unjust authority when He allowed Pilate to crucify Him (John 19:11). He understood that moment was not the final moment and Pilate didn’t have the final say.

It was actually in this moment that our peace was finally and forever established. God showed on the Cross that He is not our enemy. There is no authority that can supersede the love of God.

So what does that mean? There’s no reason to fear the results of this election or any other. God is not on the ballot. He’s still going to hold His position tomorrow as King of kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). He will continue to extend His grace and mercy to everyone who seeks His Kingdom.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Philippians 3:20