Signs….part 2
When I was getting ready to graduate college, I remember praying to God, “…If you would just tell me what you want me to do, I would do it”?
To that point in my life, I always knew what would come next, but now I was facing a lot of uncertainties and bigger decisions.
In the midst of this uncertainty, I wanted God to give me a sign to know exactly what to do.
So, I went my grandpa’s house in Florida to get away, rest and have some quiet time alone to process with God for a few days…and what did I find?
My grandpa scheduled work to be done on the roof of his house that week. And since it is rather warm in Florida, roofers start early….like 5:30am.
Instead of finding this serene, peaceful place of reflection, I was rudely awakened….literally.
You ever been there? You are trying to do all the right things to find peace and clarity, but all you seem to find is more chaos?
During this time, I sensed God’s sense of humor. When I woke up to those roofers every morning, God was giving me a little picture of what was going on in my soul.
I had all of this noise going on from my own insecurities, fears, and dreams that were pounding at my head that I couldn’t get away from.
In the midst of all of that noise, God gave me a gracious invitation.
Instead of looking to a place to find peace, He was inviting to come to Him. Rather than trying to figure out my whole future, God was inviting me to trust Him for the next steps He wanted me to take.
As Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will direct your steps.
The truth is I already knew the next steps God wanted me to take, but I was afraid. I really didn’t need more clarity, certainty, or confirmation. I needed more courage to trust and more grace to let go and follow.
Learning to trust the God you can’t see is not always easy, but neither is trying to control everything yourself and be your own god.
In the book of John, Jesus gives us 7 specific “signs” about who He is and what He wants for our lives.
These signs are not like a road-sign telling us exactly which way to go; they are like a GPS signal to help us find the One we can trust.
Once we follow the signs to Him, He leads us to places we would never go and people we would never become on our own.
As John tells us at the end of the Gospel, these signs were given for a purpose—that we would believe and find life in His name.
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31, NIV
While there is so much in our lives that we can’t control, all of us do get to choose what we will believe and who we will follow.
If you are honest with yourself,
Who do you really trust and believe in? And…are they worth following?
Where are you looking to find life? And…is it working?
The really good news is God is inviting us to see the signs that there is One who is worthy not only to be trusted, but to lead us to path of life.
We don’t have to live under the illusion of control and the tyranny of our fears and traumas, we can live in the freedom of following Him to the next steps He wants us to take.
May you follow the signs to the One you can trust and find life in His name.