What now?

      On my last post I talked about God opening doors and we might not even understand why he opened them when he did.  You may be like me and walked through the doors that God has opened for you and now find yourself asking "what now Lord?"  Now that you are through the door you may wonder where the door actually leads.  That is the thing about doors, when you go through them there is only one small entry you have to worry about, but once you enter there might a larger space you need to navigate. 

     That is where you find yourself wondering what to do next.  I have to admit that when God brought me to Illinois, I had no idea what He wanted me to do.  Can I be honest and confess that I still wonder why He brought me here.  I don't doubt that He did, but I wonder why He did.  There is nothing wrong with that question.  It is only natural as we seek to be all that we can be for Him and His glory.  I sometimes wonder if I am gifted enough to do what needs to be done.  Do I have the skills?  Do I have the maturity?  Do I have the patience?  Do I have what it takes?  We all struggle with the same questions in our mind, but nevertheless we still try to be obedient today.  I have always said the best way to follow God is to walk in the light you have today and trust God for tomorrow.  But still easier to say than it is to live.

     Some of you might wonder "how do I know what I am suppose to do now that I am here?"  You went through the open door that God provided you, but you still struggle with the reason God opened that door.  Can I be honest with you and say that sometimes we may not know the reason.  Sometimes it is not ours to know the reason, it is only ours to obey.  Remember the discussion the Jesus had with Peter along the Sea of Galilee?  After Jesus reinstated Peter, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John.  Jesus basically told Peter, it is none of your business what happens to him your business is to follow me.  That is our task as well.

     Consider the life of Moses in the book of Exodus.  I think Moses went through the door that God had opened for him when he investigated the bush that did not burn.  Moses voiced his objections and questioned the wisdom of God in sending him to set the Israelites free from captivity.  He basically asked God "Are you crazy God?"  In one exchange Moses asked God "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"  Have you ever asked that question?  Who am I God?  Who am I to be able to do this task you have given to me?  God why did you open this door for me?  

      I love God's response to Moses.  God said "I will be with you.  And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."  There is a lot to unpack in this exchange, but here is the core of the teaching.  The only way that Moses would know that he was doing what God wanted him to do would be after he had been obedient to do it.  Up to this point Moses did not know how he was going to do the task that God had called him to do.  God told him be obedient, trust me and when it is all over you will look back and know that I was with you the whole time.

     I don't know if this idea helps you or not, but it serves as an encouragement to me.  There are many times that I do not know exactly what to do to or how to do it or even why I am to do it, but I am encouraged that if God brought me to a place, He will accomplish what He wants if I will do what He wants.  I am to be faithful today, do what I can do, and trust God.

     The problem with most of us is that we want to know the end before we begin.  The truth is that if we knew the end, we might not take that first step of obedience.  Open doors are just the first step of our obedience to God.  What are you going to do once you get through the door is where the journey really begins.  After you have done what God has sent you to do you will be able to look back and know that God was with you the entire time.   My prayer is that God will open that door for you to begin the adventure of a lifetime.  I hope you open that door.  Talk to you later.