faith Archives - Page 10 of 10

When Things Go Wrong

Posted on June 15, 2011November 6, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

God calls you to do something. Through prayer. Through scripture. Through the words of other believers. Through the Holy Spirit inside you. You sense His calling. His direction. You know what He wants you to do.

So you make a plan. You write goals. You set forth with purpose and passion. You pray something like, “Lord, if this is your will, please open the doors. Work out the details. Make this thing go smoothly.”

And you’re off.

Excited. Expectant. Maybe a little nervous.

So what happens when you hit a snag?

Never mind the snag. What happens when you hit a giant roadblock?

I just finished this life-changing book called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. There’s a whole chapter devoted to circumstances and how we often let them dictate our decisions.

We hit that snag or that roadblock and we too quickly conclude that something got lost in translation. Maybe God didn’t want us to do this thing after all. Maybe He’s shutting the door.

But wait a minute.

What about Moses?

God tells him to ask Pharaoh to let his people go. So Moses does. And what happens? Pharaoh refuses, gets angry, and makes things worse for the Israelites. What would have happened if Moses would have assumed he misunderstood God? What if Moses would have turned back? Given up?

He would have missed out on leading the Israelites to freedom. He would have missed out on experiencing God’s deliverance in a huge, miraculous, mind-blowing way.

Here’s the thing.

Sometimes, our current circumstances stink. And oftentimes, we’re all too quick to turn and run. Claw our way out. By our own strength and our own will.

But maybe, God doesn’t want us to.

Maybe, we’re right where we’re supposed to be.

Maybe, in the midst of the hardship and the confusion and the unmet expectations, God wants to show us something we wouldn’t see otherwise.

Maybe, in those weak helpless places, God’s strength is made perfect. And we see, along with a watching world, that He’s still God. And He’s still powerful.

Let’s Talk: How much of an influence do your circumstances have over your choices? When something goes wrong or something gets tough, do you assume you’re off course? Or do you sit still and seek God’s guidance?

*Photo by Jacqueline ter Haar on Flickrremovetweetmeme

Are We Listening?

Posted on March 29, 2010February 27, 2012 by Katie Ganshert

Do you think it’s harder for us, here in America, to hear the voice of God? Do you think, in all our busyness, in all our running from here to there, our chasing success and comfort, that we miss out on witnessing God move?

Sometimes I wonder.

Jesus came to earth and flipped the world on its head. The ultimate King, the Lord of Lords, the Creator of the Universe, all authority and dominion are his – yet he comes to earth as a man and washes the disciples’ feet. He saves a prostitute from stoning. He touches lepers. He ministers to the lowly. He uses the despised things of this world to glorify his name. Like an executioner’s cross to bring salvation to the world.

Then Paul adds to the confusion by saying, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It makes no sense. Not in our world’s economy. How can I be strong when I’m weak?

This reminds me of Nairobi, Kenya. More specifically Kibera – the biggest slum in sub-Sahara Africa. I walked the streets of that place. The stench was unbearable. Imagine standing in the foulest of porta-potties. Imagine tin shacks crammed so tightly together they’re practically stacked on top of one another. Imagine streams of human excrement flowing past front doors, sometimes through houses.

I was there. A few years ago. Eager to offer encouragement and pray for these people who so obviously needed it. Only when I got there, I couldn’t think straight. We went into this woman’s home. A woman sick with HIV. A woman trying to raise six children in a tiny shack, three of whom were not her own, but her dead sister’s. I sat inside her home. Cramped. Hot. Uncomfortable. Craving America. Craving the comfort and peace of the familiar. And then something pretty unbelievable happened.

This woman started talking. Words poured out of her mouth. Words about Jesus, her redeemer and savior. She was positively glowing. I remember sitting there, tears streaming down my face, because this woman – this lowly woman – was encouraging me.

I think it’s so easy for us, here in America, to “do it on our own”. Who needs God when we have a roof over our head? Who needs God when we have jobs that pay the bills? Who needs God when we have cable, high-speed Internet, fast cars, recycling bins, comfortable beds, doctors, medicine, and plastic surgery?

God’s voice is so muted here. Not because He lacks power. But because we’re too busy and comfortable to stop and listen. But in Africa? In places like that woman’s filthy shack? God’s voice shouts. It shakes the walls with power and might. And I see with clarity His hand moving. Working miracles. Even now.

I think there is a special blessing for that woman living in Africa. She knew, with absolute assurance, that Jesus was enough. That He was all she needed. Of course she knew. Because Jesus was all she had.

In her weakness, God revealed His perfect strength. And all of a sudden, Paul’s words make sense.

Question to Ponder: Are you listening?removetweetmeme

The Ultimate Concert

Posted on July 8, 2009November 6, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

I once went to a Dave Matthews concert. I went with this guy. I wasn’t even that into Dave Matthews, or the guy. But anyway, that is all beside the point. While I was at the concert, I noticed the crowd more than Dave. You could tell who the real fans were. They were the crazy ones. The ones who knew the words to every song. The ones who held their hands up in the air and danced to the music, uncaring who might be watching (me, I was watching). The ones who held up lighters. The ones who had these dreamy, euphoric looks on their faces because: Oh. My. Gosh. Dave Matthews is playing on STAGE!

I once watched a Michael Jackson concert on television when I was younger. My brother and I watched it and I remember thinking, “These people are NUTS!” I can’t tell you how many women I saw screaming and fainting and getting carried away on gurneys because they were beside themselves in uncontained, furious excitement.

What does this have to do with writing? Nothing.

What does this have to do with God? Everything.

One day, every believer will be in heaven. Every tribe, every tongue, every nation will gather around God’s thrown and we will SCREAM and SHOUT and SING and DANCE for our Lord. Can you imagine the sound of millions and millions of souls praising God? I have no idea how I’ll react. If I’ll faint, or cry, or bow down. All I know is….it’s going to blow away every other concert any of us has gone to – by a billion. The ultimate concert with the ultimate artist on stage.

Question to Ponder: Will I see you at the concert? Admission has already been paid. How cool is that?

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