Evidence

“And then the rain began…”

We don’t like to step out into the unknown without some assurance of success in whatever way we judge that. We don’t like to feel like a fool or embarrass ourselves. We don’t want to be the only one to make a mistake or to be an outsider so we build up walls, protections and plans in the hope of making this life as safe and certain as possible. There are two major issues with this method of functioning. Firstly, life doesn’t work like that. You will be a fool and embarrass yourself. You won’t always win or fit in. Your plan can be extraordinary and it can still go belly up. Trust me, I know. Secondly, and most importantly, God doesn’t build His plans around what makes you comfortable. Faith often lies outside of that as does your purpose.

However, because we are fallible we want to treat God’s directions or plan as if He is on trial. We need evidence to believe Him. We want in on every step. We want to know how the whole thing will workout. We don’t want to step too far out unless we are certain. It reminds me of Homecoming Week in high school. I loved dressing up but I had this terrible fear of dressing up on the wrong day so I would wait in my car until I saw someone else in costume. I had a plan. I had double checked. That wasn’t enough because I could make a mistake. God doesn’t so His plan will always be better than mine even if I don’t understand or can’t fathom how it will work out. Blind faith with the Lord doesn’t mean stepping into the unknown. You’re blind, not Him. Noah knew this well.

“Noah’s faith and life of righteousness was rewarded. Year after year he worked on the ark, even though it had never rained before. His faith motivated him to steadfastly obey God when there was no evidence that his obedience would pay off. And then the rain began. And righteousness had its last say.” ~Michelle McKinney Hammond

We love to skip to the happy ending but if we don’t complete the necessary steps along the way, that ending won’t be too happy. Sometimes that requires moving before there’s any evidence to say otherwise. God knows His timing and He knows your life, just like He knew Noah’s life. If Noah had waited for the first few raindrops to act he would have been too late. He didn’t understand the threat or the full context of his instructions but he DID understand the goodness and faithfulness of his Father and that was enough for him to move. What about us? Are we going to risk being foolish or risk being too late? It’s a “risk” either way. I’d rather risk looking foolish for the Lord than my imperfect plan. Easier said than done, I know.