Hear. Believe. Receive.

"Our part is listening and speaking what He says. His part is fulfilling it."

WE’RE TWO HALVES of a walnut on a launching pad. Meanwhile, Jesus is in his ready suit, about to climb the ladder for a better view. God the Father’s on the throne, His feet up on the velvet cushion (that’s if you believe He has feet), and the Spirit’s either in a genie bottle, rub it twice and He pops out, or a silent vapor locked deep in our spirit. Point is, the battle is the Lord’s. Jehoshaphat was told to stand still and let God work. God’s the one decided to redeem the world at His own expense. He’s the one wrote the rules no one could possibly fulfill but Himself. He’s the one who picked Mary and gave her His Son to grow in her womb in a miracle involving no will of man. It was God’s will and God doing what God planned to do.

But when it comes to our daily battles, suddenly God’s on the shelf and we’re picking walnuts apart because just maybe we can crack one of these jokers, single handed, and then we’ll give God the credit. Knock knock. Jesus is at the window now, peering in. In the song my mother wrote, “No, no, nooo, no, no, no, noooo.” Faith means we listen to the Word (that’s words God wrote) and the Spirit gives us revelation of it, He’s the Spirit of God, so we say, “Man! I should have seen that!!” or, “Man! That’s amazing!” and it changes us. Now, we believe God will do what He said He would do. I think I defined that right. Our part is listening and speaking what He says.

His part is fulfilling it. When Jesus showed up at John’s baptism, He said, “The time is fulfilled.” The time for the rescue of mankind was fulfilled when He showed up, that’s what He meant. The apostle Paul tells us Jesus came to fulfill the Law. So Jesus fulfilled the time and the Law (that He wrote). We received salvation from it. We hear the gospel of the kingdom (the rest of what He said in Mark 1:15) and believe in it and we receive. Hear. Believe. Receive. Jesus did the doing.

It’s not any different at your job. Say, you really aren’t happy, and your boss is a tweeb. You’re wishing the situation was better. Your choice is (a) complaining and maybe getting fired, (b) being dishonest behind her back (don’t do that), or (c) praying. Ding-ding! That one. Pray to God and ask Him for wisdom then do your best work and refuse to fuss about things. Speak what God says, even if in your frustration the best you can come up with is, “I know you’ve got this.” And I guarantee an answer will come.

God’s doing the work. We’re believing He’ll do it. This is GRACE. Leaving the acronym out, the Bible frequently defines grace as favor, which is a good word, but really, it’s God loving us so much He’s giving us what we don’t deserve that HE DID ALL THE WORK FOR. That being Jesus’s life, death, and Resurrection. Glory be to God. But also Him giving us who He is. He is Life and Love and Truth and Wisdom. He loves you. He wants you to have everything. Stop making Jesus climb up to the window or bang at the door to enter.

He’s done the work, put away your scissors and chess set, and give Him the pieces because all we have to do now is believe. But believing requires opening up. And letting go. That’s hard sometimes. We feel like we can fix things and, though the situation may take us doing something THAT GOD ASKS US TO DO, that’s just it. He asks us to do it. Say, He gives you an idea to take to your boss. You have to physically walk in there and present it. But the idea came from Him because you prayed and you listened, expecting Him to speak. That’s what Jehoshaphat did. He heard, so he went where he was told and stood still. God won the battle.

I’m not talking laziness. We’re not on the couch with our feet put up. But we’re not worried and anxious either. How could we be with God on our side? Faith relies on Him to work. Our patience waits on Him to work. And joy fills in the spaces until we hold the answer. Laugh while you’re waiting. Or to quote my mother again, “Play a game. Read a book. Do a puzzle.” Bake banana bread with those walnuts you were wasting. Then eat a slice.

“When I turned to see the source of the voice that was speaking to me, I first saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was one who appeared to be human, just like a Son of Man. He was wearing a robe flowing down to his feet and had a golden breastplate on his chest; his hair was brilliant white, like snow, and his eyes shone brightly like a fire. His feet glowed like metal in a furnace, and his voice resounded with energy like a roaring river. He held seven stars in his right hand, and the words coming from his mouth were the sharp double-edged sword of truth. His face radiated energy like the sun shining at midday. When I saw him, I fell down at his feet, afraid that I couldn’t tolerate the intensity of the experience, but he gently placed his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the Beginning and the End. I am the One with unborrowed life; yes, I died, but look: I am alive forever! And I have the Remedy for death, and the power to open the grave.” (Revelation 1:12-18 Remedy)

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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com