Nothing Safe

I am going to say a couple of statements that could be labeled as unfounded claims, or more even perhaps scary. I do not do this to try to scare anyone. But I have been noticing that I have been constantly saying the same thing to people over and over as God directs me to share with them.

Last night I was on a phone call and it happened again. It is the sense and the other person brings it up, this niggly, thought or feeling that God has been asking them to downsize, get ready to move, shift some things.

Clarifying this, it has been numerous people, not simply one or two. I can be slow but this is a repeat pattern, a theme. Often, quite often the folks dismiss it, usually it does not feel right to them, it does not make sense, it is not the time or they do not have the energy to do it right now and often it is overwhelming. They do not have all the details and it is scary. It is almost like it will require faith, not having all the details before you start. Gods done this to the best of them. Abraham, Moses, Noah….

Just start. God did not let them down and He will not leave you.

God has me interject into the conversation something like the following:

So you sensed that God was pushing you to change it up a bit?

Well I thought so, but I feel after talking to so and so that it really is not the time….or the place… or ….

God is on the move. God cautions His people in advance of things, He talks to His children. His is a “whisper” voice that can easily be mistaken. (1 Kings 19:12-13). He usually does not scream it from the hilltop. Unless you are listening for it, you can miss it. He speaks to you directly about you, not to your children, not to your friends, not to your Pastor…when God is talking to you, it is for you.

Yes you should ask others to pray for you to get God to give you more direction. But it is not their opinion or their feeling that matters. God spoke to you.

But it may not make “sense”…

The line “doesn’t really make sense” is NOT a Bible concept in any way shape or form. There is no scripture passage you can find that says, “unless it makes sense, it is not God.” It is called people theology and has nothing to do with God. The Biblical stories seem to have a common theme, they do not always make sense. Hence why we need a God who knows the big picture.

Something is coming, I do not know what, but it is something big. Is it today? Is it next year? Is it in 3 years, 5? I do not know. But the world as we know it is going to shift. We had a world event back in 2020, the whole Covid thing, who would have thought that would happen?

There is nothing safe about God and He does not make sense, never has and probably never will.

I think our North American culture has lulled a lot of us in the church into a comfortable stupor. We recite the scripture of “if God is for us who can be against us,” Romans 8:31, as a mantra for living a perfect and peaceful life.

True Christianity is nothing like that. The instruction book Jesus states, “in this world you will have trouble.” John 16:33

Grassroot Christianity is scary, it is raw, it is emotional and it is dangerous. Simply ask a Christian from the Congo, Sudan, China, Ethiopia, Iran where right now being a Christian is punishable by death and perhaps the death of your family. It is those places followers of Jesus are growing at astronomical rates.

God and following God is not a “safe” path, and the Bible clearly states this. “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

The Biblical lives portrayed in the stories are adventurous, crazy at times but definitely not safe. Think of the pioneers who sought out their land. It was tough slugging, it was more than they thought but they kept coming. They fought the mud, the natives, each other, the insects, and even the land itself. They knew the land they had heard about was worth the fight. Many died on the way, some turned back, fell ill or simply gave up. Those that pushed, that gave it their all, it turned out they were right. The land was worth it.

The land I have heard about is also worth the fight, in the meantime we are here and waiting. But God is up to something, I see it almost everyday as He tries to guide people to make some large decisions. I watch as they talk themselves out of it, then back into it and get confused along they way. Usually this is after they have talked to several other people and they get stuck on their “feelings.”

IF God told you something - He did not tell your neighbor, your friends - He told you. You are the one required to obey. By dismissing the request, you have disobeyed.

I got a vision of what is happening last night. It can be difficult to put into paper a vision but I will try.

There is a large crowd, hundreds of thousands of people on a beach. They are all standing there watching the waves flow in and out. It is peaceful at first. Then we see it, a wave building out there in the sea, not just a normal wave but a huge rogue wave. It will be so large it will take most of the people out.

The crowd begins to vibrate with fear, people start shouting, screaming as they turn to run to try to get away. People get trampled and hurt in the push of panic.

I watched as the crowd moved back away from the waters edge and there to my amazement were another group of people running towards the huge wave. Surfboards in hand they had been waiting their whole lives for this moment.

They were excited, well estatic really, laughing, jumping and running straight into the water. They aimed their boards and went through the wave to the other side. These surfers embraced the looming water and went through it, safely, excited, until they reached the other side. Peace is on the other side, calm water but they did not stay there. They paddled to get momentum and then, then they rode that wave for all they were worth.

Was it safe? Was anyone hurt? Probably. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Those surfers were where they were supposed to be at the right time. It saved them. The beach crowd, the large crowd did not.

Whete will you be in the crowd? Expectant and excited or running for your life. I believe God is directing us as His followers and for others who chose to listen to tell us where we need to be for the coming season. It matters for you, it matters for your children, your extended family, it matters.

In the book of Matthew 25:1-13 the story of the 10 virgins who went out with the clothes on their back, their lamps and the wise ones took extra oil, the foolish lost out.

So here is what I am not saying:

Do you need to move? I am not sure, ask God who knows. Ask Him and do not stop asking until only He gives you an answer.

Is a tidal wave coming? I do not think so, it was a metaphor in my vision for something big.

Is this thought just for Christians? Hardly, God created all people, this message is for all who will listen and ask. God sent Jonah to Nineveh in the book of Jonah, a city of 120,000 people who did not know God, but God knew them and loved them. They listened and were saved.

Should we all get anxious and start worrying? Please don’t. I am only a messenger. The one you need to talk to, to press in and get answers from is God. You might be exactly at the right place already. Who’s to say…. Only God. Ask and Pray.

Shalom