CLINGING TO GOD CAN SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE HE CALLS US TO STOP CLINGING TO WHAT WE'VE KNOWN,
WHICH IS OFTEN SAFE AND SECURE, AND TO STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN.
AND THE UNKNOWN CAN BE SCARY.
WE ARE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE KNOWING WHAT'S AHEAD, EVEN BETTER IF WE CAN PLAN FOR IT.
YET WE ARE CALLED TO WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT.
AND ON THIS CHRISTIAN JOURNEY, THE LORD WILL LEAD US TO PATHWAYS WE HAVEN'T KNOWN.
AS WE FOLLOW, WE BUILD FAITH AND TRUST.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ALTHOUGH THE TERRITORY IS UNKNOWN, WE'RE CLINGING TO GOD,
AND WE COME TO KNOW HIM IN AN EVEN DEEPER WAY.
ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE IS ZIP LINING.
I'VE NEVER BEEN A THRILL SEEKER. I'M NOT AT ALL INTO EXTREME SPORTS.
ROLLERCOASTERS WERE THRILL ENOUGH FOR ME, LOVED THEM,
BUT SOMEWHERE AROUND AGE 40, IT WAS CLEAR THAT EVEN THOSE I COULD DO WITHOUT.
BUT WE WENT ON VACATION A COUPLE OF SUMMERS AGO,
WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS CELEBRATING HER SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY,
AND ZIP LINING WAS ON HER WISH LIST. SHE REALLY WANTED ME TO DO IT WITH HER.
SO I MUSTERED UP THE COURAGE AND SAID, "OKAY, LET'S DO THIS."
AND PART OF ME LIKED THE IDEA OF DOING SOMETHING ADVENTUROUS.
BUT ONCE WE GOT TO THAT SITE, I WAS A JUMBLE OF NERVES.
OUR ADVENTURE GUIDES OUTFITTED US IN HELMETS AND A FULL BODY HARNESS,
AND LED US ON WHAT SEEMED AN INTERMINABLE TREK TO THE FIRST TOWER.
I COULD SEE IT LOOMING AHEAD, HOLDING A THIN WIRE HIGH IN THE SKY,
WAITING FOR ME TO ZIP ACROSS.
SUDDENLY, IT WAS MY TURN. I HAD TO STEP ONTO A BOX AT THE EDGE OF THE PLATFORM AND JUMP,
WHICH MEANS I COULD NO LONGER CLING TO THE SECURITY OF THE PLATFORM.
IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THE DESIGN OF THE COURSE, THE GROUP, AND MY DAUGHTER,
I HAD TO CLING TO THE UNKNOWN.
THE BIBLE GIVES US MANY BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THIS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ABRAM LEFT HIS HOME IN MESOPOTAMIA TO FOLLOW GOD, NOT KNOWING WHERE HE WAS GOING.
GOD GAVE ABRAM, WHO WAS LATER CALLED ABRAHAM,
AN AMAZING PROMISE THAT HE WOULD BE BLESSED AND BECOME A GREAT NATION.
BUT ABRAHAM DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.
GOD WOULD GIVE HIM COUNTLESS DESCENDANTS, WHEN HIS WIFE SARAH WAS ALREADY OLD?
ABRAHAM FATHERED A CHILD WITH SARAH'S MAID,
THINKING THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO FULFILL THE PROMISE.
AND GOD HAD TO TELL ABRAHAM THAT HE'D GOTTEN IT WRONG.
IT'S SOMEWHAT COMFORTING THAT ABRAHAM DIDN'T FOLLOW GOD PERFECTLY.
WE DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT OR UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY,
OR EVEN OBEY PERFECTLY, TO FOLLOW GOD.
WHAT WAS KEY WAS THAT ABRAHAM HAD A HEART TO FOLLOW GOD.
RATHER THAN CLING TO HIS HOME COUNTRY AND HIS FAMILY, HE CLUNG TO GOD.
AND GOD TRANSFORMED HIS LIFE AS A RESULT.
WE, TOO, SEE THAT TRANSFORMING POWER WHEN WE FOLLOW AND CLING.
AND THEN THERE'S MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS.
SHE WAS LIVING HER LIFE, ENGAGED TO A MAN SHE WOULD SOON MARRY,
WHEN, OUT OF NOWHERE, AN ANGEL APPEARED. "GREETINGS, FAVORED ONE!"
THE ANGEL GABRIEL SAID. "THE LORD IS WITH YOU." TALK ABOUT THE UNKNOWN.
MARY HAD A HARD TIME EVEN GRASPING WHAT THE GREETING MEANT.
GABRIEL HAD TO TELL HER, "DO NOT BE AFRAID, MARY." AS HE UNFOLDED GOD'S PLAN,
THAT SHE WOULD BEAR THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH, YOU CAN IMAGINE HER HEAD SPINNING.
"HOW CAN THIS BE," SHE SAID, "SINCE I AM A VIRGIN?"
MAYBE AT THIS POINT SHE WAS ALSO THINKING,
"BUT I'M ENGAGED. WHAT WILL JOSEPH THINK?"
BECAUSE, SURE ENOUGH, JOSEPH NATURALLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH HIS FIANCÉE BEING PREGNANT.
HE WAS READY TO END THE RELATIONSHIP.
MARY COULD HAVE CLUNG TO WHAT WAS COMFORTABLE.
SHE COULD HAVE CLUNG TO HER OWN PLANS.
SHE COULD HAVE CLUNG TO HER REPUTATION AND A FEAR OF WHAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY.
BUT MARY REPLIED TO THE ANGEL, "BEHOLD, THE BONDSLAVE OF THE LORD;
"MAY IT BE DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD."
I LOVE THAT. THAT'S THE FIRST PLACE WE FOLLOW, FROM THE HEART.
MARY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT PATHWAY WOULD LOOK LIKE,
BUT SHE STEPPED ONTO IT AND CLUNG TO GOD.
WHATEVER GOD IS CALLING US TO DO, HOWEVER SCARY AND UNCOMFORTABLE,
FOR EVERY STEP HE GIVES US GRACE TO CLING.
AND IT ALL BEGINS WITH THAT FIRST STEP OF BEING WILLING TO FOLLOW.
INTIMACY WITH GOD, THAT'S THE DESIRE OF OUR HEART. IT'S THE LIFESTYLE THAT WE'RE CHOOSING.
BY HIS GRACE, WE WANT TO DAILY DELIGHT OURSELVES IN THE LORD, THROUGH HIS WORD AND PRAYER.
BY HIS GRACE, WE WANT TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE. AND THIS IS WHAT'S EXCITING:
CLINGING TO GOD MAKES US STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR!
PSALM 91:1 SAYS:
CLINGING PUTS US IN GOD'S SHADOW,
THE PLACE OF ULTIMATE BLESSING AND PROTECTION.
NO MATTER WHAT HE CALLS US TO DO, NO MATTER WHAT COMES AGAINST US,
WE ARE CLOTHED IN HIS POWER.
WE CAN GO CONFIDENTLY IN HIS WILL, KNOWING THAT HE IS WITH US.
WHEREVER YOU ARE TODAY, YOU CAN GROW TO KNOW THE LORD MORE INTIMATELY.
TALK WITH HIM. LEARN OF HIM. LET HIS WILL BE YOUR WILL.
AND YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THE LORD WILL USE YOU TO IMPACT THOSE AROUND YOU.
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU RICHLY AS YOU CLING TO HIM.