11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV)
There have been times in the last 15 years where I have heard God speak and I thought I was crazy for the directions that He gave to me. I thought, surely, the Lord didn't say that. He can't be asking me to move a mountain when I don't have the strength to even climb a hill. My mind must be playing with me. I would admonish myself for thinking that I could do thus and thus.
If I've learned anything, it’s that you cannot trap God inside the box that you've trapped yourself into. Be it fear, disbelief, worry, depression, whispers in the wind, or so on. God doesn't live in, sit in, or breathe inside the nice little box that we try to keep Him in. He is the maker of the box, not the resident of it.
My belief and trust have grown in the past years. I remember many moons ago, being in prayer and worship in my apartment and hearing God tell me to take root in Him. At that moment, I got on my knees and with my hands began the motions of digging while in my family room. I was on the verge of being evicted from that apartment. I was at a crossroads on whether to move back home to the safety net of my parent's house or to stay in Northern Virginia and weather the storm. I stayed based on that one conversation with God. I planted a seed that day with my tears as that was all that I had. I planted them metaphorically on my knees that night as my son laying sleeping in his bed seeing but not understanding the desperation on his mother's face. I planted the seed of faith in God that day. While I've asked Him many times if I was hearing correctly, I've never uprooted the seed. While it looked as if the tree of faith I planted during my heartbreak seemed to be stunt in its growth, what I could always rely on was that it was there and as long as I loved on it, it would always be there.
I say this to say that no, you aren't crazy when you hear God tell you to do something. Even when He tells you to move a mountain and your belief you are too miniscule to do anything. Believe God and put your hands on the mountain. Take your deep breath and PUSH!!!
Be A Blessing and Not Just Blessed
- Nakya
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