He made
His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark
6:45
We
tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are
obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the
thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His
purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us
toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of
whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and
reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the
process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal
itself.
What
is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me
to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm,
faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of
the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a
particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is
that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in
sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right
because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the
outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s
training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for
sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our
obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call
preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s
purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right
now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to
the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the
goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.