Go!

Matthew 11:4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:” (ESV)

One word stands out in this verse. The word Go. The Lord gives them clear instruction to continue on, as the word in the Greek literally means to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey. When I make this point I do not want to rule out the other side of the Lords instruction. Sometimes he may have us to wait and be patient, we are not always told to go. But in this verse, clearly this was the commandment. And often times God will tell us to Go with no explanation, no answer, no reason, other then the fact that he has just told us to. Now here he gives a brief explanation but he does not give them room for dialogue. He simply says to Go and say this, its as simple as that. So this makes me wonder, when God tells us to Go, why do we say at first, “that couldn’t be his voice.” That wouldn’t be in Gods character to just say go, no questions asked. Oh wait, we see right here that this is something God would say, and I’m sure at some point is something He will say to you, if He has not already. So why do we question God when it was clear he tells us to Go without explanation. We are fallen, limited in scope, and fixers by nature. This last point is key to why we are so resistant to the unknown. We were created to provide, fix and take care of one another. It is vital, if these things are not inline in our life it shakes us to the core. We are uneasy, anxious and often angry when we can not seem to figure out the way we are to accomplish the task at hand. Taking this into consideration, I can understand why our first response would be, but why. Sometimes God does not reveal to us why, sometimes he does, and I do know he is not a God of confusion, so he does give us enough to work with. But sometimes that’s it. This gives us the need for God. If we did not have to lean on him every step of the way then it would be very easy to forget him, just as the Israelites were warned in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:17-18: Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. If God revealed his full plan for my life I know by time I completed it I would forget who provided, empowered and guided my work in the first place. All I would see was the work of my own hand, forgetting that the Lord gave me the direction all along. So next time the Lord tells you to go, be obedient, knowing that in due time he will reveal the next step.

Application:
Today I will make a stone of remembrance, so I don’t forget God has gotten me here and the many trails He has carried me through.