… in every good work bearing fruit and growing in knowledge of God… Colossians 1:10
Next Tuesday, the moms in my MOSAIC of Faith network will be building a Prayer Path in the woods by my church. The outpouring of help and support has been amazing. I’ve been continually thanking God, and each and every person who has stepped forward to help out.
Despite volunteers spending the summer killing off poison ivy, and hauling out dead trees and brush from the space, there was still untold hours of raking and cleanup that needed to be done before the construction deadline next week. Despite spending an entire weekend making a 25 foot by 25 foot template in my driveway to make outlining the pattern in the woods simpler, I followed the wrong directions; and all my work was for naught. Despite putting out the call for stones weeks in advance, as of yesterday, we only had half the amount of rocks we need to complete the path.
I presumed that because we were creating a walking prayer that would lead people closer to God, things would go smoothly. I thought because I prayed before and during every task in the process, God would bless it all, making it easy. Yet, with every problem that arose, I became more and more puzzled by what felt like abandonment.
And then I read Colossians 1:10: “… in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.”
Yes, building a Prayer Path will be the fruit of good work. But if I am not growing in the knowledge of God in the process, He’s going to set me straight.
My mistake was, I began to coast. With the immense outpouring of support and help, I thought I was all set. Silly, silly me. How did I ever think I could undertake and complete a project of this magnitude depending on just myself and others? Thanking God for the help, and praying throughout, is not the same as depending on Him 100%. These recent obstacles were highlighting the error of my ways.
Raking out the area, in the rain, with blisters on my hands, hearing the deadline tick away in my head, I had no choice but to admit that I needed God’s help. Realizing just thirty minutes before I was supposed to outline the pattern in the woods that my template was completely wrong, I had no choice but to admit that relying only on myself is what led to my epic mistake. Assessing the minimal rock pile just days before construction, I had no choice but to put it all in God’s hands.
Now I have been set straight. This isn’t my project; it’s His. This isn’t for my glory; it’s for His. I can’t depend on just myself and others; I need to depend completely on Him. It’s the only way this project will succeed; and it’s the only way I will “grow in knowledge of Him.”
As soon as I made this transition in my head, and my heart, He did smooth things out. My husband, kids, mom and sisters all voluntarily stepped forward and raked out the 3,600 square foot area. God even sent a guy named Bob who, spur of the moment, grabbed a rake and cleared the entire area bordering the Prayer Path. God also sustained and carried me through my template mistake, and beyond. The correct pattern is now laid out and ready to go. As we speak, Facebook is buzzing with people offering rocks. The pile is growing; and I truly believe we will reach our goal by Tuesday.
God is good, all the time. Yet when He challenges us, we get so focused on the problems, we get blinded by how limited we feel. It isn’t until we recognize that God is the only Limitless One, and then depend on Him completely, that goodness begins to flow and flow.
Questions For Reflection:
* Is there a project or task I’m in the middle of that doesn’t seem to be going smoothly?
* If so, am I depending more on myself than on God?
* If so, can I transfer that dependency 100% to God?
Shifting My Perspective 
I hope you don’t mind me saying — I think sometimes it is also the work of the enemy who tries to bring doubt and fear. When we are working for God and His will, the enemy wants to squash it by bringing in obstacles. But it’s how we respond and use our faith and the word of God as our sword. To keep going and realizing our need to depend on God.
I know this will be a beautiful prayer path and I can’t wait to see it and pray in it!
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I don’t mind you saying that at all, Sandra. I recently had a conversation with someone who runs our VBS. He said that every year, as he’s bringing kids closer to God through VBS, he faces obstacle after obstacle. He too attributes them to the enemy who is threatened by the kids being inspired to live out their faith. And as far as fear goes, I definitely felt I wasn’t capable of carrying this project through to fruition. But then I had to remember, “God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.” So onward and upward!
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That’s right- He equips the called! 🙂
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Well said, Claire. I have also been thwarted at times when I thought I was doing something that would please God. I have challenged Him with “I guess you don’t want this.” It never occurred to me that I was attempting to take the control from Him and that I’d made it more about me. A lesson I will remember for the next time : )
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I think despite us wanting to do things solely for God, our human side sneaks in and takes over. It is definitely my Achilles Heel and a battle I constantly fight. Although I wish you weren’t fighting the same battle, Elaine, it does help me to feel less alone. Here’s praying we both successfully overcome this obstacle forever!
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