An Invitation Into Unfamiliar

(5 minutes)

"The wilderness is an invitation from God into the unfamiliar. The problem is we don't like the unfamiliar. We want a map. We want to know exactly where we're going. We want it to look the way we want it to look. We want to know what we're going to encounter along the way. But God doesn't work that way!" (Pastor Tim)

Walking with Abba requires trust. And this is why we don't like venturing into the wilderness with Yahweh, because it requires us to trust Him completely. This reminds me of a quote that sums up our wilderness walk with Abba:

"Sometimes God is leading you to a place where there are no roads, markers, familiar sights, or even a path you can see in your peripheral. It's here you have two choices: create a trail or walk on a road that has expired. One leads to legacy, the other to atrophy."

Yahweh said to his people:
"Stand at the crossroads.
Now, consider your ways
and ask for the ancient paths.
Which is God's way?
Walk on his path, and you'll enjoy a resting place
for yourselves.
But they said, 'We will not.
That's not the path we want.'"
(Jeremiah 6:16)

Crossroads are significant in our walk with Abba. These are critical moments that require us to answer the question all over again: do I want His way or do I want my own? Do I want to enjoy the resting place that only comes when I'm seated in absolute trust? Or do I want to continue in my own striving where I get to be in control and choose the direction I go? What path do I really want? These crossroads are created when Abba desires something different for us than what we are currently settling for. They're created when our desires are different than His.

"Every single thing that's going on in your life is to bring you into deeper intimacy with the Lord, not to make you more confident in what you already believe." (Pastor Tim)

Abba wants deeper intimacy with us. He wants us to trust His goodness to such a degree that we relinquish our need to know what comes next. He wants us to trust His goodness until the unfamiliar is no longer uncomfortable, until all of our joy and peace is drawn from His presence and not our ability to be in control of every twist and turn in our lives.

We're at a crossroads, and Abba's way will require the laying down of our understanding. the surrendering of our long-held beliefs, and the yielding of our perpetual need to be in control. If I believe that Abba is pure light, having no trace of darkness in Him at all, then this will be an easy decision to make. But if I'm still leery of Him and His nature, if my heart is still calloused, if I'm still recoiling from the hands of the Father when He comes close...trust will continue to be the most agonizing condition that I could ever find myself in.

I believe the words that Pastor Tim shared a couple of weeks ago for our Kingdom family need repeating...

The first one is this: "We are making another shift. We attempted to go into where we are going once before, but we were still too out of order to make the journey. This is going to be an incredible year of healing. The shift is this: a Father is sending us into Healing Waters."

The second word is this: "Some of you are going through things right now, and will go through things this year, that will be hard. And this is the word of the Lord to you in that situation: 'You settled for something that you were never intended to settle for.' You got comfortable with it. You built your life around it. And you tolerated things God never intended for you to tolerate. You went through things, you went through rejection and abuse, that you were never called to go through. And the reason it's coming up now is because God says, 'You deserve better! Your family deserves better! Your kids deserve better!' So when you're in the midst of that you need to look back to this word and stop saying, 'Why is this happening?', and, 'Why is it so hard?', and understand that this is God's goodness, too."

Beloved One, you were created to let go and trust Him! It's your original design.

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Worship: "Abba" by Jonathan David Helser

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!