While You're Waiting to Hear from God...

I took a walk this morning, and decided to ask Jesus in boldness what is next in my work life. Will I have to wait much longer for my next “gig,” whether theater, film, or otherwise? Should there be more or different kinds of writing in my future? I wanted a specific, personal word from God about the particulars of my career, or learn if I’m at least on the right track and doing the things I should be doing.

I had this boldness on the heels of finishing Dallas Willard’s wonderful book, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God, where he states that hearing from God isn’t just an anomaly. Hearing from God, is a “reliable, day-to-day reality for people with good sense; it is for those who are devoted to the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom.” (p. 92)

(To clarify, Willard nuances this by saying hearing from God is not necessarily a DAILY reality; “day-to-day” means more like it’s a relatively common occurrence. The times we don’t hear from God could mean he’s letting us exercise our dignity as decision-making human beings capable of partnership with him in the world where we don’t need him dictating every move.)

So far, so good.

Except wait –

Do I actually have “good sense?”

Am I actually devoted more to the “glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom” than I am to my own?

If I heard from Him about my career, would I actually be open to what he says or willing to go along with it?

I’m counting three very serious caveats right there…

Spoiler alert: as of 1:41 pm, I still haven’t received any clear “word” from God about my work life. (Willard does provide a helpful guide for what to do when you aren’t receiving the guidance you ask for (Chapter 9), and maybe I’ll proceed down that road later this week.)

My suspicion is that maybe Jesus knows I need to grow up a little more, get more mature for clear revelations such as these to be helpful and not harmful for me. Maybe for the time being, I should just snuggle into God, like a "weaned child" who does not "concern myself with things too wonderful for me" (Psalm 131). In the end, I'm safe in the everlasting arms.

With that said, Willard’s book has given me confidence to recognize and give attention to what I believe was God’s still, small voice to me a few weeks ago. It was just one of those micro-moments when Scripture can shimmer in your mind, which, according to Willard, is a moment to stop and listen. It came from Ephesians 2: 8-10:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I was driving randomly down University Drive, and I’m not even sure where I was going or what I was listening to on the radio. Maybe I was mulling over this passage like a piece of hard candy, or maybe the Holy Spirit side-swiped me in that red Corvette of his out of nowhere. Suddenly, but silently, a word jumped out: “WE.”

WE are God’s workmanship. WE should walk in good works he’s prepared beforehand.

Looking back, I believe it was God speaking the word I needed to hear right then — and still need to remember today even as I'm asking God for specifics.

If you’ve been around a sermon in Ephesians 2 lately, chances are the pastor directed you to think about the good works God has prepared for YOU to do, singular. YOU are the focus of his love in Christ, and he has made YOU a "workmanship" (aka "masterpiece"), so that YOU can do specific good works he has prepared in advance for YOU.

And therefore maybe you, like me, can become obsessed with the specifics of your job or of the organizations you’ve joined or the realms of influence you have. We ask, Am I, personally, as a living, breathing masterpiece of God, on the right track and doing the things I should be doing to fulfill the ancient purposes he’s set in motion for me since before my birth?

And I don’t think that’s a bad extrapolation and application from this passage, and I have been encouraged in my life many times by it. But driving my car that day with the big WE out in front of my face put a lens on I can’t quite take off now. The WE tells me there’s also a collective nature to both the masterpiece God has made, and the good works God has prepared.

In 1 Corinthians 12, we are also told that we are a collective, like a human body, making up the various parts of the embodied person of Jesus on earth. One of us is like his hand, another is like his foot, each working together to continue the work Jesus started of bringing healing and reconciliation to the world. Just like our individual bodies are masterpieces of biology and physiology, the body of Christ on earth is a breathtaking mega-organism.

This is especially great news for me, who is feeling more and more like the appendix of Jesus, wondering what on earth I’m good for lately. It's good news because at least I’m part of something bigger and more effective than myself alone, and my simple identity as a member means I get to be part of what the Big Body is doing in the world, both globally and in my neighborhood. I’m somehow bound up in it, supporting it, just by being me. Even a small act like folding towels done in a spirit of love and service somehow provides for the world. (But this also means that the child of God sick in the hospital, who is making no apparent contribution whatsoever, is somehow still part of the most productive acts of charity and involvement happening all around her. She is intrinsic, integral.)

And not only are we collectively contributing, but we are collectively benefiting. As a part of Jesus’ biology, I’m connected to and receiving oxygen from people around the world whom I’ve never met and cannot converse with in the same language, yet we share the DNA of Christ. I depend on them somehow even though I’ll never know their names. They energize me in ways I’ll never be consciously aware of. We are a living, breathing life form.

I may not have specifics today about the next “good work” God has for me in the singular, so I’m holding on to the plural: it’s not, in the end, a story about my individual work. It’s our work. It’s His work. We’re doing it together.

For Further Reading: Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God

Listen, it's a challenging, wonderful book. It's going to make you look more at yourself than you might expect, so be prepared to squirm out of your smallish shell and into a bigger body. In the end, the book is less about the strategies for hearing and recognizing God's voice (though there are certainly some profoundly helpful insights here) as much as it is about being the kind of person who is naturally going to hear God's voice when he speaks. Think about that for a minute. Do we REALLY want to hear from God on a regular basis? Maybe not as much as we say. Dive in, if you dare!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie K. Rhodes lives in Fort Worth, TX, with her husband Gordon and two teenage kids Drew and Maddie, plus pug Eloise ("The Eyeballs."). She performs regularly on stages all over Dallas-Fort Worth area and has multiple film and commercial credits.

 

 

You may also contact Julie at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule her for speaking or leadership engagements.