Depending on God
“Ok I’ll do it, but only if you’re in the water too.”
My son Elijah, about 5 years old at the time, was standing on the platform of the newly minted water slide at Hidden Acres Christian Center, too scared to go down. Which was understandable. It’s a huge slide, over 400 feet long, with lots of twists and turns so you can’t see the bottom. And he was just a little guy who couldn’t swim. When he asked me to stand at the bottom, I assured him I’d be there. He eventually agreed, and I ran down the big hill to stand in the muddy water. What followed was 20 seconds of unbridled glee, and then 2 seconds of abject terror. What happened? His inner tube had flipped backwards when he reached the bottom, and he went under the water. Thankfully, I was right next to him, so I pulled him up almost immediately. It was a pretty scary situation for him, but even though it didn’t go exactly how he planned, he still had a blast. And knowing I’d be there to catch him gave him the confidence to do it in the first place.
As we’re about to spend a few weeks on the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, let’s pause and consider the need for spiritual gifts in the first place. Why are they necessary? Why does the Spirit give them? Here’s the simple answer: God calls us to do hard things, but he gives us everything we need to do them. Our job is to trust him to catch us, and then do the hard thing. The specific tasks will vary, but the broad categories are for all Christians at all times: Glorify God and build up the church. The earliest example is Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Think about what our Lord is calling us to do in these verses. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them. Those are big tasks! You can’t do any of them from a distance. They require relationship, and relationships are scary. You have to choose to invite another person into your life, and you can’t always see how that will end. But look again at Jesus’ final earthly words to his disciples: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He promises to be with you. Let his words wash over you. He is with you. Always. And that’s no empty promise, he roots it in his unlimited authority. He is both present and powerful. Close enough to be with you in the muddy water, and strong enough to pull you out of it.
Paul experienced God’s presence in a way most of us only dream of. How? In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, his report on his recent missionary journey includes this incredible statement:
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
What does Paul say is the purpose of the affliction? “To make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” He recognizes that God is more interested in freeing us from self-reliance than in giving us a comfortable life. That should give us pause. We’re so tempted to rely on our own strength, our own wisdom, our own wealth, hoping they will keep us comfortable, but it’s a trap. It won’t work. On your own, you simply cannot do what God has called you to do. If you want to glorify God and build up his church, you have no choice but to depend on God, even when it’s uncomfortable.
That’s easier said than done of course. Over the next few weeks, we’ll learn some of the ways the Holy Spirit empowers us to do the hard things he calls us to do, but before we get there, pause and meditate on your need for the Holy Spirit. Paul’s experience of God’s presence wasn’t due to some kind of elevated spirituality; he wasn’t a “super Christian.” He experienced God’s presence because he was willing to put himself in situations that required him to trust God to catch him. Scary, uncomfortable, adventurous situations that would push him beyond his limits, but would also glorify God and build up the church.
My son hurled himself down a 400-foot water slide because he trusted me to catch him on the other side, and he had a blast. Do you trust God to catch you in the muddy water? Are you hurling yourself into holy adventures that force you to depend on God? Or are you playing it safe? What hard thing is God calling you to do today that will bring him glory and build up his church? Trust him to catch you, and then do the hard thing. Say to him, “Ok I’ll do it, but only if you’re there too.” He always will be.