really You?” Perhaps you are wondering what is next for you on your faith journey. Or you may be asking the question that seems to pop into every believer’s head at least once a year: What is the will of God for my life? Well, I’ve got news for you. Sometimes to discover the mystery of what is next—the mystery of God’s will—you, just like Peter, will need to step out of the boat.
The Great Unknown
There have been many times in my life when, in a quest to move forward, I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve had to stretch, trust, and take steps forward into unknown territory.
Hillsong Church was birthed with absolutely no guarantees. There was no promised financial support, no guarantees that people would come, and no certainty—beyond faith in Jesus and confidence in His calling—that God would bless this brand-new little outreach church. A priority of safety would have kept us where we were. The church my parents pastored was strong and flourishing, and there was a sense of inevitability that if we continued to serve their vision and live in that opportunity, the day would come when I would naturally become the senior pastor. It was clearly the safe option. But God was leading me to believe there was something more.
When I announced we were leaving and moving to the rural fringe of the city, my father never resisted it, but he was clearly in denial, and there was no official farewell. I was left to announce to the congregation myself, “This is our last Sunday.” I had to buy my office desk so I could take it with me, and my friends began, in jest, to call me a disparaging name related to the area we were moving to. Yet we were excited. I never felt aggrieved about the start we were given, because I was more excited about the mysteries of the future than concerned about the comfort and safety we were leaving behind. We went out without much support and pioneered this brand-new church starting with a small group of people who attended Bible study in the area, and I guess that’s all that was needed. Everything else was the great unknown.
Often people can read that story of walking on water in the book of Matthew and think, Yeah, but Peter sank! But we have to remind ourselves that at least Peter got out of the boat! The other disciples didn’t even get out of the boat. That said, at least the disciples got in the boat—there were five thousand people who never left the shore! If you reflect for a moment on your attitude, are you more like the people who were comforted by the safety of the shore or like the disciples who took a little risk and got in the boat? Or are you like Peter, who not only left the shore but also got out of the boat, all because Jesus said, “Come”?
I have often referred to the will of God as a tightrope. Too many people think that means it is easy to fall in and out of the will of God, but He is way better at keeping us on course than we give Him credit for. I believe that when we are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, according to the Word and in the will of God, the Lord will continue to give us promptings and green lights as we keep putting one foot in front of the other. He is also well able to put red lights, warning signs, and detour billboards directly in front of us, signaling us to stop and reconsider our next moves. We just need to trust Him to direct our steps.
What has been your response when Christ has beckoned you? What have you done with the promptings in your heart and the giftings in your hand to follow Christ into the mystery of your God-given future?
Ephesians 1:9 tells us that Jesus has “made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure.” Have you ever thought about what pleases the heart of God? I have no doubt that in the mystery of your glorious future, you will have seasons of disappointment and heartache, hard times and missteps, but if you are following Christ and putting one foot in front of the other when He beckons, then His pleasure, His will, and His purpose for your life will come to pass.
Too often, I think, we long to know what is next. We’d like God to reveal the future to us in the smallest of detail, like “At five o’clock on Saturday night, a guy will walk by you on the street and bump into you. You won’t think much of him at first, but stay with Me—he’s the one!” Or “You know that job you went for last week? Don’t take it. A week from now, a better one is going to be offered to you if you just wait.”
But why would we need faith if that were the case? Why would we need to trust Him if we knew what was happening next? Life with Jesus includes stepping out into the great unknown and trusting, and it is my belief that God wants to equip us for that journey. Every circumstance and moment of life can be a new discovery about a facet of who He is and a revelation of what is to come.
Isaiah 46:10 assures us that the Lord knows “the end from the beginning.” He is in all things and above all things, and His plans far outweigh your greatest desires. Embrace the mystery. Decide you’re up for the adventure. You won’t regret that you did.
The Myth of More
The great myth of more is that we ought to know more in our own strength, that somehow God should be explainable, understandable—that He should fit into our degree of understanding. Yet there is no understanding of God apart from a personal relationship with His Son. John 14:23 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’”
It is easy, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to fall into the trap of doing more, as if Christian service is the single key to close relationship with our Creator. But our connection to God is all about Him and not about us. It is about what He has already done: it’s His saving work on the cross and the reality of the empty grave that give us hope for the future.
As a person in full-time ministry for many years, I have watched and even been caught up in the myth that “more is more”—that somehow competing and striving and proving is what gets us ahead and that more people, more conferences, and more services will please God. But the key to having the “full riches of complete understanding” (Colossians 2:2, NIV11) is to be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Walking every day in devotion with the Word of God and in step with the promptings of His Spirit will lead you into grace, peace, and the abundant life of more than you ever asked for, dreamed, or imagined, not to a place of burnout, a frantic pace, and relentless pursuit of more time, more things, and more rest. Knowing Jesus in a personal way will open up a world of endless discovery and opportunity but will never demand of you that which you cannot give.
No Longer a Mystery
It is not in riches or material wealth that we will find our peace and happiness. It is not in the “more” of earthly time, management, or fulfillment. It is in understanding the person of Jesus Christ and the depth of His sacrifice for us.
Paul tells us, “Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith,” and then continues with what may be an early hymn of the church:
Christ was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16, NLT)
In that short paragraph, the Bible reveals the heart of the gospel—the mystery of godliness and life in Christ. The secret of our salvation was hidden but is now revealed. It is to those who believe in
