On The Other Side Of Yes

Bible

Sometimes saying “yes” to God is the most difficult step we take in obedience.

Other times it comes easily, and our response is followed by a joy-filled freedom to step out in faith.

What do we do when saying yes is a struggle?  “No, Lord” is not an option–it’s a contradiction; and yet, if we are honest, saying yes can be downright difficult, because we know that the moment we #SAYYESTOGOD it will mean

absolute,

complete

                                               surrender.

Full surrender steps out in faith, even when it’s unclear what it will look like.  Saying yes to God looks a whole lot like waving a white flag, doesn’t it?

And in a sense, it is.

When God asks me to be willing to say yes, He is asking for me to surrender my will to His.  If that is to be complete, it also means that I accept whatever happens on the other side of that yes, believing that it is all for His glory.  It’s even possible that being willing is only half the battle, and my yes could open the door to the next yes!  (Saying “yes” might not be just about what He wants to teach me, but what He might want to do in someone else.)

Surrender is so much more than giving up or giving in.  When i am willing to #sayyestoGod, I am freed from my own insecurities and fear.  He loves me.  He will take my brokenness and gracefully turn surrender into something that is good and true and right.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10

In our me-based society, even our obedience to God can walk dangerously close to the edge of hypocrisy.  We say we want God’s will to be done, but when our yes has all kinds of strings attached, the puppeteering begins.

We wait for God’s timing… while pulling on the string of influence, trying to make things happen sooner or quicker or at a more convenient time.

We look for wisdom… while pulling the string of popular opinion or other’s viewpoints, rationalizing away the truth for a lie.  “Did God really say?…” [the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:1]

We ask for clarity… while the reflection we see is clouded by uncertainty and doubt.  So we pull the string of over-confidence, looking outside of the authority of God’s word, and instead look for answers inside ourselves. (Looking to our own ability to rationalize and figure things out.)

Ouch.

While I am still processing this whole idea of surrender, (see my post, Turning the Corner on 2019: Surrendering 2020 ), the Lord is teaching me this truth:

Saying YES to God means you are willing to surrender to His perfect will no matter the outcome.

It is complete and utter foolishness to think that God’s will can be found through our own strength or ability.  Pursuing Him is the clear path to wisdom, and getting in His presence is the key that unlocks the potential for understanding He has placed in all of us.

“When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God’s sanctuary.”  Psalm 73:16-17

Sometimes in life, big decisions must be made.  Decisions that carry heavy consequences.  Not always good or bad, but HARD.  The difficulty we are faced with is not always a simple, “will I be willing to say yes?”, but more likely, “am I ready to face what is on the other side of that yes?”.

Here is where faith steps in and says, “My hope is not in my circumstances, but in the One who loves me and has proven Himself faithful time and again.”

What does it look like on the other side of “yes”?

Hard?  yes.  Scary? yes–but beautiful,

because He is there.