Which Level Are You On?

James 1: 19-21 says:

"19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

Lately, it seems that I have been full of anger. The end of 2010 proved to be quite the test for me. The beginning of 2011 has been just following suit. I'm heartbroken and angry. I am a work in progress. AND, I have been away from my faith for quite some time and am finding it very difficult to find myself comfortable in the presence of God again.

There is a line in a song that says "sometimes life has a way of knocking down that you can't even pray for yourself." I surely know that feeling. I don't know what to say anymore. I don't want to pray for something so hard and then find myself angry when it's not in Gods plan. YES, I know that is just the way it is and there’s a sense sometimes in modern Christianity that true faith means always waiting patiently for God to act. Phrases like “Let go and let God” and “God will provide” are offered as mantras to chant when times are tough.

In my search and desire to find a way, I've been learning more about the two levels of faith, level 1, waiting patiently for God to Move and level 2, taking bold initiative. When we’re facing a situation that’s completely outside of our control, we should give level 1 a shot. Then when the situation presents an open door or an appropriate opportunity to act, go for level2. You do not have to do one without the other. Sometimes you need to go for level two and let level one work through it.

Level 1 involves believing that Christ will bring about a solution apart from any effort on our end. "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised" (Acts 1:4).

The biggest problem with level 1 is that we are taught to take personal responsibility in our faith. We find so many impressive pictures in the Bible of individuals who, without any divine revelation or special prompting, took bold steps to reach a personal goal: Naomi and Ruth moving from Moab to Bethlehem, Nehemiah courageously organizing the Israelites to rebuild Jerusalem, Paul knocking on many doors to find opportunities to preach–in his own words, "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation"
(Romans 15:20).

In reality, there can be just as much faith involved in taking personal initiative as there is in waiting passively for the Lord to provide. While Ruth would have been commended for staying in Moab and waiting for God to heal the heartbreak, greater faith was shown in her going to Bethlehem. She placed herself in a vulnerable position where she had to trust the Lord to protect her, to open doors and to make her venture successful.

We all want to jump forward and take personal initiative. I mean really, who has patience these days to wait? Even if it is for God's grace? Yes, I know, GASP, how could I? But honestly, so many of us want the right now. Society has taught us that we can have anything now, at the touch of a button. But God works at his pace. It might not be today, tomorrow or next year, but he will answer your prayers. Even if by answering them, he leaves them unanswered. But we all must be very careful that just because something we pray for happens, doesn't mean that God had anything to do with it. It is that our understanding of which steps of faith we should take that should grow out of a regular time alone with Christ, where we carefully think through the direction of our life and what God wants us to do. We should all consider a step of faith only if we can pursue it without frenzy, within the time and energy limits the Lord has given us, and without jeopardizing other commitments we have already made.

If no meaningful long-term vision emerges, wait for it, give it a fair opportunity to develop. The dreaming process takes time, and we must patiently persist with it like everything else. It’s to this end that Scripture tells us to seek God’s insight as we would hunt for hidden treasure (Prov 2:1-6 NIV).

1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Which level are you on?