I have been going through a season recently of deep conviction.  I have a gnawing sense that God is up to something secretly and behind the scenes and that I must prepare myself to act in faith BEFORE I see the end result.  I sense this same feeling about the future of our ministry at Crossroads, and have shared this with our staff and some of my closest friends.

As a ministry, we are embarking on some fairly big, and risky initiatives (more on that soon, Lord willing).  These things are requiring us to work, prepare, and plan  But in the midst of meeting and talking and dreaming about future possibilities, I always seem to mentally move forward into the future assuming certain things and worrying about details WITHOUT CONSIDERING GOD’S INVOLVEMENT.  In other words, I completely leave God out of the equation.  The result?  Fear, panic, uncertainty, insomnia.

Do you do this?  I know you do.  When we worry over scenarios that have not even materialized, we have left Him out of the equation.  When we stress over future possibilities instead of praying to a God who is already in the future, we leave God out of the equation.  When I assume the worst, prepare for failure, or cower back in fear, it is all because I secretly know the truth; when God is left out of the equation, the results are left to me, and they will indeed be DISASTROUS.  So when I forget to factor God into the equation, my fear and panic are actually well-placed, since left to my own devices I will certainly drop the ball and make a large mess of anything I put my hand to.

Prayer is more than a religious hoop we jump through to solicit God’s blessing on OUR hopes and dreams.  It is a lifeline through which we are connected to the life-giving vine of Jesus Christ.  He sustains, He provides, He nourishes, and He moves mightily on our behalf when we are incapable of accomplishing anything of worth without Him.

When we count on His activity and factor Him into the equation, the outcome radically changes.  Don’t forget God.