By David Ryser
“How much confirmation do you
need?”
The question came from Autumn, a
student at the School
of Ministry. On her face was a look that was somewhere
between bemusement and incredulity. She
was not being disrespectful. She was the
voice of God speaking directly into my heart.
And I have asked myself the same
question many times in the years since then.
Earlier in the day, Autumn had
taken (what was for her) a big risk. She
had been my student, and I her teacher, for almost two years. During her time of morning prayer and
worship, God gave her a prophetic vision and word for me. Out of respect for me, and for our
relationship, she was reluctant to share it with me; but she obeyed God and ministered
this powerful message to me after class.
It impacted powerfully in my
spirit, and I immediately received it as a word from God.
I prayerfully considered what she
had said all the rest of the day. Later
I saw Autumn and shared with her the part of the story she could not have known
concerning how God was speaking to me about something. I had been struggling with it, even though I
was sure it was God who was speaking to me.
Her prophetic word was the final key to my puzzle, and I wanted to thank
her for delivering it and to let her know that she was correct in what she had
heard and in her decision to tell me.
After hearing how strongly God had been dealing with me, I suspect she
wondered why I had needed her prophetic message in order to obey God; hence,
her question to me.
“How much confirmation do you
need?”
You see, I’m someone who likes to
know as much as possible about anything before jumping in and making a decision
or taking action. This trait carries
over into my relationship with God. When
I hear something from God, I often ask, “Is that you, Lord?” The question itself is ridiculous. If it’s the Lord, I should simply obey
Him. If it’s not, then I shouldn’t call
it “Lord.” I think I need more
information, but do I really?
How much information do I need in
order to obey God?
In the Book of Jonah, we read of a
man who was called by God to deliver a short, simple message to the people of Nineveh. Upon receiving his commission, Jonah ran as
fast and as far as he could in the opposite direction. He knew he had heard from God. He did not run because he was unsure that God
had spoken. He did not run because he
feared his mission would be unsuccessful.
On the contrary, Jonah ran because he feared his mission would succeed
(Jonah 4:1, 2)
Jonah ran because he simultaneously
knew both too much and too little.
Jonah knew about the prophesies of
Amos and Hosea. He knew that God’s
judgment was coming upon Israel
and the instrument of that judgment would be Assyria (Nineveh
was the capital city of Assyria). Jonah also knew the Assyrians were savage
conquerors (history bears this out in graphic detail) and brutal
overlords. Because of the prophetic word
God had given him, Jonah also knew God would destroy Nineveh in less than six weeks unless they
changed their ways. If Nineveh
were destroyed, the judgment of God could not fall on Israel, or at
least it would be greatly delayed.
Jonah made the decision to
sacrifice himself for the sake of his country and his people. He would run from God, and God would kill
him…or not; in either case, Nineveh
would not have the opportunity to repent, and it would be destroyed.
What Jonah did not know, and could
not have known (because God did not tell him), was that God was working through
Jonah’s prophetic message and mission to change things ahead of the coming
judgment. God wanted the people of Nineveh to repent so they would be a changed people in the
event that the judgment of Israel
actually came to pass, thus mitigating the severity of the judgment. And if Assyria became a godly nation and
became worshipers of the one true God, perhaps their faith and experience of
God’s presence might even have provoked Israel to jealousy and turned their
hearts back to God in repentance. Had Israel repented
of their unfaithfulness to God, judgment might have been averted altogether. So why didn’t God tell Jonah all of this and
make things so much easier for him? Why
doesn’t God give us more information and make things easier for us?
Because He shouldn’t have to.
Jonah was a prophet. He had the God-given ability to hear God and
see into the spirit realm. But like many
of us, Jonah had the eyes and ears of God without having the heart of God. Jonah was willing to sacrifice thousands of
Assyrian lives in order to save Israelite lives, but God had compassion even on
the Assyrians and had regard for their lives (Jonah 4:10, 11). God is not interested in killing people. His desire is that everyone would come to a
saving knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:9b).
Even the Assyrians.
I am not a prophet, but I am a
child of God. Because I am His sheep, I
hear the voice of my Shepherd (John 10:2-5, 14). When God tells me to do or say something, He
almost never tells me why or gives me any other information about the situation
into which I am speaking or ministering.
Since most of these situations involve other people, the why’s and the what’s are none of my business.
God protects the privacy of others just as I would want Him to protect
mine. My job is simply to say and do
what He wants said and done. No
hesitation. No questions. No arguments.
How hard can this be?
As I was pondering this lesson from
Jonah’s story again one day, God asked me, “How much do I have to tell you
before you will obey Me? How much
information do you need before you will obey?
How much do you need to know?” I
knew the right answer, but I also knew I wasn’t living it. All I should need to know in order to obey is
that it’s God who is telling me to say or do whatever it is He is speaking to
me. As soon as I know it’s Him speaking,
I need to obey immediately.
I know people who are like this,
and God has taken them on some remarkable adventures and done miraculous things
through them--just because they heard and obeyed.
Why is that so scary for me? Do I not trust Him? And to the extent that I don’t trust God, is
it because I don’t know really Him? Will
there ever be a time when I will know God intimately enough to trust Him and
obey Him instantly when He speaks to me?
Good questions. I wish I had some good answers. If I get any, I’ll let you know.
Responses to this article are
welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com
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