Oswald Chambers was a Christian leader in England 100 years ago. During World War I, he moved to Egypt to serve as a chaplain for the British military. While there, he died in 1917 during a botched operation for appendicitis. His wife subsequently compiled many of his writings; the most famous of those subsequent books is My Utmost for His Highest. I recommend this book to any Christian seeking a solid tool for a strong daily devotional. Over the coming weeks, I will share a series of insights that I took from Chambers while reading his thoughts in the October 12-18 period.
Discerning between what I want to do, “my life,” and what God wants to do with me is often very difficult. Many times, I only judge myself spiritually based on how I handle crisis situations. Will I be holy enough or spiritual enough?
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. (Oct 12)
It is wholly American to see only the exciting stuff as pertinent or as the only thing of substance with which to judge. How often we refuse to see things as He sees them, or believe what He tells us. So we go off in seeking fame or fortune, unsatisfied with the life He has given us. Yet, God is often found first in the quiet, in the mundane, in the regular path of our life.
Keeping in line with God is hard. “Isa. 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” So immediately, after we start trying to walk with Him, we get confused with a step that He makes. We think, “that can’t be right.”
It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him. (Oct 12)
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things. (Oct 12)
Too often, the Christian gets discouraged because it seems impossible to know where God is going. It seems impossible to stay with God. Paul commented on how our flesh is in constant rebellion to the spirit and that is true for us all. We look around with “no clue” where we are going or how we are to get there, so instead of just “trucking along,” we give up. Don’t give up, but stay insistent in your desire to hear God. God is at work and still on the move; we must remain so, too.
When we do think we have heard from God, there is still the chance that our way of going in the desired direction and God’s way is radically different.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. (Oct 13)
We have to be trained and disciplined by God first. He (Moses) was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God. (Oct 13)
Our problem is that we often become impatient with God. Our thinking implies that since we know where we are going, then we should get at it directly. However, we do not have God’s perspective and we never will. As his sheep, though, we can learn to hear his voice and thus be able to follow. We must continue to remember that we do not have his view on things.
So God may have many rough edges and pieces of the puzzle to get into place or take care of before the timing is completely right. And, from God’s view, those rough edges and pieces may not all have to do solely with you. God could not send Moses back to Egypt till the correct pharaoh was on the throne. So, we must be patient.