The Great Risk-"May it be as you have said"

I've written before about how God orchestrates details and conversations in our lives to reveal a greater theme.  Sometimes it is more obvious than others, but once you catch on to the meaning you can't help but see it everywhere.  Well, I've caught on, and it's everywhere!

It started last Thursday driving home from Disneyland with Melinda.  We were talking about this and that trying to catch up on weeks of missed conversations.  I landed on Herb's graduation and our impending future.  I said, "Herb took a huge risk in going to law school, and now he is encountering a whole new risk in applying for jobs."  And Melinda, being the thought-provoking, calling me on stuff kind of friend that she is asked me, "So what risks are you going to take this year?"  Woah!  What a question! I dunno...I'll have to think about it.  Teaching new classes, trying new ideas, but risks in the classroom are pretty much standard for me.  It's funny but I'm very willing to step out on new ideas in my classroom, something I'm not readily willing to do in life.  So classroom risks, okay, but what about risks in other areas of my life?  Hmmm...

Arrive at Sunday, heading to church for our study on the book of Daniel.  Glen is preaching on Chapter 2 and how Daniel boldly tells King Nebby-K that he can recount and divine his dream before even consulting God.  After boldly declaring what could happen, Daniel goes to fervently ask the Lord to make this act possible.  Daniel stepped out in faith and prayed later, an act which Glen called true faith.  Glen challenged us to take "risks" (there's that word again) without analyzing, thinking it through, making sure it's just the right thing for us to do.  In other words He called us to step out in faith without weighing what the consequences would be to ourselves.  Again, I felt a stirring, a conviction.  I am often so concerned about how God's calling will affect me, affect my plan for my life.  Maybe I should take a risk...

Then here we are on Monday morning, reading my chapter in Having a Mary Spirit.  The chapter is entitled A Willing Spirit and addresses Mary, the mother of God, and her willingness to respond to God's calling with a resounding "May it be as you have said."  Mary laid "down her own hopes and dreams so that His plans and purposes could come to pass."  What a risk it was to knowingly accept unwed pregnancy in a time when she could be stoned for that act! What a risk it was to lay her engagement on the line!  What a risk it was ponder those things in her heart instead of "justifying" herself to the city!  What a risk to allow her Son to live a ministry away from her side!  What a risk to stay with him as He was crucified!  Mary said "yes" to the challenges God offered to her.  She was willing, even when it was hard, when it seemed unbearable.  She did not weigh how others would look at her or what the implications of her "yes" would be.  She said "yes" and trusted.  What faith!  What unimaginable but right in front of us sort of faith!

Both Thursday, last night and this morning similar questions were posed to me: What is God calling you to do? How is He asking you to step out in faith? What risk are you going to take? The answer is: I don't know yet.  I haven't felt His leading yet.  I'm not sure what is being asked of me.  In a sense, I stand here frightened because this has been quite the build-up.  Is God preparing me to say "yes" to something huge and scary?  When the time comes, will I listen? Will I respond to the calling?  I hope so.  I'm not a big risk-taker by nature; I am super-analytical weighing each and every element.  So this is counter to my comfort, but heck, I'm learning that that's really what following God is all about.  We truly are living in a counter-culture of counter-comfort.  I think we truly have a choice to embrace it or not.

In the Mary Spirit book she juxtaposes the story of Mary's trusting response to Zechariah's unbelief.  I've never really looked at the two together before.  Both characters were visited by the angel Gabriel and given news that would alter their course, but their responses were vastly different.  Mary responded with a resounding "yes" and turned around to praise God for His magnificence.  Zechariah responded by questioning, doubting and God silenced him for the next nine months.  The author points out that in both situations the Lord's will was done, but where Mary got to sing, Zechariah missed out on the worship.  God's will is going to be done.  The question is: will we be singing, glorifying Him with our lives, or will we be silent?  Hopefully we choose to sing, responding with the words: "May it be as you have said."