Are You Sitting on Your Hands?

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In church a couple days ago we had a guest speaker who spoke about how many of us are sitting on our hands and doing nothing when God has called us to do something. He used the story of Esther and Mordecai and about how when Mordecai told Esther what she should do in talking to the king, she responded that if she do so, she could be killed. Mordecai’s response to Esther was: 

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
-Esther 4:14 (NKJV)

 He was telling her that God had put her there for such a time as this, and that if she was going to sit on her hands and do nothing, another would take her place, but then she’d be missing out on what God intended for her to do. 

Maybe God has you where you are right now in life “for such a time as this.” I know that I have been arguing with God about some things recently. I don’t know why I do such stupid things as to argue with God Almighty when He knows way more than I can even comprehend with my tiny little finite mind. It’s not the first time I’ve tried to talk Him out of something, and of course all those other times, He was right and in the end I realized He did know what He was doing, and how stupid I was for not trusting Him in the first place. But for some crazy reason in my little mind I thought this time was different than those. There was an area of my life where I was giving up. I had waited and fought and prayed and He was answering, but I wasn’t liking that answer…so I kept praying thinking He’d change His mind. But in that service God made it clearer than the windows the birds fly into on Windex commercials (ha ha). He made it so clear that I couldn’t argue. I just said “yes Lord. I’m listening.”  I had sat on the bench and God was telling me “Get back up. You can’t stay on the bench.” That night I realized that I was no good to God sitting on a bench, and that if I didn’t get up and get back in the game He would send in a replacement and I would miss out on what God intended me to do. I don’t want that to happen. I’ve been telling God “I’m not the one for this. I can’t. I’m not good enough.” But what I’m beginning to realize is that it doesn’t matter. My inadequacy has nothing to do with it. It’s God working through me. It has nothing to do with my power or weakness in this area. His power and strength is all that matters, and there is no inadequacy there. I can assure you of that!! 

So as long as my Jesus has infinite knowledge about my inadequacies, and unfathomable power to fulfill His will for me even through my inadequacies…then why should I sit on the bench and lose that chance of bringing glory to Him. I decided that night that I no longer was going to be a bench warmer in this area of my life. Just because I’m tired doesn’t mean that I sit down and give up. It means that I draw close to Jesus and let some of His strength wear onto me and I-with His help- keep pushing on.  

I believe that too many Christians are being bench warmers in so many areas of life. We must get up off the benches! We cannot bring glory to God while sitting on our hands refusing to do what He asks of us. If it’s the feeling of inadequacy that is keeping you from doing what God has asked of you…then don’t worry. Imagine how much glory Jesus Christ will get when you-being so inadequate- are used by God to do something God-sized. People looking at it will have to say “that was a God thing.” If He were to choose someone that you would consider “adequate,” then it would be very easy for that person to get the credit for it. But when God chooses to use someone who in man’s eyes may look very inadequate for the job, when it’s all said and done it will be obvious that it was God working and had nothing to do with men.  

I refuse to stay on the bench any longer! He knows what I’m capable and not capable of. He knows my past statistics. So when He calls me into the game I will trust His leading…get up and get in the game…and through Him give it all I’ve got. He’s already promised victory in the end. But we still have to play the game. If you’re not going to play your part then someone else will be substituted and you will miss out on what God wanted of you. Don’t let that happen. Get out there and give it your all! He deserves nothing less.

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