God’s Assignments
He leads me …
Recently I received a wonderful revelation. It came through a teaching dvd that our Bible Study group had been looking at. The dvd was developed from a book written by Henry Blackaby called Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God[1].In it Blackaby makes this statement –
“Many people want God to call them to a big assignment. However, they try to bypass the love relationship...the love relationship is why God created you. That is far more important to Him than what you do. So anticipate that God will start working with you and drawing you to an intimate love relationship that is real and personal. When the love relationship is right, God will be free to begin giving you assignments at His initiative. Whenever you do not seem to be receiving assignments from God, focus on the love relationship and stay there until the assignment comes.”[2]
We do have to know the Bible particularly well to know about God’s love and that the relationship that goes with that. We read verses like –
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 ESV)
And –
Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
The rest of Blackaby’s statement makes perfect sense. If we want the plumbing fixed on our house there will be two things that we will look for in getting the right person to do the work. Do they know what they are doing, and can they be relied on to do a good job?
God is going to do something similar with us – in part. He is interested in whether we can be relied on to do a good job. In other words will we be obedient to what He calls us to do?
The second part for the Christian is different, but obvious when it is stated. Again, Blackaby puts it well when he says –
“Will God ever ask you to do something you are not able to do? The answer is yes--all the time! It must be that way, for God's glory and kingdom. If we function according to our ability alone, we get the glory; if we function according to the power of the Spirit within us, God gets the glory. He wants to reveal Himself to a watching world.”[3]
This could be a bit awkward. What does functioning according to the power of the Spirit look like? Blackaby says this -
“Biblically, God always gives the assignment first. Then God equips the person by the Holy Spirit to accomplish what He assigns.”[4]
In other words, God gives the assignment, and then provides whatever means necessary by the Holy Spirit to get the assignment completed. Remember, the Holy Spirit provides the way, otherwise the Lord does not get the glory.
If there is any doubt about this, we then have the verses in Matthew 6:30-34
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?
32 For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.
33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
34 So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. (AMPC)
Luke 12: 28-32 says much the same thing. They both talk of the Lord’s provision to those who genuinely seek him, or as Blackaby puts it have the right love relationship with Him
The question is – how much do we want that relationship?
[1] Henry T. Blackaby; Richard Blackaby; Claude V. King (2008) [1990]. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God. B&H Publishing Group
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/21025.Henry_T_Blackaby
[3] ibid
[4] ibid
