God Ideas

Years and years ago I heard someone say this: "How can you recognize a God Idea? It's probably something you would never, ever think of doing, yourself."

So true. So very, very true.

Ten years ago I finally started following some God Ideas. Every single one of them sounded wild. Bold. God would whisper His ideas to me and it all sounded like, "You can do this, Debra. You'll just have to walk on water, that's all."

Oh my.

Life got scary, risky in 1995 when I finally crawled out of the Comfort Boat. I shook a lot. People at church commented that I shook a lot standing out there on the water. But it inspired them--they saw how impossible the whole thing was. They saw God holding me up.

God Ideas are always impossible.

That is, impossible without His help. He does that on purpose because He doesn't want me doing anything in my own strength. Nothing. He doesn't want my pride. He doesn't need my filthy rags in His house under His kitchen sink.

All ministry, all helping, must come from Him because only He can meet the needs of other people. He wants to touch people through me. My touch doesn't heal--but His does.

Sometimes I've gotten out of the boat and sunk like a chunk of sidewalk. But those were the times God had called out, "Wait! The timing is not yet Mine." But I've hopped out anyway because it looked like the right timing to me. And I sank. And then God had to dip down His hand beneath the waves and yank me, gasping, back into the boat. For a season.

Walking on water--scary at first. But after time and experience, you step out of the boat with more confidence because you've, many times, seen God's hand appear, palm up, just below the surface of the water. But it appears only after you step out of the boat.

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." .. Andre Gide

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