I have so wanted to blog. My writing energy has gone towards work, and it has been good and right! But I have a list of about 9 blog entries that I have wanted to share for some time now. And I have just enough margin on a Friday afternoon to share this one.
I share in a women's Bible study on Tuesday nights. This semester it was a toss up between Romans and Judges. God led us to Judges. I found a small set of verses on the journey in Judges that opened my eyes to the beauty of offering myself to the work of God.
"...when the people willingly offer themselves--praise the LORD!...My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD." (Judges 5:2,9)
I recall reading this with a heart seeking God over what exactly He was doing with a woman like Deborah. I am a woman in leadership. And there are times where it is not easy. In fact, the more leadership God has called me to, the harder it is. (That's another blog on the list.) There are times where it feels like a man might be more heard, respected, or followed than a woman like me. I am not at all complaining about where God has put me. I was told by a new and yet deep friend that I am never to apologize for my anointing. Deborah didn't apologize for her anointing. She willingly did exactly what God asked her to. God was doing something significant for His people and His glory through her. When she and Barak sing together over victory in chapter 5, their song resonated with my heart.
I often long for people to willingly offer themselves to His work. I want them to be passionate about what God is doing and leave behind the worldly stuff that consumes us and follow Christ in things more important and eternal. That's about all I'll say about that potential soapbox, because God was quick to remind me that He has called and anointed me to willingly offer myself. He'll deal with others offering themselves. And frankly I may not see half of what God calls others to willingly offer themselves to. He is very good about asking us to do things with no recognition. Assessing the fullness of someone else's willingness or calling is not for me. God gently applied the gospel to me and required that I see His word as a mirror (James 1:22-24) and see what it looks like when I willing offer myself.
When I willingly offer myself to the work God has for me, praise to God happens! It's almost as though there is relief in that phrase. It's as if all along God desired for me to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), or willingly offer myself, and when I decide to actually do it, the immediate fruit of it is praise. Not stress or one more thing on my plate or begrudging movement, but praise. It's as if the fog of personal perception clears and a fresh wind of purpose fulfilled (Psalm 57:2) blows through my life. I can see clearly exactly what God wants me to do (Romans 12:2), and it's good, perfect, and pleasing! What a relief! I can move in freedom into what He wants me to do and offer Him praise. Praise that I was called into something good, pleasing, and perfect! What else does any woman desire out of her calling but for it to be good, pleasing, and perfect? You'd have to get excited about whoever brought that about--and it's God! So there's praise!
Praise is so much lighter than obligation.
When I willingly offer myself, unity with others happens. I have prayed and longed for that in several places in my life. I have served with others where there is unity and it is so life-giving! I have also seen the carnage disunity will inevitably bring. If you look at these verses, it's not just me that offers myself to a work of God or a calling, but others as well. Now I can look at others. Not the ones I think should be willingly offering themselves to this work, but the ones that have. "When the people.." That means whoever comprises "us" in this work. God has called each of us to join together and we can be unified. I have to admit, I love serving with other people. My sweetest days in ministry have been doing ministry life with other people. God intended us to be a people for His glory. That means "us." And unity brings about His glory!
Unity also does something to our hearts. As a woman, it fills my heart to overflowing when we are unified and together in our calling. If you'll allow me...I have sat at the head of a table, like Deborah, and seen a group of 14 people working towards the same mission and vision. Not just in the fun times or the "good results" times, but in the moments of tough words, laying our ideas, failures, and creativity shamelessly on the table, I have had a full heart. I have felt so deeply connected and fulfilled because of one word: our. I have stood like Deborah in a room full of leaders and expressed vision and a fresh, wild initiative and I have had to be unapologetic for God's anointing and yet humble because they were precious leaders valued and called by the same God. I have taken a risk in all that, and when lights went on and people willingly offered themselves to the vision and way we were called to, I had a full heart. I have sat like Deborah, under a tree, and listened to friends with a big vision and a pure heart struggle with vision and heart. And when we had sought wisdom and love and desired God in all that vision, I had a full heart. I was with people, princes and volunteers, and it has brought such deep satisfaction to my heart that it was "us" and I was called to be included in movement and heart to be together with those people for His glory.
The beauty of a leader like Deborah is that she stepped forward into her calling, and willingly offered herself to a work of God. The beauty of God's way is that others joined her. She was so about God, us, and our, that she even shared the song as a duet, and you can't tell which part was hers. The glory of God was that in the end it brought an entire nation back to Him. That's what willingly offering myself can do. A people wrapped back into a relationship with a loving, holy God...that sounds good, pleasing and perfect, doesn't it?
Just a seed of my faith,
Ginny
