As I thought about this week’s devotion, I was reminded of something that an old pastor said in a sermon that I heard when I was younger. He said, “If you look at your life and can't see any areas that God has to come through for you or you’re in trouble, then maybe you should rethink how much you actually trust God.” This is something that I have often thought about and been convicted on how comfortably I want to live my life. Now, I don’t think that we should act recklessly, but we should be in close enough communication with God that we know when He is asking us to do something that is beyond us. We’ve all heard, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” but I’m here to say that I promise you that He does. He will put us in situations that stretch us and sometimes overwhelm us. Our responsibility is not first to the outcome of that situation, but rather to trust that God is in control and do our best to love and glorify Him with our actions.

I think about this story of Esther and the overwhelming odds that were against the Jewish people. Try to put yourself in the shoes of Esther or Mordecai. I honestly can’t even imagine the weight of the decisions that they made. Esther was faced with a choice. She could take the risk of possible death in order to hopefully get the king to listen to her plea. God was already working though. This is something that we need to understand when we think about taking risks for God. Esther was not a random woman that was taking a risk in this story, she was someone that had already been elevated to a certain position and the king really liked her. This wasn’t an accident. When you are taking a risk for God, remember that God has already been preparing both you and the rest of the situation. You may feel like you are walking in blind, but God has been working on every part of the situation already. God is not a reactive God. He is a God that has planned everything out and has the power to see His plans through.

I wonder if the reason that we have difficulty doing hard things for God or taking risks is because we’ve never put ourselves in a situation to be able to see God come through in incredible ways. I mean, we are His children, right? Doesn’t he say that He loves and takes care of His children? I think that it would be a turning point in our lives and the lives of those around us if we would consider what “risky” things God might want us to do. When He inevitably comes through for us, we will continue to have stories of what He is actively doing in our lives. How amazing would it be to be able to tell people about the God that loves us by showing them what He’s currently doing in our lives! Get alone with God and think about the position that you’re in. Think about what He’s given you to take care of, whether that is finances, time, talents, or anything else, and think about how you can use those things in ways that He might be calling you to use them. Take one of those things and write down how you are going to use it this week in a way that is outside of your “comfort zone.” Take a risk for God and let Him define success.

Congrats! You made it through week 8 of Crazy Love. Now go to community group and share, learn, and enjoy time with your church family.