More Than We Imagine

In my walk with God over the years, I’ve found myself in places I never would have imagined, some of which I had never previously given any consideration.  The most recent of which has transpired in the past several months, wherein I’ve found myself co-leading worship songs at church on Sunday mornings. 

Unimagined, unanticipated, and unexpected for a few reasons. 

For starters, I’ve never considered myself a singer.  I can carry a tune but am not a gifted or skillful singer by any means, nor have I ever aspired to be.  I’ve never given any thought to crafting my vocal skills or taken any steps to improve my singing ability.  It’s simply something that has never been in my plans.

Furthermore, I don’t like being on stage, for any reason – speaking, singing, or whatever the case might be.  I was not made for the stage, and I don’t like the spotlight. 

It’s not just that I don’t like it or that I’m too insecure, but rather it’s completely contrary to my nature. I am an introvert through and through.  Always have been, always will be.

For many years I wanted not to be and fought against it, but over time, God showed me that He gave me this nature for a reason and that I needed to lean in and embrace the person He made me to be. Exactly how God led me to that conclusion is a story for another day.  But suffice it to say, I am an introvert by nature, and that’s not going to change. 

And for that reason, I will never be comfortable being on stage, and I will never seek out the opportunity of my own accord. But if that is the place to which God leads me, I will respond to His direction.  I will step out of my comfort zone and follow God’s lead, even when I don’t think I can, trusting that God will give me strength.  Trusting in God’s plan even if it makes no sense to my feeble human mind.

We can miss out on God’s purposes for us sometimes simply because we can’t reconcile His plan in our own minds.  It doesn’t make sense to us.  It seems too difficult or impossible.  We don’t feel capable or qualified.  We think it’s intended for someone else. 

And so we dismiss it.

And I must admit, if you had told me this time last year that I would be singing on-stage at church on a regular basis, I would have dismissed the idea.  I would have kindly responded that you must have me confused with someone else.

And yet, for the past several months, I have been doing just that.

Not to mention, for a few weeks, I also filled in playing the piano on Sunday mornings when the need arose.

As much as I don’t consider myself a singer, I certainly don’t consider myself a piano player by any stretch of the imagination.  My piano-playing ability is limited to playing only a few chords, which I self-learned and carried out for a few short months in high school.  That’s it. 

I pretty much hadn’t played the piano since then until several months ago, when I began playing at home (on a borrowed keyboard) to help the music team identify some new songs for church, or at least so I thought. 

Never would I have imagined that I would be playing the piano myself at church a few weeks later.  And if you were to have told me so a year ago, I might have told you that you were crazy.

I mean, it is pretty crazy when you think about it.  Why would God ask this of me, with my limited abilities, when there are much more capable and talented musicians and singers?  Why me, when I wilt in the spotlight whereas others thrive in it?

Perhaps God wanted to grow my faith.  Perhaps God wanted to work through my weakness.  Perhaps God knew I would be willing. 

God can work with anyone who is willing.

The willingness is up to us though.  God won’t force us – He gives us free will to choose. 

God extends the invite, but it’s up to us whether to accept. God knocks on the door, but it’s up to us whether to open it. God makes the call, but it’s up to us whether to answer.

Sometimes God calls us to uncomfortable places, so that He can be our source of comfort.  Sometimes God calls us to unknown places, so that He can be more fully known.  Sometimes God calls us to unimaginable places, so that He can do more than we could possibly imagine. 

And as it has been said, sometimes God doesn’t call those who are equipped, He equips those who are called. We simply need to respond to the calling.

Respond and surrender all to God.  All the obstacles, limitations, questions, excuses.  All our doubt, worry, fear, pride.  Surrender it all. Let go of both the known and the unknown and trust God with the outcome.

Simply do whatever God asks, nothing more and nothing less.  Give God the little we have and allow Him to multiply it. When we fully surrender all we have to God, there is no limit to what God can do with it.

It doesn’t mean it will be easy or that there won’t be challenges. It’s still a challenge for me to go on stage every week, and there have been various obstacles along the way.

However, there have also been blessings.  Blessings that I would have missed out on had I not surrendered to what God asked of me.  That too is a story for another day, but I can certainly say that God has blessed and provided in ways that I never imagined.  

God’s plans are so much better than our own.  And when we trade our plans for God’s plans and our ways for God’s ways, not only will God provide, He will do more than we ask or imagine.

---

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

“Now to him [God] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)