Five years of discontent. We were struggling spiritually at the church we were attending at the time. I kept praying that the Lord would make it clear if we were to go or stay, but confidence in that clarity had not yet come. Friends were giving advice. Family offered guidance. We were waiting on the Lord. In the waiting I was throwing myself into activity and heavily involving myself in areas of ministry. I was not one to sit and complain. If I was not happy about something, then instead of grumbling, volunteer and do something!
On this particular morning I was weary with the continual indecision. I was pleading with the Lord to speak. I wanted to put this request behind us and move on, if not from a physical location, to move forward in my heart and mind. I promised the Lord that I would not ask again. If His silence remained today, I would accept that as His desire for us to stay. It was a Friday morning and I would be heading to the church shortly to set-up for a Women of Grace event the following day. Using a read-thru-the-Bible plan, I opened God's word and discovered I would be reading in Micah. Immediately a thought came to me. I am ashamed to voice it now, but it is what ran through my mind at that time. "Oh...Micah...well, I guess I know my answer." The audacity to think that God could not speak to me through any part of His word. I believe He showed up big this particular morning just to prove to me that ALL of His word is living and active!
I was reading along, and honestly, not paying too much attention to what I was reading, I had surrendered to the stay, when suddenly Micah 2:10 jumped off the page: "Arise and depart. This is not your place of rest." What? Lord...You are telling us it is time to leave! The peace that flooded my heart knowing God's conclusive direction.
Heading to the church a couple of hours later, the emotions inside me were running wild. I knew the event the following day would be the last one I would organize here in this location. Yes, there was excitement, but I would be leaving all the dear friendships that were so precious to me.
The ladies day ran smoothly. The Lord honoured all the efforts the team and I had poured into preparation. The gospel message was presented and hearts were changed. As the guest speaker was packing up her props (this particular speaker always came with "show and tell"), she walked over to me and said, "Joy, you have seemed a little distracted today. Is everything OK?"
Sitting down in the front pew of the church I shared with her a journey our family had been travelling for a while and the verse the Lord had spoken to me the previous day. Her response was the confirmation I needed. She also encouraged me that we would be leaving on such a "high note", not in anger or frustration, but because the Lord had said "depart", and now was His time.
That Sunday was our final service in that church. We knew that if we stayed any longer, we would be in direct disobedience to God's instruction. We invited two of our Pastor's over for tea and shared with them how God was calling us to move on. They prayed God's blessing over us as we left and we parted with hugs and tears.
I firmly believe that God's word gives guidance to every direction we are seeking. He wants us to come, ask, seek and trust that He will answer and provide. Today's illustration is about a physical move, as my family and I relocated to a new town and a new church fellowship. Maybe, it is not a geographical move the Lord is calling you to arise and depart. It could be an emotional or mental move. Forgetting those things that are behind, God might be asking us to leave hopelessness, negativity, anxiety, worry, fear or doubt that have been holding us captive, prisoners to our past. Maybe it is a letting go of regrets, failures and mistakes. Leaving behind expectations, people pleasing and a closet full of masks and memories. Whatever God calls us to do, and wherever He asks us to go, may we arise, depart and follow, not resting until we know we have moved on in obedience to His call.
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