“If a crisis has come to you on any front, then let me encourage you to surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.”- Os Hillman
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”- Philippians 1:21 (ESV)
Os Hillman concludes Chapter 8 of The Joseph Calling as he explains why a crisis must develop in our lives before we follow God’s will. Os writes:
“Before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where he asks us to be our utmost for him, and so we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we must decide for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads.”
Yes, Mr. Hillman observes, it seems strange that God uses incredible adversity to prepare His servants for greater service. Yet, God often chooses to operate this way. Because He’s well aware that the human heart possesses no capability to voluntarily step into situations where it must venture beyond its comfort zone.
Indeed, Os notes, at times the recruitment process leads to death- for example, a job, business, or relationship loss. This may lead us to believe there’s nothing left in our earthly world worth living for. However, Os exhorts:
“In the natural, it appears that everything is against us, and we may even believe God has abandoned us. But this is not the truth. as we know that God never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). During those times, God is doing his deepest behind-the-scenes work. He is performing a deeper work in each of us, a work that cannot be seen.”
Today’s question: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, what Scriptures help you surrender your will to Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation, “The silence of contemplation”
