“For every one of these ‘I am not’ thoughts, I want to remind you of something — something I’ve desperately needed over the years and still need to this day. I may not be . . . but God certainly is. He is . . . the one who can take the ordinary and turn it into something of magnificence.”- Joel Muddamalle
“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.”- Philippians 3:10-11 (CSB)
In Chapter 5 (“I’m Not Sure I’ve Got What It Takes: Human Power”) of The Hidden Peace, Joel Muddamalle notes this truth about the ‘I was never’ aspects of our formative years. That a sovereign God was working in your life in unexpected ways.
Above all, God wants to remind you of who you are smack in the middle of all that you’re not. Hence, God uses your insecurities to help you grasp how much you need Him. In addition, God steers you toward wisdom. He forms you into someone who wants to operate in His power. Rather than your own.
Yet, as we grapple with insecurity, Joel cautions, there’s a big danger we must acknowledge. When our insecurity connects with fear, we might employ actions that compromise our character. Decide to do whatever it takes to gain power.
In the New Testament, one person in particular attested to the cost of gaining and exercising power — the apostle Paul. Thus, New Testament scholar Timothy Gambis describes Paul’s ambition and motivation:
“Paul assumed that on the day that God saved Israel by pouring out resurrection, God would vindicate him on the basis of who he had become in the eyes of others. . . . He had equated the praise of men with the anticipated praise of God.”
However, Joel stresses, we must consider this. Christ laying down His power through the Incarnation serves as an invitation for humanity to exercise humility and follow Him.
Today’s question: When you find yourself thinking ‘I may not be’, what helps you know ‘but God certainly is’? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog:” A peculiar yet powerful gift”