There was once a village that, in many ways, had great resources, people and nature. This place was complete with plants, trees, animals and great villagers. They were all happily living together in this rich and yet humble abode.
They were blessed with all these things and they were happy about it.
All this blessing, they believe, was because of something very special. On the east part of the village stood a high and wide wooden wall made of their finest trees. This wall covered the entire east side of the village. They couldn’t see what was beyond this wall.
No one knew who built the wall but they believed that the wall protected them, physically and spiritually. They knew that if they took care of it, it would continue to provide protection — especially from the great wind from the east.
The great wind from the east was rumored to be a strong wind that had destroyed other villages. Thankfully, they had the wall to protect them.
This reliance on the wall kept them going throughout their lives. They even had a festival named Birth of the Great Wooden Wall. Yet nobody remembered when or how this wall was built.
Time passed and soon the wall needed repairs. As it was made of wood, they added more materials to make it stronger. Every year it became part of their routine to check the wall and repair it if necessary.
This routine that started with a small repair became bigger and bigger and soon they needed more men to do the work.
Soon it became the main focus of their work. All the other things became secondary. Planting, taking care of the animals, repairs to the houses and other jobs inside the wall were neglected. This seemed logical for them. They would say,
there will be no plants, animals, or houses if we neglect the wall that protects us.
As the days passed the wall demanded more and more resources. It demanded more wood, more men and more time. They started to quarrel about the shortage.
A once a happy village was becoming a place where they no longer cared about each other. They only cared about their safety if the wall finally stopped protecting them.
Then one day, in their great horror, the wall collapsed.
They were devastated. Of all the times that it could have collapsed, it chose to collapse on the day before they were predicting a strong wind — the great wind from the east.
Everyone was staring blankly at the destroyed wall. Sad and broken in spirit.
But if they only knew that behind this weak piece of a wall they worshipped was a great wall of a mountain. The mountain protected them against any wind — even the great wind from the east.
A Christian believes that Jesus is our mountain. We believe that He protects us from the winds that will destroy us. However, some also place a wooden wall too — just in case.
Just in case what, the mountain crumbles?
The wooden wall makes them blind to the reality of the mountain. It makes them focus on the things they think are important.
That is doubt.
It acts like a concerned friend saying “Do these things, just to be sure”. Until we consume all our resources, all our strength for nothing.
We cannot make this life predictable. That’s the point, it leads to so many surprises.
But making Him predictable is like boxing Him in to fit your idea of safety. Our idea of safety is so small compared to His salvation. We are like a fish who can freely swim but His will is an unstoppable current. We may struggle to stay in a certain place where we feel safe but the stream continues to progress. It continues to flow.
Know that this stream leads to His greatness. It will never lead us to harm. Some parts of the stream may be difficult but it is gonna be worth it.
Faith. Trusting God about His promises. When we trust Him and put our faith in Him we will never think less of His purpose. We will never rely on our understanding. As the Bible says:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5, KJV)
Knowledge of Him. We cannot doubt someone we know. If we knew that most of the time God surprises us with a turn of events we will trust Him about something we don’t understand. We can trust someone if we knew that someone. The next verse reads as follows.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6, KJV)
Courage. Taking heart to endure the difficulty of the process takes a lot of courage. We need the power to conquer our fear. Always remember that God is encouraging you the way He reminded Joshua.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9, KJV)
As a control freak — well, before — I’ve always wanted to take control and have some extra precautions, and that is fine. We just want to be smart enough not to get easily hurt. But if this safety is hindering us from drawing near to God and it is teaching you not to trust Him, it will surely crumble to the ground.
Christ is teaching us that His ways are higher than our ways. That is the reason why something is happening that it seems to be out of His character but in reality, it is just a small piece of a puzzle. He’s just waiting for you to figure it out.
He knows you’ll figure it out. You’re just afraid. Don’t be. You are strong and courageous. You don’t need a wall. You need a savior. The Savior.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8, NIV)