Responding in Prayer

By Vicki Macpherson, Lay Preacher

Leadership coach and author Pastor John Maxwell says: “COURAGE isn't an absence of fear. It is doing what you are afraid to do, letting go of the familiar and forging ahead into new territory.”¹ In other words, do the ‘thing’ and get courage, don’t wait to get courage then do the thing!

I had procrastinated for too long. Entering a new ministry that others felt I was suited to, relied on my willingness to be open to and accepting of God’s perfect will.

Throughout my study, deep listening in prayer and the counsel of others a repeated message emerged. God was inviting me into the ministry of Lay Preaching. My heart was open to the idea, but in my spirit, there was a shift taking place that was feeling uncomfortable.

The authors of Hebrews describe a time when God’s people hardened their hearts against him and didn’t trust or obey his call on their life. (Hebrews 3-4).  In response to their rebellion, God withdrew the opportunity for rest and left them in the wilderness for forty years before they found rest in the promise land.

I certainly didn’t want that to be my story. Maybe it was my ex-Military background, but the whisper of the Holy Spirit was beginning to feel like a clarion call that offered a limited window of time to respond.

It was becoming clear I would need to leave the comfort of my beloved home church of 25 years and find rest in a new congregation to prepare for lay preaching. It was a heart- breaking experience, but one that eventually came with a sense of peace and knowing that it was right. That’s the thing about remaining open to new possibilities, trusting in a new and unfamiliar direction.

We do not discover what trust feels like until we step forward in faith. Action comes first; courage follows. “Come boldly” God says, “and there you will receive mercy and find grace to help when you need it most (Heb 4:16).”

¹ Maxwell John, The 21 Irrefutable laws of leadership, USA, Thomas Nelson publishers, 1999