This week I have been listening to Casting Crowns in my car. One of my favorite songs on their debut CD is Voice of Truth. The first stanza and chorus are:
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. ‘Boy, you’ll never win!’
“You’ll never win”
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
As I listened to this song on the way to work this morning, my first thought was that I do wish I had that kind of faith that stays focused on Jesus and steps out of the boat, trusting that He will keep me from drowning in the crashing waves. But then I realized that every time I come to this blog and post something that is intended to glorify God — to exalt Christ and not myself — I step out of the boat. When I post a link on my Facebook account or tell someone about my blog, I’m standing on top of the crashing waves. Once I hit the “publish” button, I have no control over who reads what I have written because this is a public blog. I know that not everyone who reads my words will agree with me. But I trust that God is in control and that if He is pleased with what I write that is all that matters.
There was a time in my life when I did not have this kind of faith. I regularly heard the roar of the crashing waves shout “You’ll never win!” Fear gripped me like handcuffs and a chain tethering me to the boat. I believed at one point that I could not succeed in life, that I could not hold down a full-time job or raise my child properly or be a good wife. But I have succeeded at those things and more. No longer do I listen to the crashing waves, but instead I listen to the voice of Truth, the voice of my Savior telling me I belong to Him and that He will never leave me or forsake me.
We all have a choice. We can listen to the lies of the crashing waves or to the voice of Truth. We can be gripped by fear or held up by faith. I choose the latter. How about you?