Gentlemen, today I’m encouraging you, challenging you to lead by example and lead by following God’s will. The topic is simple: the upcoming decision by our church to accept the man chosen to be our new pastor. The search committee put in many hours on their knees praying together and alone. They interviewed dozens and dozens of men. They sought God on this matter. Many of us in the congregation prayed for them day in and day out. We prayed for their safety when traveling, for the precious time with their own families that would be sacrificed. We prayed for God to lead them, guide them, show them the best man of God to lead our flock. We prayed for a man with the vision for our church that we have and a vision that is beyond. Our church has been blessed with that- a pastor that has vision beyond our own. We prayed and agonized over the months of no news. We were excited and anxious as word came that the search team had a significant announcement.
All along we had no say or guarantee in the final decision the team reached. We put that in God’s hands. Did God lose His grip? Did God let something slip out of His grasp? May it never be said! The almighty God and Father still reigns and for some unknown reason, still cares about the minutia of our lives. We trusted in God to lead the search team. Let our trust continue. Was our trust misplaced in the members of the committee? No.
A lot of things get blamed on God and a lot of things get credited to God that have nothing to do with God whatsoever. When someone makes a decision and says it was God’s will, then the decision turns out to be a poor one or the person is discovered to be a charlatan. God is still on His throne. When someone achieves something and gives God credit but the thing accomplished is contrary to His Word. God is not mocked. God’s will may not always be easy to determine. When one door closes or is stubborn to open one person may be convinced that God is telling them no. Another person may be convinced that same occurrence means God is saying to keep trying, pursue, don’t give up. God is still sovereign, still in control even though we don’t have a clue.
I don’t know this chosen man personally; very few of us can at this point. There is no way that everyone in our church would ever be able to know our pastor personally. But what I do know is this: I prayed for the yet-unknown pastor times. I prayed for the search team. I prayed for all those things above and more. I believe God does intimately work in our personal lives and can make things happen for His glory. I have no reason to doubt, no reason to second guess, no reason to withhold my full support of the decision of the search team. I supported the decisions in the past. Men may fail. Men may change their minds. Men may be lead by God other places. Our God is faithful and is able to lead this body of Christ with fallible men. It is not our decision for our pastor to remain at our church for 50 years. It may be our preference, but it is not our choice. How dare we doubt God when things don’t go our way.
I’m learning more from Nehemiah. It doesn’t seem possible in my little pea brain that so much can be tucked away in this little book of His blessed Word. Twice in this small book something is mentioned that we, in our casserole-toting Baptist world, don’t discuss much….fasting. I do not know why fasting is not discussed much in our circles and I’m certainly no pro about it. I’ve been reading and I’m coming to understand that when fasting is coupled with prayer and Bible study, fasting can lead to a much deeper, almost intense understanding of God, His Word and His will. I need that right now. I need to know what I can do, how I can be used by Him to support the man chosen by our search team. We can’t enter into this relationship looking back or looking elsewhere, we must enter into it arm in arm, heading straight into battle. There is too much to be done truly in the name of the Lord, too many souls to be won and too many saved to be strengthened to allow for this foolishness. I look forward to what God shows me as my fasting continues.
We can’t know all that lies ahead. We can’t answer all the ifs. Just because we don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it can’t be right. Praise God that He does things I don’t understand! I am still called to be faithful. We can only do what we are called to do. I am not called to know every matter in this search for a new pastor. I am called to be obedient. I am called to pray. I am called to follow the other commands in Scripture when things look uncertain. No where am I called to speculate with my 10 closest friends on why the man chosen is not God’s will. I am called to support, uphold, pray, encourage, uplift, edify. That is where I am trying to remain.
Be encouraged, lead, be strong,
Philip Buford
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