Expectation without the work! A wind chime for Jesus!

I can totally relate to what John Wesley writes concerning the expectation of God's blessing without the work that God has laid as a foundation to receive the blessing.  It is like being a wind chime...you just hang there and the wind does all the work. Yet, god has not called us to be a wind chime...

I see it all the time in music/worship ministry. People will come in and say, "God has laid this song on my heart and I would love to sing it in church." Some people that are involved in the music and worship department usually have a grasp of the "what" in the preparation. Then there are those that feel they should be given the opportunity to have a stage.

I remember one lady coming in to the office.  She had been attending for about two months and she wanted to sing a solo. I agreed to meet her and see what we could arrange and possible plug her into the program. She then proceeded to tell me how God had given her this song in a dream and then she heard it the next day on the radio for the first time. I was a little shocked, but God can do what he wants so I listened to her. She had never sang the song before and probably didn't realize "The Broken Road" was a little out of her range. So, I agree to work with her and try and find something that would give her the opportunity to sing in service, including the use of "The Broken Road" if we could work it up. She immediately got angry with me and said she didn't need to work on it any more because God had given it to her and that God was finally blessing her broken road. She proceeded to tell me how she was called to sing it the coming Sunday. 

Well, that singing a solo the next Sunday was not going to be an option. Their were others already in place and God had worked through our team of a people a steady progression of growth and unity. We had done the reading, the prayer, and planning in order to be prepared. This young lady was enthusiastic for her renewal of life. The good news is that she was willing to work through the process and eventually sang a solo in church about three months later.

It is a reminder to me that I am often the same way. I will seek instant gratification and inspiration. I would love to have the spiritual blessing of discernment. The truth is that God has already given me the gift of discernment. The question becomes, am I willing to do the work to study his word, meditate on his guidance, lift my mind in prayer, and listen for his direction. The reminder is one of not becoming distracted by my selfish desires, but to be disciplined to hear and seek God's desires for my life. I seek to enjoy the enthusiasm of my new found insight into God while I bathe the insight in the love of God's grace and truth.