“The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” Matthew 19:20-22
To count all the gains and great things obtained in this world as loss compared to the greater glory of God. To do all this based only on faith.
I can’t help singing “fish with me” – “and Jesus said, oh come and follow me, oh leave behind your nets I tell you, oh come and follow me and you life will never be the same again”
For so long I had found it a difficult choice. It was hard for me to fully and completely choose Jesus over things in the world that seemed important. I was very much that young man who came to Jesus. I knew what was the right path and even knew to seek out Jesus, but, I couldn’t let go of the earthly possessions. Despite what I said to others and to myself, they owned my heart, not Jesus.
That all came crashing down around me one night when Jesus asked me to trust Him with one of my dearest ‘possessions’ – my daughter.
In Genesis 22:1-19, we read the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son and Abraham without question moved to do what God asked of him. We know in the end that God honoree Abram’s faith. Not only did he stop Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice but he blessed his faith abundantly and through that faith, God blesses all nations that would follow after Abraham.
I call that night in the ICU my Abraham/Isaac moment. God asked me to trust Him with my daughter. I had no less prior reassurances than Abraham. Jesus has appeared my her, telling her to trust Him, these words were shared with me. He spoke to me quite a few times telling me over and over to trust in Him. I heard His Voice both audibly and in my heart. There was then and is still no doubt of that fact in my mind or heart.
Yet, when that time came to trust Him, I couldn’t. I turned away downhearted. Abraham was asked if he was willing to give up his world simply trusting in God and God provided (Genesis 22:14). God didn’t even ask me to make that sacrifice, simply to trust Him with my daughter. Like the rich man, I grasped onto the world and turned away from Jesus.
But, unlike the rich man, my story doesn’t end there. God used that moment and the connection in my heart to the story of Abraham and isaac to rebuild me. He showed me how faithful He has always been, even in that dark night. He never left me alone or abandoned me.
Jesus affirmed the many reasons that I could trust in Him. He showed me that He is truly ““a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”. Exodus 34:6
And now, nearly 10 years later, if God gave me the same question, I think my answer would be different. I may look back like Elisha (1 Kings 19:19-21) but I would quickly turn back and follow Jesus. His call resonates loudly.
“and Jesus said, oh come and follow me, oh leave behind your nets I tell you, oh come and follow me and you life will never be the same again”
Since dropping my nets and finding peace in trusting in Jesus, my life has never been the same.
See the full story of that night in my book “I knew His Voice” available on Amazon or through the catalog link on my blog homepage.