quite

stairwell accompaniment: Aqualung

I am convinced that God longs to put His fingerprint in our lives, to act on our behalf and surprise us with His magnificence. I am equally convinced that most of the time we do not give God a context in which to do this. The mundane is not really the best context for a miracle. When we play it safe, we squeeze God out of the formula. If we go where we know and do what we're certain will succeed, we remove our need for God. Whenever we take on a God-sized challenge, self-sufficiency is no longer an option. It is having no idea whether or not God will act on your behalf in a particular engagement--but knowing who God is. Knowing that if you seek God, you will live, even if you die in the trying. It is ironic that we run to God to keep us safe when He calls us to a dangerous faith. He will shake loose everything in which we place our trust outside of His and teach us how to thrive in a future unknown. There is only One who is certain.
Wanting miracles but consistently avoiding needing them.
Our religious integration of Christianity with capitalism and consumerism has resulted in a view of life that says if God is in it, it comes easily. Then when the inevitable difficulties come, when we hit the wall, we either assume God is not in it or conclude we've made a wrong decision in our pursuit.

God asking, "What are you doing here?" (1 Kings 19:9)

"go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." (1 Kings 19:11)
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There is a direct relationship between passion and initiative. The more passionate you are, the more proactive you will tend to be. Here's where the delimma lies: this can actually be paralyzing for a sincere follower of Jesus. You don't want to passionately do the wrong thing. You desperately want to do what's on God's heart, not just on your heart. I think there's a liberating reality we're overlooking: When you are passionate about God, you can trust your passions. When you are madly in love with God--your wants will be indicators of Him. I am convinced that this is the best translation of Ps. 37:4. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." When you draw near to God, God infuses passion. God works through human desires.