But Lord I can’t…
But Lord it’s too hard….
But Lord, she….
But Lord, he…
But Lord this election….
But Lord……But Lord…..
How many times a week, a day, do I utter those words in my heart? I whine to God. I make excuses before God. I stomp my foot and have an all out temper-tantrum before the Holy Sovereign Lord.
Sadly, those two words tend to be my default answer to most calls God places on my life:
Write a book (aka: open yourself up to criticism and rejection)….But Lord, what if no one likes it? What if it’s no good?
Go and speak at a women’s event…. But Lord, I’m a writer, not a speaker. Public speaking terrifies me remember???
Go and vote…..But Lord, really??? Have you seen our choices?!?!
I am the queen of “but Lord,” yet this morning as I basked in the glow of an early sunrise (thank you time change!) I read something in Jeremiah that stopped the “but Lord” as it formed on my lips:
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.’
Then the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I AM with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 1:7-8
“But Lord” is silenced by “I AM.”
But Lord I can’t write – I AM the One who puts my word in you.
But Lord I can’t speak – I AM the One who speaks through you.
But Lord I can’t vote – I AM the One over all things, even wicked rulers.
But Lord this country is too far gone – I AM the Sovereign God who is working all things together for my purposes, and nothing, nor no one, is too far gone for me to reach.
But Lord…cannot stand against the I AM.
The future looks scary. Our calling feels overwhelming. But we, God’s children, are firmly held in the arms of the Great I AM, the One who is above all things. The One who holds all things together. And the One who is working for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose.
We can rest in the God who declares to us: “Do not be afraid, for I AM with you.”
In prayer with you for our nation and for this world,
Jen
