Have you ever used the expression, “So, what?” Maybe you are thinking that you have never used it out loud or with those exact words, but I would think that in some form or another all of us have thought it, said it, or acted in a way that brings the expression to life. Over my fifty-six years I have used that expression and in my pastoral experience I have used it in reflections on what I have read in God’s Word, and I have used it in sermon and Bible studies as a way to challenge people to think about the application of God’s Word to our lives. I do think the expression is an effective way to challenge ourselves and make us feel a little bit uncomfortable as we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (author’s translation of Philippians 2:12).
If you are reading this right now you may realize that I have taken some time away from writing this blog. Actually, it was February that I last wrote anything. “So, what,” you may be saying to my last statement. Often, at points in our life of walking with the Lord, we may find ourselves with the need to really hear and listen to all that God is speaking to us about or perhaps has spoken to us about. Our prayers and our time spent in His Word require both listening and hearing, and then requires us to take some action. God’s sovereignty is forever linked together with human responsibility and human action. Uh, oh! Is that statement I just made a big “So, what” for some of us? A group of us have just completed a two plus year study taking us through the Book of Acts. In Luke’s detailed documentation of the growth of the church it is clearly presented to readers that the Holy Spirit’s hand guided, built, moved in, and saw to the growth of the church. But, working together with, and in the power of the Holy Spirit was this thing called “human responsibility.” Again, go ahead and say it, “So, what.”
The human responsibility of our relationship with the Lord may be in many cases a fine line that is walked. I see it rather as a safe place to be in. Are you confident in the gift that has been given to us by the Lord? Do you believe the truth that God’s Word speaks which says, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29 NASB). Does knowing the words of Jesus make our walk of human responsibility in the Lord’s sovereignty exciting? Now, we do not want to ever be running ahead of what the Lord desires, but we do want to be stepping in faith as to what the Lord desires. That leads to the asking of the question often of wondering about the Lord’s will. I will often suggest to people that they look at the works of Jesus when contemplating God’s will. The works that Jesus did were compassionate in nature, while never being for His benefit but rather for the benefit of those who were affected by His work. Anything that Jesus did, also brought glory to God. That might well give us plenty of clarity if we are stepping in faith or stepping in the direction that we simply want.
If we ask the question, “So, what,” after reading, hearing, and praying on God’s Word how then do we know the answer? We will never be 100 percent correct, but are we looking to please God in all that we do and to bring Him glory? I would challenge you to take the step of faith in the direction that you believe God is calling you to. I would challenge you to speak to God in your prayers that ask for clarity as to what His will is. I would challenge you to ask God, “So, what is the next step that You my Lord desire me to take in my life?”