Courage in the Crush

For those of us working in social services and human services organizations in Illinois, these are crazy times. With a state budget mired in multi-billion dollar debt, the very agencies that help people and families most in need are about to have their funding slashed by July 1. Many organizations are bracing for the worst, including my own.

Amazingly enough when I think about all this I've got a peace inside. In the midst of this I truly believe God is going to do something great. It may not be what we might expect. It may not come in a nice tidy package that looks like what we want. But I believe it will be better.

Remember how when people asked the Lord Jesus questions, and He rarely answered them directly? Usually He'd respond with an answer that went beyond the surface request to penetrate the heart of the matter.

Maybe that's at work here. Whether we know Him or not, many of us are asking questions based on fear. But I'm thinking in light of all the anxiety, the hand wringing, the angsting, He's calling us to do something that flies in fear's face. He's calling us to "take courage," to know that He is poised to do something far greater than the expected.

I'm convinced that for those of us who will look to Him for leadership in this hour, and be willing to keep looking to Him even after this crisis has passed, He is willing and will do far greater things than the best efforts of man alone can achieve.

Despite what I see, I'm expecting Him to go beyond the obvious to do something extraordinary.