It's Going To Be OK

Has God ever spoken to you? I can almost guarantee that He has, whether or not you can identify a specific time/place. I’ve tried to become more conscious of God’s voice in my everyday life. Hindsight is 20/20 and recently there have been situations where I had an impulse or a thought and had I acted on it, I would have saved myself trouble down the road. Here’s one example where I DID pay attention.

You might not know much about me, so let me give you a little background on Jason, the pastor. I went to seminary at Oral Roberts University, graduating in ’03 with my Masters in Divinity. The Church of the Nazarene requires pastors to complete a Course of Study and then appear before a credentials board for approval for ordination as an elder, the highest ministerial order in the denomination. I had two courses to take after graduation, which I completed just this year, and I was all set to appear before the board to be put through the fire and hopefully approved for ordination.

I’ll admit that I was nervous. I had spent a large portion of my life preparing for this interview. I did not want to screw it up. The night before the interview, I woke up at about 4 am when I heard a voice in my head say, “It’s going to be ok”.

When I woke up the next morning, those words were still in my head. “It’s going to be ok.” I reflected on the voice and quickly decided that it was God. He was telling me not to worry about the interview. It’s going to be ok. I immediately had peace. My stress washed away. I took a deep breath. I knew that God was with me.

You don’t know how much that assurance means until you start recognizing when God speaks to you. I promise that He is. How aware are you of His voice? How often do you have impulses, thoughts, ideas, etc. that turn out to be exactly what you needed and right when you needed it? Seek out God and when you have random thoughts that pop into your head, don’t just ignore them! Recognize them for what they might be and act on them. Have some faith that your God, living and active, is speaking to you daily!

Back to the story. The interview went just fine. I got some tough questions, and I answered with confidence, convinced that God was with me and “it’s going to be ok.” It was less a trial by fire as it was a validation to me that I was ready for ordination. My work and studies had paid off. The board agreed and unanimously approved me for ordination. And they all lived happily ever after.

Well, not yet. Out on the golf course 5 hours later I got a call from Pastor Jim, our District Secretary. I have some bad news for you, Jason. Bad news? Yup, Jim said. We went back and took a look at your materials and records. The ordination rule changed with the new Manual. You have to hold a district license for 3 years before ordination. You’ve only held one for two. It’s totally our mistake, he said. It was clear that he felt just awful for the oversight and for making me go through the interview process for no reason, and just for everything. Sorry, he said. We’ve looked for all kinds of loopholes, but we just can’t ordain you this year.

My first thought to all this? Was I upset? Did I get mad? Nope. One thought echoed through my mind while Jim was explaining it all to me. “It’s going to be ok.”

I finished my round, got in the car, and God and I shared a little laugh. “It’s going to be ok”. God wasn’t talking about the interview. He knew that I would be fine there. He was talking about this, the oversight that the district made. That’s going to be ok. I had peace instead of anger. I had expectation for next year rather than disappointment. I had the impression, again from God I believe, that this was my real test and I had passed.

So, next year I’ll do it again. I’ll probably have to sit through the interview a second time. I’ll be approved then, and I’ll get my ordination. In my mind, though, it’s already done. God did it in my heart this year. Next year, men will publicly recognize that. I look forward to it.

The moral of the story? Pay attention. You never know when God is speaking to you. Don’t take seemingly random thoughts or impulses for granted. Be mindful of God’s activity in your life. Ask Him to make himself clear to you. Ask Him to speak to you. Give Him permission to interrupt your life, change your plans, and lead you on the long and narrow path. He will. I promise. It probably won’t be easy, but “it’s going to be ok.”