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[Above: Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Modern Classic Edition, 2024—Our Daily Bread Publishing]

LEAVE ROOM FOR GOD

But when it pleased God. . . . —Galatians 1:15

 Have you learned how to leave space for God—to give him a little elbow room to work in your life? Too often, as we go about making our plans, we forget to leave a place for God to come in as he chooses. We say that this or that will happen, but none of our predictions leave room for the element of divine surprise. 

Would we be shocked if God came into our meetings, our prayers, or our preaching in a way we’d never expected? However well we think we know God, we can never know exactly what he’ll do. What we can know is that, when it pleases him, he will break in. This is the great lesson to learn—that at any minute God may arrive. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, and yet God never works in any other way.

Keep in constant, intimate contact with God, so that his surprising power may break through at any time and any place. Always be in a state of expectancy, and remember to leave room. Do not look for God to come in any particular way, but do look for him.

WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHERS

They seized Simon from Cyrene . . . and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.—Luke 23:26 

 If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us. We delight in obeying our Lord because we are in love with him. But this means that his plans come first in our lives, not the plans of other people. If the people around us do not love him, they may accuse us of indifference or selfishness. They may taunt us: “You call this Christianity?”

It isn’t indifference or independence that makes us act as we do. Many of us would probably prefer to be independent, to carry the burden of our obedience alone, never asking anyone for anything. We must learn that to obey is to be swept up in God’s universal purposes. His purpose for other people may be that they help us in his work, as Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus with the cross, or as Susanna offered him material support (Luke 8:2–3). To refuse help like this is to let our pride win out. 

Are we going to remain loyal to God and go through the humiliation of depending on others? Or are we going to say, “I will not cause other people to suffer. I will not cost them anything”? Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what you will allow to happen if you obey him.

We can disobey God if we choose; we can prevent other people from suffering. Our disobedience will bring immoderate relief. But it will hurt our Lord, and, in the long run, fail to help anyone: God has already thought about the consequences of our obedience. If we obey, he—not we—will take care of everyone involved. We need only to let him.

IS YOUR HOPE IN GOD FAINT AND DYING?

Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.—Isaiah 26:3

 Is your imagination stayed on God, or is it starved? A starved imagination is one of the greatest sources of exhaustion in a disciple’s life. To attain the perfect peace Isaiah describes, we must set our minds steadfastly on God, trusting entirely in him. 

If you have never used your imagination to put yourself deliberately before God, begin to do it now. It is no use waiting for God to come to you: you must go to him, turning your gaze away from the faces of idols. Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us, and it ought to be devoted entirely to him. If you learn to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, it will be one of the greatest assets to your faith when the time of trial comes, because your faith and the spirit of God will work together. 

“We have sinned, even as our ancestors did. . . . They did not remember your many kindnesses” (Psalm 106:6–7). If you find that your mind is not steadfastly set on God, if you cannot remember his kindness and love, drive a stake through the heart of your forgetfulness. Remember whose you are and whom you serve. If you do, your affection for God will increase tenfold, your imagination will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.

By Oswald Chambers and Macy Halford

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