He's Not Safe

Yesterday, on Pentecost Sunday, I celebrated the Global Day of Prayer in our town. It was such a blessing to pray for the world in unity with believers from all over the world. I thought of many of you who have shared your GDP stories over the years. I hope it was as significant a day for you as it was for me!

One thing that made it significant for me was being reminded that God never called me to play it "safe". We spend a lot of time making sure things are "safe" in our Christianity. We call it "balance" and there is certainly a need for that. But often our pursuit of "balance" turns into lukewarm safety. Safe worship - so we don't cross the line to emotionalism. Safe prayer - so we don't get into selfish excesses. Safe adherence to the Word - so we don't find ourselves out on a limb.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not negating the need for balance or correction in our pursuits. I'm just saying that sometimes we start down one path, and end up in a box. I'm guilty of it myself. I used to be so scared of anything "emotional" that I developed a completely rational view of my relationship to Jesus. Then I read the story of the woman who washed His feet with her tears, the one who loved much because she was forgiven much. And I saw a depth of intimacy that required me to get out of my safe comfort zone. I saw emotion, pure and raw, based on love. And I saw Jesus affirm it.

That wasn't a safe action for her to take. The upper room wasn't safe either - that day when tongues of fire visited the congregation. That rational part of me would have been looking for the door - things were getting a little radical here! And yet, it was the Holy Spirit at work. His power filled the crowd, and the apostles were later called men who "turned the world upside down". Also not a safe approach.

So I have been called afresh to reject the safe life and live the surrendered life. Surrendered in worship, in prayer, in service, in Bible study and radical obedience to what I learn there. Surrendered to Him, to His corrective balancing.

As C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan, the Christ-figure, "He's not safe - but He's good." He doesn't call me to be safe either.

But the surrender is oh, so good.