God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

-- I Peter 5:5-7 (NIV)

Followship

(Part Four)

Yieldedness

The historical accuracy of George Washington’s prayer at Valley Forge, in the winter of 1777-78, is unknown, even though several men including the Marquis de Lafayette are said to have witnessed it.  Yet, the legend depicted in Arnold Friberg’s famous painting is consistent with what is known of the man, and the later prayers that he offered for his country.  They are a part of his legacy.

What is notable is the power of Washington’s well-known humility before God, as he and his troops were reeling from battles lost to the British at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown.  One can only imagine the questions he must have asked of God in the anguish of his broken heart over the loss of thousands of good men, and the occupation of Philadelphia by the enemy.  What next?

When things in life do not work the way they are supposed to, we often say that they are broken.  That is true of things, and it is true of people.  We have a love, a dream, or an opportunity, and we start out with great hope in the success of the relationship or venture.  Often, things do go well for a while.  Then some opposing force interferes, or something turns, twists, changes, or stops – everything realigns under a new reality. 

For most people, that is not the end, but the beginning.  For a while, the metaphor of the broken heart seems descriptive.  But, eventually, most of us look to the question of what to do next.  In our brokenness we may turn to God as He uses events to get our attention.  So, our “Why?” and “What next?” questions are directed to Him as even that relationship is strained and realigned.  His answer?  Yield.

You may not like that answer.  Yielding means giving up, giving over, and giving in.  To yield is to succumb to overwhelming opposition, to relent and withdraw, to sulk and lick wounds.  Right?  Yes, and it can also mean gain, increase, earning, and production of value as the result of investing time, talent, and treasure in the cause of another. 

In the seventh chapter of Joshua, we have the story of Israel’s defeat before the city of Ai.  Encouraged from their victorious experience at Jericho, Joshua sends some men to scope out the city, and they return with a positive report.  We know how to do this war business.  We can handle this smaller town. 

Without checking with God, without seeking His guidance, listening for His voice, or yielding to His plan, Joshua arrogantly takes the responsibility upon himself and sends a small force of 3,000 to handle the city.  No problem.  No need to bother God about it.  Let the rest of the camp take it easy for now.  The next thing that Joshua knows, his troops are returning bloody and broken.

Here he revels in his anguish.  Forgetting all about the hand of God in the escape from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the trip with Caleb to Canaan, forty years in the Wilderness, crossing the Jordan, and the fall of Jericho, he enjoys an angry outburst as he literally wallows on his face in the dirt and tries to pass the blame to God.  What is God’s reaction?

What are you doing down there?  Get up!  Now!  You haven’t been paying attention, there is work to do!  We are going to deal with it and go forward – back to Ai!  Back to the place of defeat.  But this time we are going to do it My way.

Joshua yields and, in this sense, his yielding is about being fertile, about doing what he had been designed and called to do even in the face of lifelong adversity.  Yieldedness calls for us to get up off our faces, humbly rising from our place of brokenness to go forward in His strength, to His honor, and for His glory.  God cannot lead us forward until we have yielded to Him. 

Perhaps that means going back to your Ai.  Perhaps that means going in a direction that is new and unforeseen.  Wherever you are going from this place, it will become a monument to God’s direction in your life that will be a part of your legacy – the story that is told of you when you are gone.  God is calling for you to go forward with your whole heart devoted to Him.  How will you respond?

Next time we will look at the matter of wholeheartedness.