We tend to imagine that if we obey Jesus Christ, he will lead us to great success. We must never confuse our dreams of success with God’s purpose for us. God’s purpose may be exactly the opposite of our dreams. We have an idea that he is leading us to a specific end, a desired goal. He isn’t. To God, the question of achieving a goal is incidental. What we consider training and preparation, God considers the end. It is the process, not the goal, which is glorifying to him.
What is my dream of God’s purpose? His purpose is that I depend on him and his power, and that I depend on them now. If I can stay calm and unperplexed in the middle of turmoil, I’ve already reached the end of God’s purpose. Amid life’s storms, Jesus wants me to see him walking on the water, with no shore in sight, no finish line, no promise of success, and to have the absolute certainty that all is well, simply because I see him walking.
God is training us to obey him in the present moment, and to leave all other considerations alone. We have no control over what happens after we obey; we go wrong when we start dwelling on the “afterward.” God wants us to see that he can walk on the chaos of our lives right now. If we have a further goal in view, we are not paying enough attention to the present. But if we make obedience the goal, we will find that each moment as it comes is precious.
