Highly Illogical Decisions

I did something last week that Star Trek's Mr. Spock would deem "highly illogical."  I turned down an offer for a paying job so that I could spend more time and energy on a non-paying one.  It makes no sense, I know, yet I am certain it is the Lord's will.  But, even with that certainty, I find myself wondering, Why bother?  Will this writing ministry ever really get off the ground?  Will it ever make any money at all?  Will spending more time and effort produce a greater acceptance of my work?  And the more questions that bounce around in my mind, the more I hear Mr. Spock's clear, emotionless voice, "It's highly illogical."  And you know what?  He's right.  But my decision was not an act of logic.  It was an act of obedience and faith.  Faith that the Lord knows what He's doing and that He will, somehow, some way, use my ministry to accomplish good for His kingdom.  And in that decision, I am in good company.

After all, was it logical for Abraham to pack up his family and all of his belongings and start off on a journey when he didn't even know where he was going?  Not at all, but Abraham had faith and it was counted unto him as righteousness.

Was it logical for a little shepherd boy named David to go toe to toe with the meanest and ugliest giant in the land?  Hardly, yet David's story lives on to this day as a testament to what God can do when his children obey in faith.

And I doubt anyone would deem it logical for the three Hebrew children to disregard Nebuchadnezzar's order to bow down to the idol, especially when they knew the penalty for such an act was a death sentence.  Their allegiance to the one, true God had nothing to do with logic, but it had everything to do with faith.

Then, of course, there's Peter.  Stepping out of the boat in the midst of a storm-tossed sea is a hardly an act of logic.  Well-known Christian author, Max Lucado, agrees with me on this point when he said, "Stepping onto a stormy sea is not a move of logic; it is a move of desperation." (In the Eye of the Storm)  So true.  As far as Peter was concerned, he was likely to die either way, so might as well get as close to Jesus as possible.  After all, isn't that what faith and obedience is all about--growing closer to the Father.

There are times in this life where we will be faced with decisions that have logical conclusions.  After weighing out the options, determining that the choice will be in our best interest, we do the logical thing.  But is the logical thing always the right thing?  I think the Biblical accounts above prove that it is not.  Before making any decision (no matter how logical it may seem), it is imperative that we seek the Lord's will in the matter.  His will may concur with our logic, but then again, it may not.  He may have other plans for us, plans that don't necessarily make sense from our point of view.  But neither obedience nor faith hinges on our understanding.  God's plans don't need to make sense to us as long as they make sense to Him. . . and they always do.

Facing a decision today?  Don't act too quickly, even if the decision seems simple.  Seek God's will and make sure that you know where He is leading.  The Bible gives countless examples of when faith and obedience paid off.  Take God at His Word, and place the decision in His hand, determined to obey no matter what He asks.  Then have faith that it will all work out for your good so that you can "live long and prosper."  (Sorry, I simply couldn't resist!)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28