Have Faith in the Teacher…
By: Kelley Hinson
One of the most powerful lessons I learned in my Christian life came to me in a small, still, voice, not the bullhorn from Heaven, I often pray to receive. I always envisioned that once I made the commitment to serve the Lord with my life that things would get easier…clearer… with a much more direct line of communication with Him. The pictures in my mind came in flashes, fragments, and pieces. They were grand and colorful. The only problem was that they didn’t come with step-by-step instructions. The “why” was clear, but the “how” …well, that was to be determined. I wanted God to tell me what to do. I prayed for it, and I needed reassurance as I made these leaps into the unknown. I needed that “bullhorn from Heaven”, that loudspeaker in the corner of my mind, I needed the Holy Spirit to do the work for me. As my mind wondered through my quiet time with the Lord, I began to receive my answer in a gentle quiet flow of thought.
I started to think about my time in school. In the different subjects and classes, we would always receive teaching and preparation. For example, Math…my most challenging subject. We would get the verbal or written examples from the teacher and be shown how to work the problems. Then we would be given homework to work through on our own to practice these new skills we were given. Usually, these things came in steps and progressed as you became more comfortable and skilled at solving these problems. Once you worked through everything there was always the inevitable test of your knowledge. You were unsure of what awaited you on that exam and your faith rested on the teacher that taught you the material you studied so diligently. One thing we seldom thought about was what it was the teacher wanted for us. We would often grumble and complain about their tactics, the difficulty of the assignment, or how we were going to get through this subject. How well you did, most assuredly, rested on the shoulders of the teacher. Did you study enough, retain enough, practice enough, to get you through this test? Their hope was that you were obedient and did your assignments. Your score depended on it.
The teacher did not and would not do the work for you. She or he gave you what you needed to be successful, but it was up to you to study the material, practice its teaching, and apply the principles. They were always present in the room, but they wouldn’t stand over your shoulder and give you the answers…you took the test. What was the reason the teacher did things this way? To help you grow in your knowledge and skill set. To help you to get through this level and go onto the next, where bigger and more complex problems awaited you. To help you think, act, and respond at a more mature level, to move on to the goal of graduation.
God does the same thing in our spiritual lives. He gave us His written Word to prepare us, to work through and study. To take it all in, allow it to mold us and propel us. Practice it and apply it to our lives. He wants to prepare you for the inevitable tests that come. The ones that you have no clue what is going to happen. The ones that Jesus warned us about (John 16:33). He wants you to have faith in the teacher and what He has taught you. We cannot gain the knowledge to think like Jesus, act like Jesus, or respond like Jesus if we are not prepared to do so. We cannot take on the unknown of this world if we don’t inhabit the skill set. We have, inside of us the indwelling presence of God, that still quiet voice, the ever-present teacher, and He has given us the tools to be successful. His Word is written on our heart (Jeremiah 31:33), but it is up to us to think, act, and respond through the test. He won’t take the test for us, but He is preparing us for the goal of eternal life with Him. To be in the presence of His Glory as He intended “In the beginning”. Where there is no pain, no struggle, only peace…the big test… passed.
