In Over Our Heads

When God calls, He doesn’t invite us to a picnic. He calls us to go to a stiff-necked, rebellious, stubborn people. Our success is not measure by fame; it is not measure by popularity contests; it is not measured by how many people raise their hands; it is not measured by how many souls were won today. God doesn’t call us to that kind of task. Rather, God calls us to faithfulness. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). That’s the key—faithfulness to God’s call.

God calls us; He locks us in; but He never leaves us alone. He goes with us. He sustains us. That is the only assurance we have.

You know, if you think you’re going to sink, you panic. Ever since God first called me, I have lived on the verge of panic. I’ve always been in over my head. I’ve always been doing things I knew I couldn’t do. I’ve been like Peter walking on the water—always on the verge of sinking because he was doing something that took more power than he had. If he took his eyes off Jesus—off of God’s power—and looked at the storm, he would sink.

Obeying God’s call is like that. God never calls us to do something we can do in our own strength. He always calls us to get in over our heads—to move out to where we’ll have to either depend on His power or sink.

-John Perkins “With Justice For All”