One fine day, I was looking out of the window at the wonderful world outside. There was a tree right in my line of vision, and it looked like the branches of the tree were dancing and waving of their own volition. But… They weren’t really dancing though, were they? It was all thanks to the wind. Without the wind, they would have been completely still. As I continued to stare at the tree, an odd thought occurred to me, that if someone did not know or acknowledge the existence of the wind, they would assume trees and plants had the ability to spontaneously start dancing. The thought made me smile, but also made me ponder.

Have you ever felt like you aren’t quite nailing the Christian life? Like you haven’t quite managed to crack the ‘how to be an effective Christian’ code? Perhaps you’re trying to run this race but there’s so much that seems bent on pulling you down to the floor and you’re not sure you have the strength to keep going? Maybe you’re trying hard but it just doesn’t seem enough? Or maybe you don’t feel worthy enough? Could it be that when we feel like this, it might be because we think we are trees that can dance when we want, forgetting that it is the wind that enables us to dance and wave?

The truth is that, on our own, we don’t possess the strength and wherewithal to be true followers of Jesus. Philippians 2:13 notes that, “For God is the One working in you both to will and to work according to His good pleasure”(BLB). Or as the CEV puts it, “God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.”

Reading this verse makes me realise how futile it is to assume we can live the Christian life and fulfil our calling without the help of the Holy Spirit. Or to even be a Christian in the first place without Him working in our hearts. Remember that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith! (Hebrews 12:2). God is the one who equips and strengthens us, because He is the one who has called us, and His gifts and His call are irrevocable (2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Romans 11:29). Psalm 73:26 (BSB) notes that “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” We are not worthy to even live for God, but Jesus is (Revelations 5:2-5), and He has graciously blessed us with what we need (2 Peter 1:3, Ephesians 1:6-7, Romans 3:23-24).

Self-employed people equip themselves, employed people are equipped by their employer. Just as you won’t send your child to a shop to buy something for you without giving them the information they need for that task, and the money, God will not send you out without giving you what you need for the task He has called you to do. We need God’s equipping to live out His call in our lives. Acts 17:28 (CEV) says “He gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. “We are his children,” just as some of your poets have said.” We cannot do it on our own. If we try to do so, we will fail woefully. It is like trying to power a rocket with one AA battery!

Does this mean that we are passive bystanders and cannot be faulted if we don’t live as God calls us to? Not necessarily. It is possible to be given something and not use it. You can have electric power in your house, but if you don’t switch on the lights at night, the house will still be dark, and no different from the person who does not have electricity. A child can decide to keep the money their parent has given them in their pocket, or ignore the information they were given and buy the wrong thing. On the other hand, they can choose to obey, go to the shop and use the money to buy the exact item their parent sent them to buy. God has given us the navigation system we need for life in His Word, and His Holy Spirit to empower us to follow that navigation system. But we have a choice to obey or not to obey.

A challenge we sometimes have is that we think we need more than we actually do to live the God life, and this might cause some hesitation in us. In Luke 9:1-6 (NLT), we read the account of Jesus sending out His disciples,

“One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” He instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveller’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.”

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus gave them two key things, power and authority, and that was ultimately what mattered and was needed? How many of us would be willing to go on a trip without a bag, money, food, clothes? I would certainly find that tricky. We may think that we need to pack a bag with all that stuff. But what likely ends up happening is that we start getting stressed and worried when we don’t have enough of what we feel are the requirements for the journey. But Jesus knows exactly what we need for what He has called us to do, and He gives us just that. 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT) states that “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvellous glory and excellence“. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) notes “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

What happens when we truly surrender to God and live for Him, fully acknowledging that we cannot live for Him by sheer willpower? We can look at an example of someone who really lived this God life well to find out. One such person who lived according to God’s calling and purpose, despite the odds against Him (being a captive in a foreign land, surrounded by people who worshipped other gods and were not exactly living a kind of life he could emulate) was Daniel. Daniel knew and acknowledged that it was not through his own power that He could live the life He did, rather it was only through God’s power (Daniel 2:20-23, 27-28). What is also interesting is that some of the people around him, really powerful people I might add, despite not being believers in God, also knew and acknowledged that it was not through Daniel’s own efforts that He was able to live the life He did.

In Daniel 5:11-12 (ESV), the Queen of Babylon notes (about Daniel), “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” In Daniel 2:47, King Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” In Daniel 6:16, King Darius declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, deliver you!”

King Darius knew that there was a God whom Daniel served faithfully, and so when He could not help Daniel, this king who had just signed a decree that everyone should pray to no one but him, ended up praying to God! If even unbelievers and powerful people in the eyes of the world could acknowledge God’s work and God’s hand on Daniel, shouldn’t we, who know God’s limitless power and perfection and our human limitations and frailties, acknowledge that we cannot live the kind of life He calls us to without His empowerment?

Incidentally, Philippians 2:13 is preceded by the verse that tells us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” It is worth clarifying this verse, as it is sometimes misinterpreted. The CEV translates verse 12 as, “So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved.” The Amplified version gives a helpful explanation as well. “So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].” (Philippians 2:12).

The misinterpretations of this verse are all the more reason why verse 13 remains a very helpful clarification, as it emphasises that it is not of our own power or effort that we can live the life God calls us to live. As such, the best way to live this life is to acknowledge this, humbly surrender and submit ourselves to God (Joshua 24:14-15, Matthew 16:24, James 4:7), presenting ourselves as living sacrifices. Romans 12:1-2 (CEV) notes, “Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.” Again note that it is not by sheer force of willpower that we do this, but through God’s help. If we feel we have already presented ourselves as sacrifices, we can, from time to time, examine and evaluate ourselves using the Word of God to make sure that we haven’t crawled off the altar* (2 Corinthians 13:5, Lamentations 3:40, Galatians 6:4).

What are practical things that can help us as we choose to live to the full this life that Jesus came to give us? Continuing with the example of Daniel, we can study what he did, then learn and do. Daniel had a habit of praying and giving thanks to God three times a day (Daniel 6:10), and of studying God’s Word, Promises and Prophecies (Daniel 9:2). He also had specific times he set aside to seek God’s face in humility, with fasting and repentance, either on his own (Daniel 9:3-19) or with friends (Daniel 2:18).

Daniel knew that he needed to get to know God on an intimate level, for as Daniel 11:32 notes, “those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” It was not just a head knowledge for Daniel though, it was a knowledge that completely influenced the way He lived. His life was one of such integrity that even his enemies acknowledged there was nothing they could use against him, no complaint, no grounds for any fault, nothing, except His service to God! (Daniel 6:4-5). Daniel had challenges involving threats to his life, as well as times when he felt troubled, weak, helpless (Daniel 7:15, 10:8), but he continued to spend time with God, not just talking to God, but crucially listening to God. I need to reiterate though that these should not be burdensome, but should be natural expressions of our love for God and desire for intimacy with Him.

It is wonderful to see that with Daniel faithfully doing all these, God responded in amazing ways (Daniel 2:19, 6:22, 9:21-23, 10:19). I find Daniel 9:23 (NLT) in particular so comforting and encouraging, even though the message delivered to him was not an easy one. It says “the moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.” Other translations say “for you are greatly loved”, “highly precious”, “greatly beloved”, “highly esteemed”, “highly regarded”. What a comforting reminder of God’s love and esteem that must have been to Daniel during a very difficult time. Incidentally this message of God’s love for Daniel is also repeated in Daniel 10:11 and Daniel 10:19. It appears that God really wanted Daniel to know just how loved He was.

And that is the same with us today. God loves us and wants us to know that, hence Him making the greatest sacrifice ever, sending His own Son to die for us (John 3:16). Furthermore, it is because of God’s great love for us that He enables and equips us to live for Him, which honestly, is really the best way to live on Earth. For when we listen and follow the maker’s instructions, how can we go wrong?

I pray that as we aspire to live this God life, we will remember, even during the most challenging times of our Christian walk, that we are God’s beloved and dependants. And as God’s very own beloved children, He has not left us on our own or ill-equipped to live the life He called us to live. Rather, He has fully equipped us with all we need. I pray that this knowledge will encourage us to continue to boldly live for God, and to go to Him when we feel weak and worn out. May we humbly acknowledge that like trees, we cannot dance without the wind; and like mere humans that we are, we cannot walk God’s walk without His empowerment. I pray this knowledge spurs us to earnestly seek Him in prayer, to live in continual communication with Him, listening, obeying and serving Him faithfully. As we do so, May our God whom we serve so faithfully speak, listen, and act powerfully on our behalf, in line with His will. Amen and Amen.

* “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.” – D.L. Moody.

Image source here.