Uncomfortable

"God prepare me for the war, comfort be the thing that can make a King fold." -Andy Mineo

It seriously amazes me sometimes how God will place certain things in our spirit that prepare us for something that we don't even see coming. Meanwhile we think oh its just a coincidence or it's funny that song came on that I haven't heard in awhile. I imagine God sitting back, chuckling even, as He already knows the seed that is being planted and the fruit that it is going to bear.

So let's chit chat! I remember when I first heard the song Oceans by Hillsong...I didn't like it. I know, I know, feel free to stone me and accuse me of blasphemy for disliking one of the best worship songs ever. I obviously needed to have a come to Jesus moment but I digress. I eventually fell in love with the song and obnoxiously kept it on replay while thinking of myself as the female Peter walking on water as I belted "spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would find me." As with all songs that you love, you have a tendency to play that bad boy to the point where you say I love you, I do, but I have to set you free (caw-caw). Needless to say, I played oceans out so I stopped listening to it for a couple of months and then recently I heard it on the radio. Then I heard it again mixed in with other songs and I thought to myself, "self," self said "huh?" "we need to revisit oceans" and self said "yassssss."

As oceans was dropped back in my spirit, a new song I fell in love with, You make me brave, was also on replay. I could literally feel the words of these songs tugging on my heart to the point that I started to wonder, God You're up to something aren't You? Now fast forward just a little bit; Andy Mineo has a song called uncomfortable that I legit keep on replay in my car and it has convinced me that there is a rapper on the inside of me. I listened to an interview that he did where he was asked to explain some of the lyrics from the song. The lyric that really got my attention was the first verse where he says, "God prepare me for the war, comfort be the thing that'll make a King fold." So Andy, we're on a first name basis, says the verse came about from King David's story in 2 Samuel 11. He talked about how it was custom for the King to go to war with his soldiers but it tells us in verse 1 that "King David tarried in Jerusalem," while his men were at war. As we continue to read, we see that David gets out of his bed and looks out of his window and what does he see? Bathsheba in all her glory and nakedness. He begins to lust after her and sends for her to be brought to him. He ends up sleeping with her and she becomes pregnant. Oh, I left out one minor detail...Bathsheba is actually Mrs. Bathsheba; she is MARRIED. So fast forward, King David has her husband Uriah put on the frontline at war to be killed, their baby die, and all other sorts of lovely mishaps occur. Andy says he was asking God to prepare him for where he needs to be (God prepare me for the war) even if it makes him uncomfortable because the comfort of David staying at home instead of going to war as he was supposed to, led to him falling into all sorts of temptation and sin (comfort be the thing that'll make a King fold).

So now that we're all up to speed, let's talk about being uncomfortable! Have you ever been in a position that you just felt so uncomfortable and just to make things a little bit more interesting it seemed like as you went from one uncomfortable situation, a new one popped up. You want to escape this season yet it seems like there is no way out. You think you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but no it was just the beginning of a new uncomfortable journey for you to go on. You think to yourself, "it is always something!" It feels like you can barely keep your head above water and you just want something to give because life just seems to be too much. Friend, I know it seems like it would be easier to give up then to try to pull from what appears to be the very little strength that you have left but giving up isn't an option and let me remind you why.

In 2 Samuel 11:1, it tells us that the soldiers typically went to war in the spring time and this is important to know because Israel's rainy season was usually in the winter. It was better for them to go to war in the spring when the roads were dry because ultimately the conditions were better for them to be successful. If they were to go to war out of season they would've been in conditions that would've been detrimental to them succeeding in war. So what does this have to do with you, you ask? Well you have to understand that there's a purpose in you being where you need to be. Oftentimes when God is trying to shift us to a place that makes us uncomfortable, our immediate reaction is God I don't want to have to fight this battle! We fail to realize that God is leading us there because He knows that the conditions are set up for us to be victorious. There's purpose in you being where you need to be but you're willing to abandon that purpose just because it leads you to a place that makes you uncomfortable. You have to understand that God has already set a provision in place prior to sending you to your current destination. During the winter, when it was rainy, that's when crops were planted and in the spring time those same crops were ready to be harvested which created a food supply for the soldiers who were going to war. The war was in the spring but the provision was made before they set out for war. There are seeds that God has planted in you and it may seem that you continue to encounter storms but those storms are just a part of the provision to water the seeds that are going to be harvested later on. The storms might be uncomfortable but trust that God isn't allowing you to face those storms without a purpose in mind for your benefit (Romans 8:28).

I'm sure you're thinking, that sounds all good and dandy but it's easier said then done. Trust me, I know! I have been in an uncomfortable place for months and as I'm encouraging you with this I am also preaching to myself. God has used this time to show me that Instead of fully trusting Him, I go into fix it mode and try to figure out how I can change this or that or make it right. He reminded me that Hebrews 11:1 says "faith is the substance of things hoped for but the evidence of things not seen." As He reminded me of this scripture the question was then proposed, how uncomfortable is it to walk in obedience when you have no idea what the outcome is going to be? It's not easy and it's extremely uncomfortable....but that's faith. Faith is saying God, I want to be where You are even if that requires me to be uncomfortable right now. I want to be where You are even if that requires me to be in a broken dry place that I don't quite understand. I don't want to miss out on what You have for me simply because I would rather be comfortable versus being uncomfortable and in Your will. God, prepare us for the war even if it's difficult; even if we get our feelings and egos hurt in the fighting/pruning process. We can't afford to allow our desire to live an easy and comfortable life to lead us to miss out on where God desires for us to be. I can honestly say that I have absolutely no answer for how this season is going to come together or when, even if, it will end. What I do know is in the moments when I am worried and even afraid, I'm sweetly reminded of the song You make me brave. When I'm questioning why I have to deal with x,y, or z, I'm reminded of myself singing "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders," and wanting the lyrics to be more than just a song. God knows what He's doing, I promise you He does. Trust Him in this uncomfortable season because although you may not understand, He has a plan to use it for your good. Don't get discouraged.