CWL Saturday Showcase: Meet Tracy Smoak
Happy Showcase Saturday!!
This week we at Christian Women Living Magazine are introducing a wonderful new writer to the CWL team. Tracy Smoak will be joining the CWL writing team with her wonderful and encouraging content that is sure to help all of us focus on what is important as we follow Christ. Welcome, Tracy to the CWL team and look for more of her content at www.christianwomenliving.com.
God’s Geometry
Intersecting planes: From a dock, the lake’s surface reflects a tree silhouette, and underwater plants appear to bloom on tree branches. Three dimensions—water, land, and air—appear as one.
Have you ever felt an unexpected nudge to do something for someone that has caught you off guard? Perhaps you were at a store and noticed a person who seemed sad. You felt an impulse to go over to the stranger and say “hi,” then discounted the urge as weird. Or maybe you have felt a check warning you to stay away from an area or situation as dangerous.
God uses the Holy Spirit to direct our steps, and it is our choice whether or not to cooperate. However, when we recognize ways God guides us, then we feel more confident walking out instructions. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13 NIV).
God’s geometry intersects the planes of heaven, heart, and happenstance in the world. For example, in Genesis 24, the elderly Abraham tasks his senior servant with a trip to Mesopotamia to find Isaac a bride from relatives. The steward leaves Canaan and travels to Nahor, all the while wondering how he will recognize which woman among strangers will be the right choice.
The servant prays for success for his master and asks for a sign. Before he finishes his petition, the lovely Rebekah arrives with her jar. The servant tests the impression watching how Rebekah acts at the well. When her generosity and industry watering 10 camels (no small feat for thirsty animals that can drink gallons at a time), proves her character, the servant confirms her family connection and pursues the marriage contract for Isaac.
This Old Testament example shows God orchestrating events with willing hearts who seek his wisdom. The challenge today remains: pray for guidance, then act to test circumstances for confirmation.
Listening to God also allowed Joshua and the Israelites to determine successful military strategies to defeat Jericho and Ai. However, when they forgot to inquire of the Lord, deception sneaked in. The people of Gibeon sent a delegation in disguise to trick the Israelites into an alliance. They wore bedraggled clothing and led donkeys loaded with dry and moldy supplies, claiming to have journeyed a far distance (Joshua 9).
The Israelite leaders were suspicious but “did not inquire of the Lord,” so they fell for the ruse and made a peace treaty (Joshua 9:14-15 NIV). When the trickery was uncovered, the Israelites grumbled and lost some confidence in their leaders. Joshua told the Gibeonites they would live, even though the alliance was acquired under false pretenses. However, the Gibeonites would be under a curse as manual laborers for the house of God from that time forward.
Both Joshua and Abraham’s servant experienced success because they not only asked for God’s direction, but they listened daily for specific instructions and followed them. In modern society, the same standard holds true. Whether we seek healthy relationships or alliances for professional growth, being alert to holy nudges connects intersections otherwise missed. That’s being on point with God.
God sends invitations all the time for his children to respond to others’ needs raised in silent desperation. The question is will we be obedient to the call? Invitations to serve rarely come with a loudspeaker and limelight. Instead, they may sneak in, often with inconvenience involved.
Consider Acts 9 when Saul is blinded going to Damascus. Though believers cheer for God’s intervention in the life of a man who turned from persecuting Christians to one who led evangelism, we often forget Ananias and his impact on Saul.
Ananias’ invitation was this: “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying” (Acts 9:10-12 NIV).
The address “Straight Street” could be God’s sense of humor telling Ananias to walk in a straight line forward and not veer from the course ahead. This wasn’t an easy task, as Saul was one scary dude. He gained notoriety hunting down and imprisoning Christians to destroy “heresy.”
Ananias felt reluctant to pursue this “opportunity.” He said to God, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem” (Acts 9:13 NIV).
God answered, “Go!”
How many times have we been at this juncture of obedience or rebellion? We are directed to serve, but the assignment isn’t what we’d hoped. Instead of kudos and glamor, we need to do something awkward.
To empathize with Ananias’ dilemma, how would it feel if God tapped us to seek out a terrorist leader. Wouldn’t our knees wobble too? Being a disciple is picking up a cross to befriend a lost soul and bring light.
Ananias found the courage and faith to obey. He went to the house and placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were here—sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17 NIV).
Obedience bore immediate fruit; Saul could see again. Imagine the amazement and celebration in that house when one man’s obedience resulted in another’s physical and spiritual healing. Don’t we also want to be part of miracles and restoration of hope?
But are we willing to step out in faith when God calls? Particularly if the assignment is unexpected? Can we set aside our personal discomfort to see another’s pain and need?
I wish I could say I’ve been successful at this. But learning how to “hear” has developed with mistakes as well as successes. One time I had my elementary-age sons in the car with me on the way to the public library. Rain poured outside, and my attention was drawn to a man walking on the side of the road north in the direction we traveled. I felt a spiritual nudge to stop and see if he needed a ride.
Internal dialogue went something like No way! My kids are with me. I ignored the prompt and drove on my mission. A couple hours later, the kids and I returned on the same road now going south. Still pouring rain. Wouldn’t you know it but this time the same man walked south. His shoulders hunched against the sheeting water. This time, I couldn’t ignore him.
But how to test? I made do with the people with me. “Boys, I feel like I need to stop and see if that man needs a ride. Are you okay with that?” If they had said “No,” I would have respected that.
“Yeah, Mom. He looks cold.” Best discernment I could get in the moment.
I slowed and pulled the driver’s side of the car next to the man and rolled my window down a third. The stranger looked at me with rain dripping down his face. “Wondering if you need a ride?”
He smiled. “That would be great. I just got done with my dialysis treatment and feel a little weak.”
Circumstances aligned and God confirmed. I waved him to the passenger side up front and had my son in the front seat climb to the back. We drove a half mile or so as the man pointed to his turn off. He didn’t want me to know his exact address and had me stop at a cross street. Never saw him again, though every time we traveled that road, we looked for him.
With God, we want to be open to intersections he is aligning to knit hearts together and provide for needs. God’s faithful stay in math class to find the right angle and measured degree of obedience.
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“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:5 NIV).
Other faith-based devotionals and books by Tracy Smoak can be found at www.tracysmoak.com
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
