by Richie Fike
I can remember being a young man with great ambition. I remember the dreams. I remember the angst. I remember the fear. I remember the insecurity. I remember the passion. I remember the questions.
“Which direction should I point this passion?” “How can I get someone IMPORTANT to pay attention to me?”
“How do I get where THEY are?” “What if nobody ever hears the music within me?”
So much of life is about embracing the brilliance of God. How can it be that this great and powerful being who holds the mountains in place, causes the oceans to rage, numbers the stars in the universe and quiets the storms of Earth could be so intimately involved in crafting the heart of every man?
We are fearfully and wonderfully made. And we are singular.
You are singular.
People have asked me, “How do I get to where you are?”
I am the Worship Pastor at The Chapel on the Campus in Baton Rouge, LA. I am also a songwriter for Integrity Music, and one of the members of FIKE, the worship band we travel with in an effort to share the ministry and music that’s blossoming around us.
These platforms are results of one activity: faithfulness.
Faithfulness is not sexy. It is not exciting. It’s not visible to the masses. It’s often unpleasant, arduous, grueling and gut-wrenching. Faithfulness is the proving ground for your calling. It’s the place where your resolve is tested. It’s the place where your identity is refined. It’s the place where your destiny is less important than your obedience. Faithfulness is everything.
The Word says that if we will be FAITHFUL with the small things, then He will reward us with more. But, if we are being faithful with the small SO THAT we can get the reward, then, in fact, we are not being faithful to the small. We are being faithful to the reward, and the reward isn’t even ours. So, we will never get the reward, because we weren’t faithful with the small. Make sense?
God is compelled by surrender. Why? Because what He wants for us is better than what we want for ourselves. And, He wants what’s best for us… HIM.
Back to the question asked of me: “How do I get to where you are?”
The answer is a bit of both good and bad news.
The bad news is that there is no formula for any of us. There is no clear, definable, inexhaustible path to success that will work without fail for everyone who wants it. No, you have to carve your own path. You have to find God’s vision for your life and surrender to it with all you’ve got.
The good news is the same. There is no path. If there were, you’d be last in line, because you’d only be the latest person to find it out. So, the countless others before you would likely keep you from ever getting to the front of the line.
I truly believe that God’s plans for your life are better than your imagination could conjure. God, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than anything we could ask or imagine, is waiting for you to entrust your life to His glory. No eye has seen, nor mind conceived of the glory of God. How precious are His thoughts towards you.
You are singular. There has never been nor will there ever be another you.
What is it that’s stirring in your soul? What is it that’s keeping you awake at night? What is it that breaks your heart? Your vantage point is uniquely yours.
Just to temper the grandeur a bit, keep in mind that your ‘platform’ may not ever be on par with that of your heroes.
It cracks me up that my song, “We Believe” is known by hundreds of thousands of people. Yet, I am not. Most people think that the Newsboys wrote that song. They’ll never know my name. There are people in my own church who are continually surprised to find out that I wrote that song.
But, “We Believe” has found its way into the hearts and lives of God’s people, because that’s what HE wanted to happen.
Faithfulness to God’s call on your life will yield the results God is imagining. Stillness is the posture of freedom. Busy-ness is the posture of control. Obedience is the posture of faithfulness.
Yes, you are singular. But, God sees us all. He is the one who knows best when and where to utilize your singularity. Surrender your heart to His dreams. Yield your ambition to His sovereign intricacy.
Ask yourself what matters most to you, God’s dreams for your life or your own…
You’ll be amazed what big things God can do with a little faith.
