The weather was supposed to be snow this morning, but all I see is rain.

This past week, I learned of my next pastoral appointment, as of July 1, 2021 – and it was a surprise to me. As part of the itinerate system in the United Methodist Church, each pastor knows the feeing when the district superintendent calls you to tell you the Bishop and Cabinet would like for you to consider an appointment to a specified church or churches. And after the call this week, Glenn and I prayerfully discerned if this was indeed the next faithful step in my ministry because it was” immeasurably more than we asked for or imagined.” (Eph. 3:20)  

In Judges 9, God called Gideon out of the wine vat where he was threshing wheat instead of squashing grapes; for Gideon was trying to avoid the conflicts around him by keeping his head down and meeting the needs of those in his care. Along comes an angel who finds a seat under a tree and calls out to him, “Mighty hero…” to which Gideon must have said, “who me?”  The angel then revealed the Lord’s plan for him and reminded him that the Lord was with him and that he was to go with the strength he had. Gideon, being faithful, agreed but… just in case he misunderstood something, he sought affirmation three times. 

I was like Gideon. “Who me?” “Ok Lord I will go but if you don’t mind, could you just affirm I am hearing you right?” And God graciously did. First with a vision. Second with a song. Third and finally with scripture that jumped off the page to me:

But have you not heard? I decided this long ago. Long ago I planned it and now I am making it happen. (2 Kings 19:25)

Too often we forget God is the potter and we are the clay of the earth. That the clay doesn’t tell the potter, “Stop, you are doing it wrong!” (ref. Is. 45:9). As I was recording the affirmations in my journal, the pages fell back to months ago when the Spirit reminded me “it’s not going to look like what you think it will.”

I was looking for snow. I got rain.

In life and in our churches, even in our denomination, we have been busy telling God what the outcome should look like and forget that we are the clay and God is the potter. Our purpose is to be shaped and formed by the sovereign Creator God who knows the plan and purpose, and what is needed to accomplish the purpose better than we do. 

And the rain? Yes, the snow serves a purpose, but rain does too by making the ground wet. The potter can not use the clay of the ground unless there is enough water added to it to make it pliable. In the Gospel of John, chapter 7, Jesus shouts to the crowd – beginning verse 37 – 

“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart” (When he said, “living water”, he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him…)

 Water is what carves through rocks and makes a passage. Water is what sends the reverberation of a single rock out in all directions. Water moves us to uncharted places of discovery. Living Water of the Spirit seals us, molds us, and shapes us to be used by Christ. 

So today, when the announcement goes out concerning my upcoming pastoral appointment, I am humbled that not only has God gone before me to shape me for this season, but that He used water to remind me life in Christ often happens in the most unexpected ways. Glory be to God.