Will You Come

This article is written by my daughter, Katie Jacobsen, for ‘Around the Fire’, a newsletter published by Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch where she is employed. She has not had an easy journey, and yet through that journey she has gained wisdom and maturity. I am blessed to reprint this article for you here.

Our God is an initiator; He won’t leave any place untouched within you.

He will keep knocking. He will keep beckoning. He will keep whispering your name until He has captured your whole heart. Back in January, He called me to go deeper with these words, “Katie, there’s this door we need to open—this pit we need to step into. It’s going to be painful, but I promise, in My time, that pit will become a well of My living water. It will hurt enough to feel like an end—but beloved—it’s actually a beginning. I make all things beautiful in My time. Let Me make this place in your heart new. Will you trust Me?” 

He said it with such intention. Words like these, invite us to allow Jesus to willingly turn our world upside down as He says, “Let Me empty you of this place, so I can fill you back up with My Life.”

The results attract us, the places we want to get to. It’s the process—the upheaval—that challenges us. Upheaval is something that comes from deep within. It has less to do with our circumstances and more to do with the state of our heart. It can be described as a disruption, a disturbance. It causes disorder and agitation. It’s difficult to embrace and easy to run from. But, upheaval is something Jesus asks us to endure, something He desires that we’ll trust Him with.  He appeals to our heart because He knows the thing we won’t deal with—is the same thing—that steals our freedom.

And He paid such a great price for us to be free.

We can decide to build our life on God’s goodness, to hold fast to the truth that He is a good, good Father. I’ve come to believe that when God asks us to allow Him to break something open inside, it’s always so that He can plant something. He uproots places of pain, fear, anger, self-protection, etc., so that He can plant life.

If you’ve been feeling that disorder, that agitation, it’s not to shame you . . . it’s to heal you.

The upheaval is not to break you down; it’s to break you open.

 It’s His persistent loving intention for you that moves Him to keep knocking on that specific door of your heart. The question is . . . will you let His light shine into that place?

He beckons us to be people who are brave with our lives. We must realize that in pursuing His bravery, ‘convenient’ isn’t really a word that’s going to get us where we want to go. Convenience rarely leads to faith.

Let us not be like Moses’ generation who—despite God’s continuous provision—looked at their surroundings and said, “If only we had died in Egypt or even here in the wilderness. Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Instead, let’s be like the Joshua and Caleb generation who saw giants in the land and still—with courage—chose to stand and say ‘YES’ to everything God asked.

My challenge for you is this: take time to listen . . . invite Jesus to speak.

Where in your life has Jesus been asking you to go deeper still? Are there places you’ve not let Him touch? In His relationship with you, where is He saying, “If you’ll allow an upheaval, if you’ll endure it for My sake, I will come into that place—in My time—and I will deal bountifully with that part of your life.”

Allow Him to uproot, so He can plant life in you, in your relationships, in your ministry.

Isaiah 58:11-12 says, “The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and will give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up. And your cities which were destroyed long ago will be built again. You will set up the stones of the bases of the old buildings. You will be called the one who builds again the broken walls, and who makes the streets on which people live like new.”

Trust your life to His goodness and stand with courage. For we serve a God who doesn’t lead us where HE doesn’t go. And rest assured, giants only dwell where destiny is promised.

Comments

  1. Mj says:

    So blessed by this Bruce. I see that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and am overjoyed to see that Katie is growing in her trusting God and maturing spiritually…an example set by both her parents. On days when I feel like a dinosaur in the world and wondering if I will ever catch up with technology etc., that the youth is so savvy with, I am also blessed by their progress and forward momentum that leaves me in their wake. Today, I feel the same way reading Katie`s article. It is telling of her spiritual maturity and deepening relationship with God. Once again I feel left behind in the dust…a dinosaur in the faith…but overjoyed by her youth and her progress and only want to cheer her on! It gives me courage to continue in my own walk. Thanks for sharing :-)!

  2. Bruce Jacobsen says:

    Thank you, Mj. There is nothing that blesses me more than to see God’s hand on my children. Each of them in their own way delights my heart. Her insight and wisdom have come through the tribulation and discovery in her own walk with her Lord and Savior. Such understanding will carry her well throughout her life.
    Bruce

  3. Betty Gutierrez says:

    Wow this is perfect timing to say the least! My heart needed this and is blessed on so many levels ..beyond comprehension and description. THANK YOU for sharing this, May God continue to bless all that you do for His glory in Jesus name.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.