Field of Dreams: Redemption's Story

Many times we hear a whisper from God, and we take action without any further instruction. We stand back and marvel at our accomplishments. All we want is for God, family, or anyone to be proud of what we did. It's then that God whispers the reason why He asked us in the first place. "Ease his pain"
My friend Andy Flannagan is an accomplished musician, medical doctor, and politician; but his real passion is redemption. I love the way he talks about what God wants when He whispers to us. Here is an excerpt from and interview he gave:

"This is a story that was the highlight of my childhood. It was a Saturday afternoon when my dad would come into the house and say, "Andrew its time for you to help me wash the car." And I would swell with pride because my dad needed MY help to wash the car. It was really a gorgeous memory until I heard a guy on a Sunday morning talking about how he'd been washing the car with his son the previous day. He said, "You know what? It was a nightmare, cause he got a stone in the sponge and he scraped the paintwork and he kicked the bucket over."......I was left thinking....Well, I was only six or seven at the time. You know I could hardly reach the bumper. Why did my dad ask for my help? I'm sure I made the process take a whole lot longer. It was only then that I realized that my dad simply wanted me to be there, because he was there. He wanted me to be getting up to what he was getting up to. He wanted me to be getting to know him and for him to get to know me in the context of a shared task. And certainly I believe, right across this world, our Heavenly Father is healing the sick, bringing sight to the blind, releasing the oppressed; and simply calls us to be getting up to what He is getting up to. Getting to know Him in the context of a shared task."

So what God wants from us, is not for our benefit, but for the world He longs to see redeemed.
"Ease His pain."
What pain? Whose pain?.....I believe God calls each of His followers to embark on a journey that causes us to be a poured out as an offering for a lost and dying world. I think Andy is spot on when he says, God will do this through a shared task, so that we may know Him better.

Below are the steps our character Ray takes when he hears the whisper, "Ease his pain." I can relate 100% to every emotion, feeling, and question Ray must have had. As I look back, I wouldn't have it any other way.

• Begins to put in the work
• Explains the decision over and over
• Arrives at a place of satisfaction that the work is done
• Marvels at the crazy decisions made, but still feels completely nuts
• Waits impatiently for something, just something to happen
• Time goes on and doubt creeps in
• He feels more alone now than before he started.
• His decision seems to have sunk the family
• To go back seems impossible, but to move forward seems deadly
• Then it happens....the decision is confirmed by a glimpse of whats to come.
• Supernatural takes over from understanding
• He enters into an undeserved privilege
• When we take one step toward God, He takes one step toward us.
• Things happen that cause him to have butterflies as if he is in a dream.
• If it hadn't happened to him, he would've never believed.
• He's done it, he's accomplished what the voice asked him to do.
• Up until now the family hasn't understood everything, but when the supernatural happens, their life begins to radically change.
• He's still not convinced as to why he decided to this, but he knows he doesn't want to experience anything else.
• They funny thing is, his extended family doesn't get it either. Out of their compassion and love for their child, they begin to condemn and question every decision he makes. They're scared, nothing else.
• Something funny happens, his extended family and friends can't see what he and his immediate family see. He begins to REALLY feel insane, but then sadness for his extended family and friends takes over.
• Then he gets another message from the whisper. "Ease his pain"
• What pain?...Whose pain?
• This becomes really frustrating.
• In the most unlikely of places, someone comes to his mind.
• After doing some research about what pain they may have, his fire reignites to bring this person relief.
• What also occurs while he is trying to discern what in the heck is going on, his spouse jumps on board by becoming his greatest defender.
• As he feels confident about what he is to do next, his spouse throws on the brakes and tries to speak reason.
• He can't explain why he has to do it, but everything in him tells him to.
• Then something supernatural happens which removes all doubt for the both of them.
• It's almost as if God is trying to prove Himself as trustworthy.
• He goes through with it, and when he arrives, his arrival is not met with a welcome. The only thing that keeps him pushing forward is his desperation to see his choices be proved trustworthy.
• He might even take drastic measures just to force wide what seems to be cracked open.
• When he finally gets through, he isn't even sure why he's doing it, but he is certain to walk forward so more light will be shone on his path.

Then it happens...the whisper says, "Go the distance."

Field of Dreams: God whispers

The scene begins with our main character who seems to be doing something that seems quite usual for him. Nothing out the ordinary, nothing strange. He is doing what he always does.
Then it happens......

"If you build it, He will come."

Build what? Build where?....
You see, much like our character, we want clear direction and clear purpose before we move into the unknown.
Over the last few year of my life, I have discovered how similarly God speaks. I've learned valuable lessons in discerning the voice of God, and although He seems cruel in His whispers, He really is showing you the utmost love.
God is not unprepared for what He is asking, we are. If He were to give us the full picture, the complete story; could we handle it? Would we even begin the journey? The question I believe He is seeking: Will you trust Him?
I learned for the first time in my life, how very little I did trust Him.
Waking up everyday, doing my ordinary life, living under the protection and provision of God, I never really needed to depend on God. I was trained from an early age to be a self-reliant. Depending on someone or some thing made you vulnerable to hurt and disappointment.
"If you want something done right, you might as well do it yourself," and I was content to lead my life the way I saw fit, just as long as I remember to play within the boundaries of morality.
February 5th, 1995, I realized for the first time I couldn't rely on my own ability to keep me from eternal separation from God. I needed Jesus Christ to be my advocate, and pay the price of eternal fellowship with God that I couldn't ever pay.
September 17th, 2011, was the day I heard the voice. I had been fed up with the life I was living. I wanted a life with purpose and meaning. So I did what any Bible believing Christian would do, I demanded that God giving me an audible word on what He wanted from me. Essentially, I came to the end of myself and told God I was done giving orders. My efforts were only producing empty successes and broken relationships.
I would love to tell you, the skies opened and a dove descended onto to my shoulder and a thunderous voice spoke from heaven, but what I heard was silence.
I was out for a midnight walk when I hoped for such a message, but even though I heard nothing, I began to feel an ease to the burdens that I carried.
A scripture verse came to my mind, but I couldn't quite remember it accurately, so I hurried inside and grabbed my Bible to hunt down the verse that escaped me.
I never found that verse, nor can I remember what it was, but I believe the verses I did find were the whispers of God.
When I began to see the pattern of the scriptures I then heard a voice well up from the depths of my heart. It said, "I've already told you what I want for your life, I even wrote it down for you, I will not repeat myself just so you will believe."
That's when I was left with no other choice. I could go back to the life that left me lifeless or I could take a step toward the will of God and truly live.
I want to recap the events that happened to Ray Kinsella, our main character, so below you will find it listed in bullet points. For me, the call to take up my cross and follow (Luke 9:23) has been exactly in line with Ray's call to build a baseball field.

"If you build it, He will come."

• the voice hits you when you least expect it

• question everything, nothing seems to make sense

• can't sleep, it consumes your thoughts

• you begin to feel a bit insane

• start to become irritable with the family, because you want concrete answers

• you feel very alone to what is happening or in your understanding

• when you tell people, they think you're nuts

• then it happens, you find the vision that has been nagging at your heart.

• nothing else seems to matter until you see that thing begin to take shape

• your spouse wants to be supportive, but she can't see what you see

• both of you begin to discuss how improbable that the voice could be real

• then it hits you....you've been living your life trying to find significance, only to find your significance could only be found by following the whisper. 

Don't wait to truly live. Call upon the name of the Lord and He will answer, but be quiet so you don't miss the whisper.

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind whipped the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire there was a still, small voice.  

1 Kings 19:11-12