Reset
by Mark Buckley
Founding Pastor
Recently, I was on a social distancing hike in the desert with a young lawyer named Mike Roberts. We wound our way along the rocky trails through the cactus as we talked. Mike was behind me, as we went over a ridge into an area where I seldom hike. We both paused as I came to a fork in the trail. The right fork led to a ridge top where other hikers were walking. The left fork headed alongside the mountain before going up.
Normally I hike without much thought to my direction in our mountain preserve, because most of the trails eventually wind back towards the trailhead. I am cautious now because I want to avoid other hikers. I was trying to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit in the simple decision before us. With no hesitation in my spirit, I chose the left fork of the trail and headed down the path through a small wash. Before we could resume our conversation, I heard a shaking sound that barely registered in my brain. Mike yelled, “Snake!”
I bolted ahead for twenty yards, before stopping to look back. A large rattlesnake was coiled up three feet from the trail. It had been close enough to strike me. My heart pounded as I stared at the snake. Mike dashed up to me. I cautiously backtracked towards the snake with my phone ready to get a picture. The snake uncoiled and slithered past a cactus, and into a hole. We continued our walk and shared snake and scorpion stories. (Desert living provides opportunities for encounters with unique creatures.)
Afterwards, I pondered the experience. I had purposefully sought guidance at the fork on the trail. The sense I had from the Spirit led me towards the rattlesnake.
Many people assume that, if the Spirit is leading you, then your path should be peaceful, mellow, and safe. That is not the biblical pattern of guidance. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The apostles were led by the Spirit to preach boldly, even when arrests and beatings awaited them. Joshua was led by the Lord into one battle after another in the promised land.
Following the Lord brings a great reward, yet it is not an easy path. At times he leads those he loves into lion’s dens, fiery furnaces, jail cells, and stormy seas. We can choose to stay safe, or we can choose to follow the Lord and let him lead us through adventures that shape our destiny. Spiritual Goliaths are intimidating people and situations. Yet, every Goliath we slay brings a spiritual promotion.
The word I hear the Spirit saying right now is Reset. Many of us have been pruned, disciplined, and humbled by circumstances beyond our control these past months. We have made changes in our lifestyles and experienced a new humility in our hearts. It is futile to blame politicians, or China, for the virus that has come to our land. Since we cannot be sure what the future will bring, all we can do effectively is determine how we will live today. We must make the best use of our time right now.
When my computer goes too slow, I shut it down and do a restart. The restart enables it to reset my programs and resume again at a good pace. We are not computers, but many of us were living our lives without accomplishing things we really wanted to accomplish. The clutter in our lives was choking our fruitfulness. Like a computer, it is difficult to fulfill your purpose if you get stuffed with too many cookies. A reset does not mean we will avoid rattlesnakes on the path of life. However, a reset can help us to eliminate things that are fruitless, so we can fulfill God’s destiny for our lives.
The suffering of those who have lost loved ones, businesses, and jobs these past few months has been immense. In spite of this, I hope many of us will look back on this quarantine as a reset that brings us a new season of fruitfulness. Jesus said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you (Luke 10:19).