Isaac Potts was a local grain farmer near the camp in Valley Forge. Washington ordered the local farmers to deliver some of the produce that they farmed to the soldiers encamped here. He told this story to a friend who later published it:
'There,' said he, 'laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods & to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world.
'Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying.[1]
The time of surrender had come. Even though he should’ve turned to Jesus in the first place, he realized no time was better than the present. The outcome of the war wasn’t quite clear to Washington at that time, but he knew one thing: It was now in God’s hands.
We face our battles daily. We are the general and the army. Anything that is accomplished will be by our hands only. It is difficult to take the power out of our own hands. Nobody likes being a bottom feeder. I don’t know about you but I enjoy being in charge. Isn’t it everybody’s dream to be their own boss? Nobody to answer to. Come in late whenever you want and leave early or not come in at all. Choose how much you get paid and when you take vacation! Everything is peachy until a disaster happens. Then who wants to be in charge? During 9/11, would you have wanted to be the captain of the NYFD or NYPD? I sure wouldn’t! Would you have wanted to be the President of the United States or Mayor of NYC? No Way! Who really wants to be in charge during a disaster like this? Hurricane Katrina gave me no reason to want to be in charge of the American Red Cross or the Governor of Louisiana. So tell me, why is it that you want to be in charge when your wife leaves you? Why do you want to be the one calling the shots when you lose your job and can’t pay the mortgage? Is it an enjoyable opportunity? If there was ever a time that your job or your marriage or your drug addiction should be given to God, this is the moment! It is called “surrender.” It’s a popular song that we hear during the invitation of a church service. “I surrender all, all to thee my precious Savior, I surrender all.” Is it our practice?
John 3:30 tells us very simply “He must increase but I must decrease.” Ok, I never really was great in high school english and grammar. However, that word located smack dab in the middle of that verse seems to be important. He must increase BUT I must decrease. This tells me that either He (Jesus) or I (Myself) will increase (call the shots) or decrease (take orders). That word, though small in stature, is great in meaning. It’s either/or. Christ calls the shots or I call the shots. We can’t both be in charge. I’m wanting a revolution in my life but first I have to realize who is in charge. Our goal is for our heart to be revolutionized. When a disaster occurs in our life, we want God to be the first one that we turn to. This can only happen if He’s calling the shots and this can only happen if I decrease and Jesus increases. Washington didn’t know if his army would last another day. He found himself in the wilderness, knelt down in the snow with a sword in one hand and his hat in the other. The horse that he rode on was standing behind him observing. Washington’s knee was wet and cold yet at this moment, he took himself out of the equation. He relayed this idea to his Heavenly Father: You must increase but I must decrease. I’m not sure if these were the words he used, but I’m sure of the concept. A war is being fought and he realized he wasn’t ready to be in charge.
What is it that you haven’t put God in charge of in your life? This has to be surrendered to Him. You know, even if a crisis hasn’t happened in that area of your life yet, it will. Do you think it makes sense to surrender your marriage to God before a disaster happens in it? What about your job? Your children? Your habits? Your behavior? Your relationships? A revolution needs to occur in your heart and it is a step by step basis. Here is step one: Surrender EVERYTHING to Jesus Christ.
Another solid chapter. The only suggestion I would add is maybe when comparing the He must increase, I must decrease is to use the analogy of a scale. If one goes, one must go down. We can not increase and He increase also. Every step toward self-sufficiency is a step away from the Savior.
ReplyDeleteGood deal... I like it... I'll make the adjustment! You want listed as my co-author too?
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