Sometimes the people you count on to support you will actually try to undercut you. When God gives you a vision that’s too big for them to handle, they’ll say, ‘you’re getting too big for your boots,’ and try to cut you down to size. (Usually their own size.) Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, then went home and told their father he’d been killed by a wild beast. Imagine how Joseph felt when someone asked, ‘Tell me about your family’. And betrayal happens as often in church as in secular society. When Charles Spurgeon was in his early twenties, such large crowds came to his church that the building couldn’t fit them all in. So he met with thirty of his church leaders and suggested building an auditorium that would seat 5,500 people. The story goes that Spurgeon said if any of them doubted it could be done, they should leave. And twenty-three did. But he still trusted and clung to the vision God had given him. And the result? For over thirty-five years, crowds piled into the church day and night, making it one of the most influential churches in history. It hurts when the people you expect to back you up turn round and betray you. But God won’t give you an impossible vision, or one that’s too big for you to handle, so turn to Him, ask for His help, and carry on.
What Now?
What’s the biggest vision God’s given you so far? Even if people have told you it can’t be done, ask Him to give you fresh energy and enthusiasm for it.
