Your Part, God’s Part

<p>When my friend Janice was asked to manage her department at work after just a few years, she felt overwhelmed. Praying over it, she felt God was prompting her to accept the appointment&mdash;but still, she feared she couldn&rsquo;t cope with the responsibility. &ldquo;How could I lead with so little experience?&rdquo; she asked God. &ldquo;Why put me here if I&rsquo;m going to be a failure?&rdquo;</p> <p>Later, Janice was reading God&rsquo;s call of Abraham in Genesis 12 and noted Abraham&rsquo;s part: &ldquo;Go . . . to the land I will show you. . . . So Abram went&rdquo; (vv. 1, 4). This was a radical move, because nobody uprooted like this in the ancient world. But God was saying trust me by leaving everything you know, and I&rsquo;ll do the rest. Identity? You&rsquo;ll be a great nation. Provision? I&rsquo;ll bless you. Reputation? A great name. Purpose? You&rsquo;ll be a blessing to all peoples on earth. He made some big mistakes along the way, but &ldquo;by faith Abraham . . . obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going&rdquo; (Hebrews 11:8).</p> <p>This realization took a big burden off Janice&rsquo;s heart. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to worry about &lsquo;succeeding&rsquo; at my job,&rdquo; she told me later. &ldquo;I just have to focus on trusting God to enable me to do the work.&rdquo; As God provides the faith we need, may we trust Him with all our lives.</p>