Christian Middle

When “Amazing Grace” proclaims, “I once was lost, but now am found,” it resonates with Christians. We celebrate ourselves as “found” people, humans transformed because they know God loves them.

But the notion of being a “found” people can easily give way to an untrue corollary: once found, you’ll never be lost again. In my experience, getting lost in the midst of one’s faith journey occurs more often that we care to realize.

Let’s remind ourselves of the biblical precedents. God parts the sea in order to save the enslaved Hebrews from the Egyptians only to have them lose themselves for forty years in the wilderness. David stands strong in his faith as he defeats Goliath in his youth, but abandons God’s commands as the anointed king in the Bathsheba debacle. Even Jesus, days after Palm Sunday’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, finds Himself anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of His execution.

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that this is my first posting in almost a year. In truth, circumstances have taxed my time in extraordinary ways of late, but when I reflect on my neglect of my writing, I realize that the root cause stems more from a spiritual laryngitis. I felt that I had lost my voice for this work.

Fortunately, I’ve learned from other lost periods in my life, that these are times that call for patience. It’s distressing to feel lost, but no matter what it feels like, the truth remains that God never abandons us. Instead, I’ve come to speculate that perhaps God even engineers these wilderness episodes. Richard Rohr insists that for us to grow and mature, God must periodically disrupt the order of our lives. By upsetting the applecart, the Lord not only gets our attention, but also clears the decks for whatever new project God plans to set before us.

I don’t mean to minimize the anxiety one feels in the midst of being lost. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me for so many of you to ask me, “What’s happened to your writing?” Even now, with the will to write renewed in me, I don’t see where I will find the time to pursue it. I know that I felt God prompt me to write this post, and I hope to begin writing again with more regularity. I also continue to have a heart for writing another book – this time a fiction set in the time of the New Testament. But these plans are vague. I have the sense that I am still somewhat in the wilderness. God is yet weaving a new order out of this present chaos.

But from this present chapter I am at least learning not to fear and resent feeling lost. As scripture reminds me, God often signals new movement with “a voice crying out in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3). Reading the whole of Isaiah 40, where the prophet proclaims a message of comfort to a broken Israel, I realize that the voice calls out from the wilderness, meaning right here beside each of us when we sit feeling adrift. The solace offered quickly turns into a call for action: “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3). God is on the move.

Let us never think: “’God has lost track of me’” (Isaiah 40:27 The Message). Instead let us remember: “God doesn’t come and go. God lasts … and knows everything, inside and out” (Isaiah 40:28) – including us when we get lost.  “But those who wait upon the Lord get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind” (Isaiah 40:31).

And so I wait to see what God has in mind for me next.

For updates on my book, or more information about me, continue to check back to this blog! I will also be frequently updating my Facebook Author page, as well my twitter account, @AuthorMcNabb, and my LinkedIn account, Katie McNabb.