Go and Find Out
"'How much food do you have?' he asked. 'Go and find out.' They came back and reported, 'We have five loaves of bread and two fish.' Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. Five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves!'" Mark 6:38-44 (NLT).
When God sends us to do a difficult or seemingly impossible task, he expects us to do our homework. He told his disciples to feed this massive crowd - - something that was impossible for them. But he also told them to "go and find out" how much food was available to them to do the job. Then, after they did their part, God did his.
Sometimes we are sitting and waiting for God to do a miracle for us, but he's sitting and waiting for us to wake up and smell the coffee! He's waiting for us to "go and find out" - - to take action; do our homework; develop a strategy; take the first step; get involved! THEN he will do the miracle!
We can sit and believe all day long that God will provide us with a job, but if we never search the want ads or send out resumes or fill out applications - we'll probably stay unemployed! God is waiting for us to "go and find out" - - to get off of our duffs and put our faith into action! THEN he'll come through with a job for us.
Faith does not preclude strategy and preparation, nor is it thoughtless. Jesus taught us to count the cost when we ponder major decisions in life (See Luke 14:28). We do not show a lack of faith by doing our homework or checking things out before making a decision or taking action. Forming a strategy with which to succeed does not show unbelief. It shows wisdom. It shows a "go and find out" attitude just like Jesus directed his disciples to do. Faith comes into play as we research the wisdom or foolishness of doing something. We trust God to show us the right way to go within the process of our investigation.
Hiring a new employee; making a major purchase; moving to a new geographical location; selecting a church home; becoming engaged or married - - each of these decisions should be made with faith in God to lead us, but also with strategy and investigation - - or as Jesus put it, "Go and find out!" We should go and find out all we can about the variables or people involved in making a decision while simultaneously trusting God to come through for us as we pursue his vision for our life.
A drug addict may have faith that God can deliver him from his drug habit. But if he never seeks the help he needs to overcome his addiction, he may never be free of drugs. He needs to "go and find out." A mother may have faith that despite her child's misbehavior all will be well. But if she never takes steps to discipline or counsel her child, that child may only get worse. Mom needs to "go and find out." A husband may have faith that his marriage will get better. But if he never seeks or is willing to receive the marital counseling that both he and his wife need, he may end up divorced. He needs to "go and find out." An employer may have faith that God will wake a bad employee up so he will do a better job. But if the employer never counsels his employee or provides him with constructive criticism and guidance about how to do a better job, things may only get worse. That employer needs to "go and find out."
James put it this way, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). We can sit in our easy chair all day long and believe that God is going to do great things through us, but if we never form a strategy, investigate possibilities, establish connections, or take steps to get started - - our faith is dead. Talk is cheap and action means everything.
So envision. Believe. Don't be afraid of impossible odds or situations. But never forget to "go and find out." While God may bless us despite our unbelief, it is more likely that he will pour on the blessings after we bring him the loaves and fishes.