Genesis 28.20-22 20 Then
Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way
that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I
come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and
this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all
that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” – St. Moses
When I was in vocational ministry (paid) I took part in
many planning meetings to set the tone and course of not only my own paid
position but also for the tone and course of the church by whom I was employed.
I learned a bunch of things and remarkably, some of them actually stuck with
me. There were two in particular that stuck somewhat better than the others: The Big Ask, and B.H.A.G’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).
The Big Ask is
what God asks of us: give Me your heart and I will give you Myself. (I always
try to capitalize my written references to Deity because I want to convey the
difference between Myself, and myself.) So when God asks me to accept
Him, the big ask isn’t mental ascent, it’s all of me for all of Him. That’s a
Big Ask.
On my part, the Big Ask is similar to what Jacob asked of
God after he’d swindled his brother Esau who was breathing threats of murder
for retaliation. My Big Ask is: Lord give
me the resources I need to meet my obligations and to live with enough
resources with an eye toward that day when I may not be able to due to health
or ???.
Jacob’s Big Ask was what I’ve been taught as a B.H.A.G.:
a big, hairy, audacious goal. After all, he’d just left his home and family, he was no more
than a boy; in the company of strangers, in quiet of the railway stations
running scarred. Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters where the ragged
people go – looking for the places only they would know. God! I need You!
For Jacob, it was fly or die. He flew. And he realized he needed more than just
his name (Liar, Deceiver) to get him through the next phase of life.
Jacob asked: “God,
if You will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me
bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house (someday)
in peace, then [You] shall be my God, and … and of all that you give me I will
give a full tenth to you.” Big ask, hairy, audacious goal: Lord I need You!
And you know what? God did everything Jacob asked and then some. Jacob had to have a new name
(Israel) and two new wives, twelve sons, and a new life; and some distance
between him and Esau. And Jacob held up his end of the bargain: he gave God
what he promised: a tenth of all he had.
These days I’m learning from Jacob. Sure my situation is
vastly different and I don’t want a new wife or any more kids but I’ll take
God’s help and all the grandkids He chooses to give me…
Lord, You who hears
prayer, and answers those who call upon Your Name: thank You for the privilege
of asking the big ask and setting the B.H.A. goals. You are in charge of it
all, and like Jacob, all You really want is my heart and my dependence upon
You. Lord, it’s Yours! Thank You that You are watching out for Your me and not
surprised by the things I ask for… amen.
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