by David Jeremiah
Sometimes in life, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know. Of course, what you know is vitally important. But think of it this way: The less you know, the more important who you know becomes.
Think about some examples from biblical history:
•A New World: God wanted Noah and his family to be the ones to populate the new world after the Flood. It meant building an ark, loading the animals, collecting food, floating for 150 days, then establishing a new human order. It wasn’t what Noah knew that was important; it was only important that he “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).
•A New Nation: When it came time for God to create a people through whom to bring a Savior into the world, He chose Abraham. God told Abraham and his family to leave their home and travel to a land called Canaan where God promised to do something great through him. So Abraham left “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). It wasn’t what Abraham knew that was important; it was only important that he was “the friend of God” (James 2:23).
•A New Calling: Jesus told Andrew and Peter, James and John, and others to follow Him, that He would make them fishers of men. They didn’t know where Jesus was going, which meant they didn’t know where they were going. But they laid down their vocations and took up His. It wasn’t what the first disciples knew that was important; it was only important that they had “found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote” (John 1:45).
•A New Faith: Paul was confronted by Jesus and commissioned to carry the Name of Christ “before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Paul had been called to a new faith and had more questions than answers. It wasn’t important what Paul didn’t know; it was only important that he had come to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).
In each of these instances, people were given a new vision to consider—and very few details. But more important than what they knew was Who they knew. And the same is true when God gives us a vision for a new venture.
A New Venture
You’ve heard of “the paralysis of analysis” I’m sure. It’s what happens when we get frozen in our tracks because we realize we don’t know the answer to every question we have about the future. But wait—there is someone who knows what we don’t know, and that is God Himself. After all, if we had the answers to all of our questions about the future, we’d have no need of God. Our human limitations serve to make us dependent on Him, to bring us back into an intimate “working relationship” with God our Creator.
Do you have a vision, an idea, or a dream you believe God would bless—something that would serve people and bring honor and glory to God at the same time? There are two dangers in such a case. First, we can think we know too much—being proud about what we know without including the Who in our plans (James 4:13-17). But the second is equally as dangerous: failing to do anything because of what we don’t know and failing to have faith in the One who knows it all.
I have found three things to be important when considering a new venture in life:
1. Prepare: Discover everything I can through reading, prayer, and counsel with others.
2. Compare: If there are gaps in my knowledge, I simply say to the Lord, “I need Your guidance. I don’t know the answers to this set of questions. I don’t know the future, but I know You do. I believe You will guide and provide as I trust You.”
3. Beware: Today’s answer is usually not the whole answer. God’s plans tend to be unveiled over time, as we need to know them, not all at once.
What we know is important, but it’s not as important as Who we know. If you know God through faith in Christ, begin walking into your new venture today.
