When God Overcomes Logic

“It escapes all logic. We aren’t able to understand all things. It is a matter of faith…to trust that God is in control.”

-Tom Hughes

Thank God for Spotify.

On a horrendous flight home from a church planting conference in Florida, I was convinced my plane was going down in flames. The turbulence was enough to make even the bravest tighten their seatbelt just a little bit. Surely God wouldn’t take out an entire plane of pastors, right?! Not one to be overcome, I pumped “Eye of the Tiger” in my earbuds and imagined I could keep the aircraft afloat with sheer willpower. The rhythm distracted me enough to keep me from rolling on the floor, uncontrollably sobbing and yelling, “WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!”

With the right song, I can conquer any obstacle-

Plane crash? Eye of the Tiger.

Sad day? Happy by Pharrell.

Tired? Any 80’s pop will do, but particularly Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”

Going for a run? Thumping’ beats. Period.

Last week, with unusually warm weather in December, I took advantage of the chance to run outdoors. I laced-up my shoes, did a quick evaluation of my course, and got after it. Spotify cued up on my phone, I realized I hadn’t changed the Spotify playlist for #theFives from my prayer time earlier that morning. Discouragingly, the song playing was more appropriate for a deep winter coma than the dubstep I needed to reach a good heart rate. As I started to switch playlists, something inside stopped me. “Stick with this one,” rang in my head. It was “Fall Afresh” by Bethel Music. Kicking it into gear, the pavement felt good and solid under foot. Head held high, the rhythm of my feet outpaced the song singing in my ears that was coming through slow and methodical.

Just listen…

“Awaken my soul, come awake
To hunger, to seek, to thirst
Awaken first love, come awake
And do as you did, at first.

Spirit of the living God come fall afresh on me
Come wake me from my sleep
Blow through the caverns of my soul, pour in me to overflow”

Something strange happened as I listened-

This slow song energized me more than any fast song ever had.

“Awaken” became my prayer, breeze in my face, sweat on the small of my back. It made me reflect on all the times I have felt ordinary, unimportant, or dull. God reminded me that He can peel back those layers. My faith is vibrant and alluring, but not always. The ebb and flow of life can slowly eat away at our souls and we may need God to awaken our heart’s emotion- our hunger, our thirst, and our curiosity. We need to throw off the restraints of responsibility and embrace newness.

“Remember the first time you felt God move?” I whispered to my heart. “All those years ago? THAT is how you were created to exist.”

As the lyrics played over and over, the lightness of God replaced my heavy responsibility as mom and wife, my feet rushing further along the path. I prayed for a fresh filling from God, my first love. He filled every nook and cranny of my soul, satisfying my crave for His affection.

Before I knew it, I felt revived and refreshed as the song slowly faded. I met the one-mile marker on the trail and clicked my stopwatch.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I just ran the fastest mile I had ever run!

The slowest song produced the fastest results. It didn’t make sense!

When we agree to follow God’s path, we are agreeing to overcome logic-

Die so you can live.

Embrace weakness to become strong.

Telling others about Christ, sometimes through silence.

I am a part of a national prayer movement called #theFives.

We get up at 5am, 5 days a week, for 5 weeks.

I should be EXHAUSTED…

But I am not.

I stopped needing naps during the day (my addiction to sleep is a story for another day.) My body and mind are more energized than every before, yet I am rising earlier than ever before. I feel more alive than ever! My walk with God is off-the-charts; the fruits of the spirit- patience, gentleness, kindness- are mine in abundance; life literally looks and feels different. God overcomes all logical arguments when He challenges us to the new. His ways don’t always make sense and His methods may appear counterproductive, but we must trust Him with the process.

I know there is a tugging at your heart to take a risk today. God doesn’t want your same-ol’-same-ol’. He craves newness for you and 2016 could be your chance to experience it! If your New Year’s resolutions include more of God, then it’s time for you to defy logic. Sign-up today, even if you are scared and especially if you are hurting.

Let’s watch God overcome logic together. Sign up today for #theFives HERE.