I’m reading Franklin Graham’s book, Rebel With A Cause. In it there is a chapter titled “God Room,” in which Graham describes some of his experiences with Bob Pierce, and what Pierce taught him about God room. Here’s how he describes it.

“What do you mean?” I asked him once when he started talking about “God room.” He gave me a glance that was close to disgust, almost as if to say, “Don’t you know?” He took a deep breath and sighed before he said, “‘God room’ is when you see a need and it’s bigger than your human abilities to meet it. But you accept the challenge. You trust God to bring in the finances and the materials to meet that need.

“You get together with your staff, your prayer partners, and supporters, and you pray. But after all is said and done, you only raise a portion of the resources required.

“Then you begin to watch God work. Before you know it, the need is met. At the same time, you understand you didn’t do it. God did it. You allowed Him room to work.”

Franklin Graham, Rebel With A Cause

Graham’s book is full of “God room” stories – for hospitals in war-torn countries, refugees in crisis, remote populations unreached by the gospel, and ministries in developed countries. As he described this principal of how God works, it resonated with me. After all, isn’t there always a gap between finite humans and infinite God? And isn’t that gap where God does His best work? Isn’t that gap where Jesus is?

As I pondered “God room,” I thought perhaps a project I’m involved with for a local ministry would be a good place to put it to the test, so to speak. But on God’s prompting I realized my character is where “God room” is happening in my life. Certainly if ever there was a gap between resources and the desired outcome, this is it! The more I become acquainted with God’s kingdom of love, the more I see my brokenness and my deeply fearful and selfish condition. And the wider the gap appears between me and the way God describes Himself and His people.

I have wanted so badly for God to tell me up front what He’ll do in my character. I have given up on being loving and humble and gracious because it is SO FAR from reality. But now I think, maybe God allows me to see the dire condition of my character as an invitation to step into God room.

To become a Christian – to follow and believe Christ – is a bold move. As a Christian I make claims about who I am that seem completely unfounded in reality. I say I am a new creation, an actual child of God Himself, a chosen one. Sometimes when I hear these old sayings with new ears I realize just how wild and crazy that is. And I see how far my character is from God’s kingdom of love.

But God, with His glorious, unlimited resources, empowers me with inner strength through His Spirit, to trust Him, and to experience His love, which makes me complete! (see Ephesians 3:14-21) This is God working, in His “God room.”

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21, New Living Translation

I can live in the human room, or I can live in “God room.” Only by God’s grace can I move into God’s room, and He decides what and how to provide. Graham said Pierce had a terrible temper that never went away. I don’t get to decide which rough edges God will smooth in my character.

God, the more I know You, the more I am ok with You deciding what happens in the God room. (Of course God decides! It’s His room). I am content just being there with You. What an intoxicating combination of peace and power, gentleness and glory, and intimacy between infinitely different beings. Only with God could safety and wildness coexist so richly.

Graham said Pierce reminded him of these words of Jesus: “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8, NLT)

I have spent so much time trying to get what I want, when God is working somewhere else. This is spitting into the wind. I don’t want to spit into the wind, I want to move with the Wind. And last I checked there is a mighty gale and simultaneously a gentle breeze blowing in this mysterious place of belonging I now call “God room.”

Photo by Guy Kawasaki from Pexels