Psalm 78:52 “But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. He guided them safely so they were unafraid.” The other day I wrote about the importance of taking spiritual risk. Bill Johnson says that the key to all the supernatural miracles they’ve experienced at Bethel Church is crying out to God in private, and taking risks in public. It might seem like a small thing to very visible pastors like P Bill, but for me one of the biggest risks I’ve taken has been sharing this devotional. When God first asked me to open source my quiet time, I resisted. “Can I really be authentic if I’m sharing to a broader audience? What if a founder or an investor finds my website and gets offended by some of my writing? God, is this really a good idea?” But as often happens, He didn’t reveal the full picture before inviting me along for the ride. When God speaks, I’ve learned to listen, and so I faithfully obeyed this time too. Since then I’ve received plenty of encouragement from folks, but I’ve also managed to offend some others, and even some members of our own church. I love them all dearly, and I think we’ve largely managed to reconcile, but you can imagine why I was resistant when God asked me to take another step and share the devotional on Instagram. “I’m quite comfortable leaving these posts in a remote corner of the internet. I have old friends on Insta who are going to think this quite weird. God can’t I just leave it as it is?” But again he made the invitation, and again I obeyed. I don’t claim to have the full picture yet, but just in the last week of posting I’m so moved by some of the responses I’ve received. I’ve connected with strangers and old friends, going through good times and bad. I’ve had a chance to pray and to receive prayer. Perhaps most surprisingly for me, the posts seem to be resonating with Christians and non-Christians alike. I guess God spoke in scripture to all sorts of people across different faiths, and there’s no question that he wants us all to draw closer to him and experience his love. Lord, thanks for inviting me to take spiritual risk. Thank you for guiding me safely, so I can be unafraid. I’m honored to be part of your flock. In your son’s name, Amen.