By James Wilson
Abraham Lincoln manifested the gift of commitment in the perseverance needed to hold our nation together during her bloodiest conflict. He never wavered or compromised with men of lesser faithfulness. He called for a day of prayer, fasting, and humiliation in April 1863 and the nation responded. Less than two months later the Battle of Gettysburg turned the tide of war for the union.
Commitment is a gift from God – our Abba as Jesus His Son addressed Him and encouraged us to emulate. Commitment is response to a vision delayed; it is follow-through when there is nothing apparent to be followed. It is what King David of Israel displayed for decades in the wilderness of Canaan after God said he would be king while all anyone could discern was David, a fugitive. It is most graphically manifested when he returns home to find his family kidnapped and his goods stolen. His men are likewise plundered and – because they blame his mistakes for their predicament – plot to assassinate their leader. David worships God in his fear and despair, and leads his men to recover what is theirs. Shortly after (1 Samuel 30-31) David finds God’s promise fulfilled as he is installed King over a united Israel.
Bearing this gift is not easy. Fear and frustration are as palpable as for anyone else. They are every bit as paralyzing and beyond human capacity to resist. That is how we know the gift as gift rather than a talent or exercise of character.
I have been blessed to manifest the gift of commitment. God gave me a vision for a retreat for legislators some years ago, a chance for those who knew my Lord to worship Him and enjoy one another in a quiet place. It was a chance for me and others to encourage them to be leaders of vision rather than agenda. Four years passed with one insurmountable obstacle after another blocking the path. Supporters urged me to let it go but I would have none of it. We finally hosted the first ever retreat for California lawmakers in 2013 and the fruit is still coming into the bin.
I had vision for a California Day of Repentance. In other states their governors proclaimed this; it was clear California’s governor would not. Still I met and asked him personally; when he refused I set to work on a grassroots effort. What began with one man possessed of a vision and the gift of commitment – no other resources – spread to five west coast states including the province of British Columbia and became a West Coast Day of Repentance for which the fruit – such as lawmakers telling me the Name of God is invoked in the legislature for the first time in decades and the capitol air is literally fresher – is still coming in. Anyone thinking my perseverance is a trait of my character should know I suffer from no such delusion. It is a gift of Almighty God and it matters not at all that it is not included in New Testament listings of God’s giftings. Such lists illustrate His love; they neither exhaust nor comprehend it. And God has a habit of choosing the unqualified to bear His gifts just so there can be no mistake about the source of their generation.
Dwayne is a friend of mine diagnosed some years ago with a malignant tumor over his left ear. After much prayer it became clear he would need a very dangerous surgery as God was not going to do a dramatic healing miracle. Dwayne was perfectly calm through it all. He was convinced this was all for God’s glory and that many would be won to Christ as a result. He was happy to let Abba play things out as he too exercises the gift of commitment. The fruit has been amazing.
The tumor virtually peeled off Dwayne’s brain into the surgeon’s hands; recovery time was about one tenth its expected duration. As a result several members of the medical team and two of his children received Jesus as their King. The longterm fruit is that – without further medical intervention – Dwayne has been healed of genetically linked hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol. This gift has punch.
Commitment is a gift; our frail flesh does not naturally produce it. Jesus Himself says (John 15) we can do nothing apart from Him and all things if we remain in Him. He says He will give all gifts and all power for their exercise (John 14) to those who ask. My experience says the asking is always worthwhile.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living As Ambassadors of Relationships, The Holy Spirit and the End Times, and Kingdom in Pursuit – available at local bookstores or by e-mailing him at praynorthstate@charter.net
