In college I used to sit around with my friend Junny (his name was John-we called him Junny) and listen to cassette tapes of black Gospel music. One of the songs Junny introduced to me was called God Wants a Yes.
I hadn’t heard that song (or thought about it really) in years until this past Saturday. As I was praying and preparing for our baptism services, something triggered it in my mind. I downloaded it and listened to it 40 or 50 times throughout the day. It’s a very redundant song about saying yes to God. The choir sings one word-yes-over and over again for the last 4 minutes of the song. Holly thinks it’s boring, but I think the power of a simple yes is profound.
As I listened to it, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways God has blessed my life and the ministry of Elevation Church every time we’ve dared to say yes to Him, whether it made sense or not.
Sometimes saying yes to God requires obedience in a small thing. Like having a mildly uncomfortable one-on-one conversation. Choosing to overlook a small offense. Going the extra mile in our preparation even though no one else may ever know it.
Other times, saying yes to God is costly and risky. Like when we moved to Charlotte with nothing but the dream of a powerful church. Or when we started our second campus with less than a month lead time. Or gave our offering away one Sunday to kick off our capital campaign.
This past Sunday I watched hundreds and hundreds of adults say yes to Jesus in baptism. The whole thing was made possible by an incredible staff and volunteer force that said yes to the challenge of pulling it off.
God wants a yes. And when He gets it, His blessings are sure to follow.