Good morning! This morning as I write to you, I have felt that I needed to address those of you who feel stuck in a rut. Think about the way many of us describe our days and our work: “The daily grind,” “the rat race,” and “keeping your head above water.” For many people the call of their life has become a burden and has lost its joy.
The longer I walk with God, the more I see that often times He puts me in a holding pattern. It is important to remember that God sees everything. His vision is not limited to here and now. We on the other hand can only see here and now and what is behind us. The Bible gives us many great truths about waiting upon the Lord. Today I wanted to focus in on this verse from Isaiah:
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Wow…what a great promise! This verse certainly sounds good, but how does this really work? I want to paraphrase for you an email story I received several years ago that I think sums this one up very well.
God appeared to a man one night in a vision. During this vision Jesus told the man that everyday, all day long, He wanted the man to push on a large boulder in front of his home. In obedience the man went out every day and pushed against this large boulder. Hours upon hours he spent pushing against this boulder and in all types of weather.
After a number of years, Satan paid the man a visit. “You fool!”, Satan said, “You have been pushing this boulder for years and it still hasn’t moved. You’ve wasted your time, God has forgotten you!”
The man began to reflect on all Satan had said. He became dejected, because he had invested so many years of his life into pushing against this boulder, but truthfully, the boulder had never moved. So he began to cry out, “Lord why are you ignoring me?” “Why have you abandoned me?” “Why have allowed me to be in this position?”
That night God appeared to the man once again. As the man began to complain about his situation, Jesus stopped him. “Look at your legs,” God said, “See how muscular they have become. Look at your back, the broadness of your shoulders. Look at your arms how well defined and strong they are.” God then told him, “If you will remember, I never called you to move the boulder, I simply called you to push against it. By your obedience you have become stronger and more developed. I am the one who moves the boulders.” At that, God removed the boulder from this man’s life.
Why has God allowed you to remain in your situation? Maybe he has allowed finances to be tight, to make you a better manager of resources. Maybe he has allowed that bothersome individual to remain in your life to instill patience. Maybe he has allowed you to stay in that job to build endurance. Eagles don’t immediately fly they have to strengthen their wings.
If you find yourself in a holding pattern today, instead of asking God to remove you from the situation, ask Him to teach you through the situation. Ultimately God will take you through or He will cause you to rise above…but you must be willing to wait patiently upon Him and His perfect timing.
Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
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