Oct 3, 2008

Who is our focus on?



Good day!

Not alot to say this Friday, but I wanted to share this story that I ran across with all of you. So much is happening now with so many... much of it hard to understand and carry alone. The depth that knowing God gives to our lives, especially in times as this when people are literally scrambling for any kind of security, is what gives the person that knows Jesus the hope and the strength to go on each day. The "Picture" is so much bigger than we can see & the future is so much brighter than we can, as scripture puts it, "even comprehend." I will continue to pray for each of you as God leads...would you do this with me? "It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you. With arms wide open he'll pardon you...It is no secret what God can do..."

Just Push


A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" The Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinew and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock." At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains. "It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him... The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives." Romans 1:16,17 (the Message) When everything seems to go wrong, just P.U.S.H.! When the job gets you down, just P.U.S.H.! When people don't react the way you think they should, just P.U.S.H.! When your money is low and the bills are due, just P.U.S.H.!
When people just don't understand you, just P.U.S.H.!
P.U.S.H = Pray Until Something Happens

1 comment:

Nonni said...

Good word! It made me mindful of a quote that I love.
“Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan”
-John Bunyan

That term "scourge" is not one you find used very often today. I knew generally what it meant, but looked it up for fun...it means "He or that which greatly afflicts, harasses or destroys"...sounds good to me!