How many times have we been caught up in an overwhelming situation and cried out to God?
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 was 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
pushed 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
least 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 God. “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 friend, 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 sinewy and
brown, your hands are calloused 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.
True, you haven’t moved the rock, but I didn’t tell you to move it. I simply
invited you to push against the rock. When you obeyed my instruction, you not
only exercised your muscles, but you also exercised your faith, and learned to
trust in My wisdom. Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the
joy of your master.” (cf. Luke 19:11-27)
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.
One year at youth camp my pastor asked the kids a trick question: “Who parted the Red Sea?”
Naturally, the response was, “MOSES!”
As mature disciples in Christ, we understand that Moses did NOT part the sea.
Rather, he simply did what God told him to do. God parted the sea because
Moses was obedient and followed God’s instruction. (See
Exodus 14)
How many times have we been caught up in an overwhelming situation and cried
out to God? How many times have we done what He told us to do — in faith and
without question?
Every time we fail to unquestionably follow what God tells us directly to do,
we end up drowning in a
sea of sorrow and disappointment. (cf.
Matthew 14:22-33)
Related articles:
- I Can Do ALL Things… (secretstolife.com)
- Fearless (christyrawls.com)
