Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Have you ever been frustrated with the path you are on in life and seemed like you were going no where? The other day while travelling from Bowling Green, Kentucky to White House, TN, my wife and I were slowed down to bumper to bumper traffic for what seemed to be miles of waiting. The interstate had been shut down and all of the traffic was redirected to a nearby highway. Immediately, we began thinking of all of the alternate routes that we could take to try to bypass the situation. Our impatience and determination to get ahead of everyone took over because we were ready to be home. It was late at night, and we really wanted to rest and relax at home. Instead of waiting with everyone else on the detour to another exit on the interstate, we decided to keep moving faster down the road. Our friends were behind us and sat through the traffic.
After some consideration on our own, we headed down the highway where there was no traffic. The only problem was that we drove about 20-25 miles out of the way. While finding ourselves in the midst of nothing but roads and farmland, I decided to call our friends who had sat through the traffic. They had made it back to the interstate and were 10 miles down the road. We would have been in front of them if we had waited in line with everyone else. With wasted gas and wasted time, we were left frustrated, tired and ready for bed.
Does this sound like your spiritual life? Are you always trying to get ahead of God instead of waiting for Him to deliver you in the right time? It is so easy for us to lose the discipline of waiting on God and try to make things happen in our own power. This sounds a lot like the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years, because they didn’t have the faith to believe that God’s way was the best way. God used the wilderness to teach them to move when He told them to move and stay put when He told them to stay put. One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is moving forward without the blessing of God. While in the desert, the Lord led the children of Israel with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Today, the Holy Spirit indwells and directs the believer with the Word of God into the purposes that God has planned for your life. Grow where you are planted until the Lord asks you to go somewhere else.
There are many successful people that live religious and moral lives by the world’s standards, yet are driving down side roads that lead nowhere in comparison to eternity. The attraction of fortune and fame or a better way of life can be devastating on the eternal impact we can make for the cause of Christ. God often uses circumstances to slow us down and enable us to hear the His voice. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” It is easy for us to stray away sometimes and allow our ears to get dull of hearing God’s Word. If you find yourself in a quiet place in your heart crowded with people, listen because God wants to speak to you and prepare you for the road ahead. If you fail to listen now, your frustrations may lead you astray until you realize that time and energy has been wasted and God’s way is the best.
Prayer is the key to staying in the center of God’s will. My wife and I were tired and ready to be home. We allowed our impatience and frustration of sitting in traffic to overwhelm us and take over. We didn’t want to slow down and therefore wasted time. The world tells us, “Faster, faster, we need another master.” Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Let the Spirit of God navigate your life and you will always be where you need to be no matter what time it is day or night!
Have you ever been frustrated with the path you are on in life and seemed like you were going no where? The other day while travelling from Bowling Green, Kentucky to White House, TN, my wife and I were slowed down to bumper to bumper traffic for what seemed to be miles of waiting. The interstate had been shut down and all of the traffic was redirected to a nearby highway. Immediately, we began thinking of all of the alternate routes that we could take to try to bypass the situation. Our impatience and determination to get ahead of everyone took over because we were ready to be home. It was late at night, and we really wanted to rest and relax at home. Instead of waiting with everyone else on the detour to another exit on the interstate, we decided to keep moving faster down the road. Our friends were behind us and sat through the traffic.
After some consideration on our own, we headed down the highway where there was no traffic. The only problem was that we drove about 20-25 miles out of the way. While finding ourselves in the midst of nothing but roads and farmland, I decided to call our friends who had sat through the traffic. They had made it back to the interstate and were 10 miles down the road. We would have been in front of them if we had waited in line with everyone else. With wasted gas and wasted time, we were left frustrated, tired and ready for bed.
Does this sound like your spiritual life? Are you always trying to get ahead of God instead of waiting for Him to deliver you in the right time? It is so easy for us to lose the discipline of waiting on God and try to make things happen in our own power. This sounds a lot like the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years, because they didn’t have the faith to believe that God’s way was the best way. God used the wilderness to teach them to move when He told them to move and stay put when He told them to stay put. One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is moving forward without the blessing of God. While in the desert, the Lord led the children of Israel with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Today, the Holy Spirit indwells and directs the believer with the Word of God into the purposes that God has planned for your life. Grow where you are planted until the Lord asks you to go somewhere else.
There are many successful people that live religious and moral lives by the world’s standards, yet are driving down side roads that lead nowhere in comparison to eternity. The attraction of fortune and fame or a better way of life can be devastating on the eternal impact we can make for the cause of Christ. God often uses circumstances to slow us down and enable us to hear the His voice. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” It is easy for us to stray away sometimes and allow our ears to get dull of hearing God’s Word. If you find yourself in a quiet place in your heart crowded with people, listen because God wants to speak to you and prepare you for the road ahead. If you fail to listen now, your frustrations may lead you astray until you realize that time and energy has been wasted and God’s way is the best.
Prayer is the key to staying in the center of God’s will. My wife and I were tired and ready to be home. We allowed our impatience and frustration of sitting in traffic to overwhelm us and take over. We didn’t want to slow down and therefore wasted time. The world tells us, “Faster, faster, we need another master.” Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Let the Spirit of God navigate your life and you will always be where you need to be no matter what time it is day or night!
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