PUSH
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Lord 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. 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, worn out, and feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since 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, using 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 is sinewy 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.
When a friend disillusions you… PUSH
When you lose your job… PUSH
When you are tired and battle worn… PUSH
When you are accused and are innocent… PUSH
When all looks dark around you… PUSH
When you are weary with the world… PUSH
When all hope seems to be lost… PUSH
When you feel like giving up… PUSH
P.U.S.H. - Pray Until Something Happens!!!!!
Your brother in Christ,
Dave
This past week I had a breakthrough in forgiveness. I had been encumbered by bitterness and even hate that I didn't want to live with. I was really stuck. But I couldn't push it away myself. My pastor reminded me of two things: first, that we are commanded to forgive, and second, that it's a God thing- we can't really do it ourselves. My that was freeing!!! This may not be directly the sort of thing you had in mind, Dave, but it's what came out this week.
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