It’s a new year, but what do we do when not much changes?
That’s how it’s been for my man and me for over a decade in several key areas of our lives. Each year we finding ourselves praying about the same things we prayed about the year before.
How about you?
Are you stuck in a rut? Parked in neutral in some areas of your life? Still needing God to move in certain circumstances and wondering why He hasn’t yet?
Or maybe you’re stuck in a spiritual, emotional, or physical rut?
You want to grow spiritually – memorize those verses – read through the Bible – take those classes – step into that calling… but you just haven’t hunkered down and done it yet.
Perhaps you long to become emotionally stronger – forgiving those who have betrayed you – overcoming your anger issues – discovering freedom from depression… but you just haven’t got there yet.
Or maybe you know it’s time to become healthier – lose that extra 25 pounds – begin a reasonable exercise routine – become less sedentary – make healthier meals… but you just haven’t disciplined yourself to do those things yet.
A vision without action is just an hallucination. I know. I’ve come to the realization that I’m a master hallucinator.
I need to act on the things I can change, and seek God’s face to change those things I can’t.
God is working on my behalf, for my good and for His glory. I know that to be true because His character assures me of that. So, although those things we have been praying about for a decade haven’t happened yet, it doesn’t mean that God hasn’t been working on them. It just means He hasn’t brought them to fruition yet.
Awe! But sweet friends! I know they’re coming! Just as sure as I know the sun rises in the East…I know they’re coming.
We may feel like we’re stuck when it comes to seeing God move in certain circumstances, but we are far from stuck! He is working behind the scenes of our lives to bring the answer to our prayers at just the right time and in just the right way.
His silences doesn’t mean He is not at work. He is consistently moving in the arenas of our lives because He is FOR us and His plans for us are good.
Found etched in the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany are these words:
I believe in the sun, even when it isn’t shining
I believe in love, even when I’m alone
I believe in God, even when He is silent
Those powerful words were written by a Jew who was in hiding during World War II.
You may not feel God working. You may not see things changing. But His promises assure us that He is.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV)
And as for the things we can change in our lives, let’s get busy making those changes we long for.
Let’s get busy memorizing those verses, reading through the Word of God, losing those extra pounds, eating healthier, overcoming anger issues, forgiving those who have betrayed us.
Our circumstances may not change. But often times, the Lord is more concerned with the change that needs to take place in us more than He is about changing our circumstances.
Elisabeth Elliot once said, The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
As we press in to God – bask in the beauty of His presence – worship Him in spirit and in truth…then the change that needs to happen will – the change in us.
No longer are we STUCK-now we are free to thrive, not just survive.
Christ in me, the hope of Glory. It’s the JESUS in this messed up girl that enables me to get through the good, the bad and the ugly of this life. My heart echoes the same sentiment as Elisabeth Elliot’s words of wisdom… The secret (and the goal to being UN-STUCK) is Christ IN me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
Are you STUCK? Or have you discovered that it is Christ IN you that can help you dance in the rain?