How is your faith working for you?
The Lord appeared to a man in his sleep and gave the man a job. He showed him a large rock in front of his house. The Lord told the man to push against the rock with all his might. Day after day the man pushed against the massive unmoving rock.
Each day the man would return home tired and worn out from pushing. The man started feeling like his work was in vain. The adversary noticed that the man was discouraged and started putting thoughts in his weary mind: “You have been pushing a long time against that rock and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.”
These words were discouraging and disheartened the man. He started to feel like his task was impossible and that he was a failure.
“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 so he planned in his heart until one day he decided to take the matter to the Lord in prayer. He took his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do what you asked me to do. Yet after all this time, I have not 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 to me and you accepted, I told you that your job 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 job was to push. And now you think you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back is strong and your legs have become massive. Your hands are callused from the constant pressure. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. 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.”
(Author unknown)
At times, when we hear from God, we tend to use our own intellect to try and figure out what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience. Faith without works is dead. Do not allow the impossible things in your life hold you down. Keep pushing against that rock, and trust God to do the heavy lifting. He is the one who moves the mountains!
Isaiah 40:28-31
Pastor Wesley Ribeiro can be reached at Sandpoint Christian Center, 1925 N. Boyer Ave., sandpointchristiancenter.com, or 208-263-8578.