What do you do when you've done everything you can think of to do?
This is Felicia Ferguson with Christian Mix 106, helping you build faith for the journey.
How’s life going right now for you? Is it smooth sailing? Are you coming out of a battle? Or are you stuck? Have you done all you can, put on every piece of spiritual armor you have, prayed every prayer you can think of, read every encouraging scripture, chosen to trust God even in the middle of the mystery and your feet still feel like they’re mired in clay? You can’t move forward and you actually feel like falling backward would be a relief?
Been there. Fought that. Got the t-shirt in multiple colors. And through those multiple times of not even being able to slog through the spiritual or emotional mud, thanks to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians I know there’s still something I can do. I can simply stand where I’m at. But sometimes standing and holding your ground is the hardest fight. There’s no light in sight and the temptation to go back to what was known even if it was painful or uncomfortable is great. But standing and trusting grows faith as much as the active part of the battle. Think about simply standing physically in one place for a period of time. Your body grows tired, muscles start to burn or ache, you might even get an itch somewhere that you can’t reach. But if you practice standing in one place over several sessions, you’ll find it gets easier. Your stamina builds. Your tolerance increases. It is a test of endurance rather than strength. And many times, we need faith that endures rather than faith that is merely strong in the moment.
As we stand, though we can look at our surroundings. We can wonder where God is in what seems never-ending. That’s where trust can grow. We put our trust that God’s promise is true, that he will never leave us or forsake us. We trust that he is good. And that his plan for us is still good.
It may be hard to believe that it is better than you can think or imagine from where you’re looking. I understand that. But even in your doubt, hold on to what is true about his nature and his proven goodness. God is faithful. He is trustworthy. And he loves you. So if you’ve done everything you know to do and you’re stuck in the middle of the battle, feet mired in clay, stand. God’s got this. And you.
This is Felicia Ferguson. Thanks for listening to Christian Mix 106.
