Stuck in the Mud

When I was a little girl, my mom and I went for a walk through the trees and trails on our property. I wore boots, so I wasn’t too worried about all the mud from a recent rain.

I was making my way through the thick sludge, putting one foot in front of the other and realizing my boots were starting to get pretty heavy.  Finally they wouldn’t budge at all.

I tugged and pulled with everything I had, feeling different muscles in my feet and legs screaming at the absurd torture. But my boots wouldn’t even wiggle. It’s as if they suddenly developed an attitude, stubbornly refusing to move and laughing because now they were stronger than me, and I wasn’t going to tell them what to do anymore, thank you very much.

It got me thinking this morning…

How often do we feel stuck? Stuck in debt or an illness? Stuck waiting for an answer so we can move forward, knowing then which way to go?

Maybe our “mud” is in the form of anxiety or fear or even bitterness and we don’t know how to escape the muck. (Read more on that here.)

The day I got stuck in the mud, I called my mom and she came to my rescue, pulling my feet out of my boots and then wiggling those stubborn beasts free as they let out a loud slurping roar. (We had a good laugh as I stood there in my socks!)

When you and I get stuck in our lives we can call out to God, and He will come to our rescue.

I’ve learned He sometimes allows us to wait for the rescue for a number of reasons:

He wants us to know the rescue, the glory belong to Him; we can’t get unstuck by ourselves.

He may want to stop us to protect us from what’s up ahead.

He may be preparing a blessing up ahead, and it’s not ready. Or we’re not ready.

He may be teaching us this path is not for us.

And sometimes this may be the only way He can slow some of us down so we will spend time with Him. (Any other caffeinated gung-ho-ers out there?)

The point is if you feel stuck, the moment you cry out to God He hears you. The answer and the rescue will come. Just sit tight (or stand if you can’t get those boots off!) and wait for Him. He will never let you down.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (Psalm 18:6, 16 NIV.) *

*If you’re really struggling, needing God’s rescue, try reading all of Psalm 18 out loud…so powerful!

(Photo from Pexels.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When God is Quiet During Your Brokenness

Things can leave us broken with the pieces of our messy and shattered lives washing ashore. The things we counted on crumble like sand in our hands. People let us down. We feel forgotten or discarded. Or a great rescue we’ve been hoping and praying for doesn’t come.

It hurts. You lie awake at night, tears soaking your face and landing on your pillow. You talk to God. You plead for an answer. You ask Him what you’re doing wrong or what you should do to fix it all. You find yourself dropping to your knees and begging, crying out to Him for help.

But He’s quiet.

You wonder what’s going on and why He’s allowing this storm to rage, one that’s been thrashing against your heart for a long, long time.

Maybe you only see the pieces of what’s survived the storm and wonder what good can come from it. What can God possibly do with this mess?

He can do more than you can even imagine.

He can build something new out of your brokenness, make a new way, or lead you on a new journey. He isn’t limited by time or money or any of the resources you and I fix our eyes on, watching as it all dwindles and worrying if it will be enough.

He stretched oil for a widow and fed thousands from a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread. He can make ends meet. He can provide all you need.

He is, after all, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide.

He won’t leave you alone to deal with your brokenness. He’s there with you. He’s always been there.

Perhaps He is quiet because He wants you to take a good long look at the mess that’s been swept up on the shore, to remember all the ways you tried to fix everything and how you came to the end of yourself; when you ran out of ideas and you couldn’t see how any good was going to come from such a terrible storm that left you utterly broken.

Yes, take a walk and remember what the dreadful mess looks like and how painful this walk is, so when the rescue comes (and it will come), you’ll experience more joy than you’ve ever known.

And you’ll know it was God who restored you and rescued you from the storm raging within.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121: 1-2 NIV.)

 

Remember

I haven’t filled the bird feeders or given any corn to the deer in a long time and promised myself once November arrived, I’d start doing it again. So I threw on my old coat yesterday morning and loaded up the cup to fill both feeders, tapping it to make sure the birdseed slid out. That tapping is the same, hollow sound that’s been echoing across our property for years, one that announces, “It’s breakfast time” to all the critters.

I poured some fresh water into the birdbath and since I don’t have any corn yet, I dumped a little birdseed into the dish for the deer.  And that’s when I saw her standing in the front yard, watching and waiting:  a deer that knew the routine.

She remembered the tapping sound of my cup, the mound of corn or birdseed she’d find in the dish, and the gravely sound as I dumped it in.  I’m pretty sure she even remembered the crazy woman who waves at her because she stood and watched me as I did it again.

But more importantly, she remembered the provision.

Do you remember God’s provision? Do you remember all the times He provided a way out when you made a bad decision?  Do you remember when He provided a break when you were so desperate for one?  Do you remember how He sent someone, even a stranger, who smiled when you were feeling like no one cared about you?

Can you look back and see all He has done, all He has brought you through? Or have you forgotten?  Are you looking down at your feet right now wondering how in the world you got here, and why did God abandon you?

Take a lesson from the deer and remember.  Remember where your provision comes from and all God has done for you.  If it’s hard to remember, ask Him to bring it back to your memory, to sharpen your focus, so you can take a good look at it and understand all good things really do come from Him.  Don’t get stuck looking down.  Take a moment to remember and look back to see God’s mighty hand rescuing, providing, protecting, and guiding you.

And trust that He will provide again.

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.  Your ways, O God, are holy.  What god is so great as our God?  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”  (Psalm 77:11-14 NIV.)

Anxiety

I’m a nervous wreck driving on the expressway. I’m just being honest.  There are a lot of people trying to drive at supersonic speed while under the influence of anger.  Combine that with texting while driving and cars swerving all over the place and I’m on the verge of a panic attack.  But the good news is God knows all about it and wants to help.

Can you relate?  Is there something that twists your stomach like a balloon in the hands of a clown at the circus?  Does it bring a sense of dread, terror, or absolute panic?  Well, my friend, God knows all about that too.

So what do you do about it? Maybe you just push through it and collapse after it’s over, or you just avoid it all together.  I recently met a woman who avoids driving on the expressway and will take only the back roads to get where she needs to go.  I don’t blame her.

What do I do about my expressway terrors? I ask God to help me drive.  It may sound ridiculous but I’m very serious.  And His help comes so fast even those IndyCar drivers can’t get ahead of Him.  Like yesterday on my trip to an unfamiliar part of town…

At the beginning of it all, two words:   Road construction.  I immediately called out to God.  I couldn’t tell if the ramp I needed was open, but the truck in front of me literally just stopped which gave me time to see it was open. Thank you, Lord! Merging was completely smooth during rush hour. YES!!  I was first at a red light which allowed me to peer down the street and see the building I was looking for. It’s like He stopped all the hurrying around me! As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, which was packed, another car started to back out directly in front of me.  I see it, God. Thank you!  And later when I returned to the car and had finished devouring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the heat cranked on my cold feet, I realized when I started to back up that God was giving this very same parking spot to a woman I’d noticed before when she first pulled in; she must have circled around for a spot.  Maybe she prayed too.

The important thing to see through all of this: God really does care!  He doesn’t want you to have ulcers and panic attacks.  He loves you more than you can even understand, and He wants you to talk to Him about things that upset or terrify you.  And seriously, it’s amazing when you do.  All of a sudden, what was once your worst nightmare becomes a moment to be in the very presence of God, a moment to watch Him work right before your eyes as He comes to your rescue.

 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV.)