More Insight

Insight

(Dragonfly Ministries President, Mary Hamrick)

February 2003

In Acts 27:39-44, we read where the apostle Paul was stuck. Paul was a prisoner (for preaching the Gospel) and was on a ship headed for Rome.  It was a rough voyage.  The ship had been going through a raging storm for days and the crew had given up on being saved.  During the night, an angel appeared to Paul and told him that they must ‘run the ship aground’.

“When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.”

Have you ever been stuck?  I got stuck in February.  Not stuck in the mud or snow or even in a rut, but just stuck.  I didn’t know what was wrong with me until my friend Mary B. said, “You’re stuck.  We all get stuck sometimes.”  How could I be stuck?  I didn’t have time to be stuck.  But I was - my Bible study time didn’t feed me, my prayers seemed to produce a quietness from the Lord, and the cares of my little world seemed to be resting on my shoulders – what had happened to me that I was carrying the burdens rather than turning them over to the Lord? 

I was stuck – just like Paul’s ship – not going here nor there, but sitting still, open to the poundings of my own desires and broken to pieces by life.  It’s amazing how we can get off track so easily and get stuck because our hearts, minds and lives are not occupied with the things of God, but with the things of man.  And then the attacker, Satan, swoops in and tries to make sure that we either stay in our ‘stuck’ mode or go backward in our spiritual growth.  I’ve determined that stuck is not a place I want to be – it just doesn’t sit well with my spirit.  Sometimes the best thing that can happen to us when we’re stuck is to take drastic measures, like jumping overboard (like Paul), or stepping outside our comfort zone and doing something that will get us back on track. 

Getting back on track isn’t easy, for it takes discipline and sacrifice, it requires that we develop new habits, and it requires that we submit ourselves to the Lord in acknowledging that we need His help to grow and get moving.  Just as Paul and the other prisoners had to take action to get out of their stuck situation, we also need to take action.  We can’t sit around and wait for the Lord or someone else to get us back on track.  We must take the first step.  This teaches us discipline and faith, and will bring us closer to God.

What I needed was some quiet time, devoted totally to the Lord, so I could get back on track.  But with an active job and household, that wasn't’ easy to do.  So, as a drastic measure to getting unstuck, I decided to wake up earlier each morning so that I could have a quiet prayer and meditation time with the Lord.  If you know me, you will understand that this is serious business, because I am a sleeper, and getting up when it's still dark outside doesn't seem natural.  But that was the jumpstart that I needed to get back on track.

How about you?  Do you desire to grow spiritually but are at a standstill?  Do you pray yet it seems your prayers aren’t heard?  Do you go around and around in circles trying to break cycles, habits, pitfalls, and yet you always come back to the same place?  Then take a drastic measure – something outside of your comfort zone – and commit some time totally to the Lord – join a Bible Study, open your Bible, read and meditate on the scripture, check out some Max Lucado books from the library, join a church choir – do something that will move your focus from yourself to the Lord and to serving others.  If you will take the first step to moving and growing, God will meet you there – He doesn’t want us to be stuck anymore than we want to be that way.  He wants us to always be moving toward Him, not away from Him. 

Isaiah 2:5 “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” 

Mary