008: Great Things in Store
Hello and welcome to The Hope Podcast. I’m Aneel Aranha. Today we are going to talk about how we need to take it easy when nothing seems to be happening in our lives because something is!
There are times in life when everything appears to be at a standstill. We all experienced this during the recent pandemic. During such times, everything appears frozen. All doors get slammed shut, and no new doors seem to open. Things that once were exciting now seem tedious and boring. It feels like we are treading water or jumping in one place. We are tempted to do something crazy just to make something happen. But nothing changes. We start to feel frustrated and frightened. So, what are we to do?
Relax! Know that God is still at work. Just because we don’t see something happening, it doesn’t mean it isn’t. Let me explain by telling you a parable.
A man had a plot of land that he wanted to grow crops in. Unfortunately, a huge rock sat right in the center of the field. The man couldn’t afford to have professional movers move the stone, but he had read somewhere that faith could move mountains. So, being a man of faith, he prayed.
A week later, an angel suddenly appeared. “Push the rock for 60 minutes daily for a month,” the angel said. “I’ll be back after the month is over.”
Delighted his prayers were answered, the man woke up early the following day and spent an hour pushing the rock. He did this for a month, but the stone had not budged an inch. When the angel reappeared, as he had promised, the farmer exclaimed, “You told me to push that rock, but I haven’t moved it a bit!”
“I never said you could move the rock,” the angel replied.
“Then why?” the farmer asked, bewildered.
“Take off your shirt and look at yourself in the mirror,” the angel said. When the man looked at himself, he saw his body had become strong and muscular, ready for the strenuous work of growing crops that he was going to plant.
The angel smiled. “I’ll take care of that rock now,” he said as he left.
God wants to grow us, to prepare us for the greater things he has in store for us. He does this when life comes to a standstill. In these moments, it is essential we remember these words from Scripture: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
When things come to a standstill, we have an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, to increase our understanding of his ways, to learn new lessons and gain fresh insights about the truth, to grow stronger in our faith, to correct wrongs. So when life starts moving again—and move it most certainly will—we will be better equipped to deal with the new challenges that come our way.
So, enjoy your special time with him while it lasts! And get ready for the great things in store.
God bless you.
