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Have you ever been listening to the radio or hearing the pastor give his message and it just seems like the Lord is speaking right to you? I’m not talking burning bush stuff. I mean that lyric or that line from the minister just seemed to resonate with you. As you sat back, it just seemed as though God was smacking you upside the head. Well, a couple of weeks ago, the Lord pulled his best “Hello, McFly,” on me as I sat in church.
The pastor was talking about Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and how those who were helping him were ready to give up. They were halfway through, but they were ready to call it quits. The pastor looked out at the congregation and said, “Have you ever been in that boat? God has called you to do something and halfway through, you quit. You figure, ‘I’ll pick it back up in awhile, maybe a week from Thursday.'” Of course, a week from Thursday never comes.
I know God is everywhere, but this was like He was whispering right in my ear. God gave me the talent to write. He has blessed me with a career that allows me to pass that on to others, and back in 2019, He placed this blog upon my heart. I wrote two and then became busy, and then excuse after excuse crept in. Stress, fear, life, a pandemic, I’m not worthy, nobody cares, and so on and so on. You come up with an excuse, and I had it. Before I knew what happened, it was May 2021, and God was slapping me upside the head.
So I got the message. I went to work to get this back up and running. I know I will face obstacles again, and I know Satan will come against me, attacking me at my weakest spots, but I will continue to look to Nehemiah for inspiration, as he also faced many trials and tribulations.
However, the funny thing about Nehemiah is that when he faced obstacle after obstacle, he prayed. And I love what Nehemiah prayed when enemies of the Lord came against him and weakened his resolve. He prayed for the Lord to strengthen his grip. Now I’m a big movie fan and all I think of when I hear this is an action movie with someone hanging off the edge of a building or a cliff. The hero has hold of the dangling victim but the victim’s hand is slipping. Well, God is our hero, and we are the one precariously hanging off the edge. But the funny thing is, all we have to do is ask and God will strengthen our grip. He is faithful to keep holding on to us; we just have to keep holding on to Him.
So when that stress or fatigue hits, I’m going to pull a Nehemiah and ask the Lord to strengthen my grip! If, like me, you have quit something the Lord has challenged you to do, I hope this has given you the resolve to get back at it before the Godly “Hello McFly” comes, or maybe God used this as the gentle smack in the head you needed. Either way, I pray the Lord strengthens your grip. Until next time, God bless.
