Feeling Trapped

Its been a little while since I’ve posted a blog. I say that, because I’ve been writing nonstop. Ive written several incomplete thoughts. In fact, with this blog I’ve written and deleted this thing five times and I’m praying I’ve let everything out I wanted to say, and by now we finally get to what God wants you to read. That’s what I’ve done my best to do with this blog. This isn’t some tell-all journal. I wanted to truly share things with you God put on my heart to express. From thoughts to Bible studies, and maybe at times a personal reflection. With this blog, I wanted to start a series of writings focusing on different groups of people that all fit under the same umbrella of, “struggle.” It’s understated and mockingly said often, but the struggle is real, isn’t it? My prayer is that this conglomeration of writing will remind you of this: you are not alone. The irony of this opening blog to this series, is that while I wanted to write to those of you who feel trapped, I didn’t know how to write this effectively because I too, felt and continue at times to feel trapped. I mean, have you ever felt like you worked so hard for something, you felt like God was in it, and just at the moment you thought you were gonna take a big step forward, you were forced to take ten steps back? Have you ever wanted to take a step of faith, but didn’t know which foot should go first? In my first letter, I want to speak to the trapped.

My whole life I have been raised in ministry. Various teachings were engraved in me. Teachings like if you have a talent, use it or you’ll lose it. If God is calling you, you have to go. Do all you can, when you can because it needs to get done. If you don’t do it, no one will. So God telling me to sit still is a foreign language. This isn’t a letter about a problem I have the answer to. This isn’t an answer key, more of a declaration that simply says, “me too.” Any answers found here, were discovered by surrounding myself with people who love Jesus, from my perspective, more than I do. It amazes me how God uses people around me to pour into me. This is an important component of getting out of the quicksand. To you, your situation is quicksand; to someone else, it’s just dirt. Perspective sometimes is everything. I wrote this next thought a few weeks ago, I wanted to since delete it, but I think you need to see that you’re not the only one who has ever had these thoughts.

Take a look: “If you think I’m where I’m at in my life because I want to be, you’re mistaken. If it were me, I’d be preaching this Sunday.”

So easily I could blame others for that lack of opportunity, but there’s something missing in that rant: God is in control. So I should be thanking those I want to blame. Have you ever thought of that? Instead of blaming people that you think are holding you back from your potential, thank them. God is using them to get you to the place He wants you to go. If God wanted you to have that job, be with that person, go to that college, that is exactly where you’d be. God isn’t holding you back from anything. He’s preparing you. I know, I know. You want to do all the work. But if you do all the work, what’s Gods role?

Take a look at Acts 16. Here, Paul meets a man named Timothy and grows a liking to him and decides he wants him to travel with him while on his Macedonian journey. As they were traveling from town to town, they delivered to the people the decisions the apostles and elders had made for the people to obey, and verse five says, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” There are few things more exciting in ministry than numeric growth. It can be a culmination of years of hard work and dedication. It can feel like that holy anointing seal of approval from the good Lord himself saying, “well done.”

When a church or churches continue to grow, it’s pivotal that the church’s leaders (in particular the Pastor) have a vision for the congregation going forward because like Proverb 29:18 says, “where there is no vision the people perish.” Undoubtedly, Paul wanted to keep moving forward, planting churches, spreading the Gospel to every corner and so he set his sights on Asia. The very next verse in Acts 16 says, “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Wait, what? So the Spirit of God just told the greatest mortal preacher who ever existed to NOT preach? But what about Matthew 28? The Great Commission? “Go ye therefore and preach unto ALL nations?” What was wrong with Asia? Or maybe more importantly, what was so wrong with Paul? Was he not qualified?

Those are questions I’d ask if I were Paul, but that’s how we get trapped! We start asking all the wrong questions. “Why did God allow this to happen? I thought my life was going a certain direction, but now what?” Sometimes, God’s no isn’t a no, it’s a not yet. God didn’t prevent the Gospel from being preached in Asia, but their own plans weren’t His plans – at least not yet! Cities like Ephesus, Smyrna, and Sardis with their large Jewish populations, all had huge influences of idolatrous worship. These cities were a great place for rapid expansion, but in God’s timing!

You are an instrument of Christ. He paid a great cost for you, so stop asking yourself if He wants to use you. You may think you knew exactly what direction you were heading, but your job isn’t to discover which way you’re going. You have one job: Follow. His will doesn’t have to make sense to you. I don’t see that expectation anywhere in scripture. Actually, we almost see the opposite expectation like in Acts 16. Don’t let Satan convince you that because things aren’t going the way you expected, it’s somehow a sign God is through with you or has forgotten. As good as you thought you had it or were going to have it, whatever God has in store next, will be better because it’s His plan.

Growing up a pastor’s kid, it’s a foreign language to hear God tell me to wait. It’s easy when you’re waiting on Him to feel trapped because you think nothings happening. With that in mind, I want to go over the most common story in scripture, but take a look at the death of Christ as told by Matthew in chapter 27: “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” You see, those standing around the cross saw Jesus hanging there assuming he was helpless and trapped crying out to Elijah to save him. But you can’t listen to the voice in your head that mocks you and says you’re stuck; that mocks you when you cry out to God.

While Christ’s death might arguably be the most tragic event in human history, Jesus was never trapped. Jesus tells us in Revelation 1:18, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” The very things you think have you shackled down, my God holds the keys to! You may feel trapped today, but come the morning, a miracle could be on the way! Hold your expectations, your perspective, your faith, in the one who holds the keys! Don’t allow a no to keep you buried. Remember, God’s plan is perfect. Remain in Him, be still and know that HE is God. Signing out for now. Talk to you again soon. Thanks for reading.