At A Dead End?
For the past 2 years, my husband and I have been embroiled in a complicated and frustrating battle regarding a real estate issue. It’s truly a current day David and Goliath scenario, and we’re little David. Day by day, it’s up and down emotionally as the lawyers go back and forth.
So we decided that whenever our minds drift into the “what if’s” and the figuring out, we would turn our thoughts to scripture, specifically Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
This discipline has kept our minds fixed on truth instead of faulty thinking. Last week, we received a call from our lawyer saying that we were at a dead-end. I felt my stomach flop, but my husband (normally the worry-er) was strangely at peace. Then he shared with me an email he read moments before the lawyer’s phone call. It was from our friend, Pastor Chuck:
“‘What do you mean, “If I can”?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.'” (Mark 9:23 NLT)
God will build your faith by planting a dream within you. But that dream will require a decision of faith, and then God will stretch your faith as you face delays, difficulties, and dead ends.
It is then that God comes in and delivers. God does a miracle. God provides a solution. For instance:
· In Moses’ case, God parted the Red Sea.
· In Abraham’s case, he and Sarah miraculously conceived a child.
· In Joseph’s case, all of a sudden his dream came true, and he found himself no longer imprisoned in a dungeon; instead, he was the second in command in Egypt.
And Jesus was resurrected! God can even turn a crucifixion into resurrection, and that means he has the power to transform your dead ends into deliverance. He builds your faith through delays, difficulties, and dead ends, so that when he delivers you, God gets all the credit!
When faced with a dead end, the best response is to expect God to act. What are you expecting God to do in your life? Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).
When you wait for deliverance, then God gets the credit. And you can look back to see how God led you through a path of faith, expanding and increasing your trust of him with every step. Your faith is stronger, and now you can say with confidence, “I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me …” (Psalm 27:13 LB).
Reading that email moments before the phone call gave my husband the wisdom to know how to respond. We’ll wait for the Lord, and we’ll wait with the expectation that He will be glorified when this issue is resolved. Already, we have seen God work, and soon the lawyers and town officials and many others will too.
Are you facing a difficult circumstance? One which seems impossible? Leave a comment so I can pray for you, and you can pray for me too. Together we will see God do the impossible!
Susan
This is so timely! I will definitely be praying over you as well as everyone else whom I know is going through a difficult season of waiting and trusting in God.
There are several things:
I am waiting on the funds to go abroad to Costa Rica in the fall in order to do an internship for academic credit. I have already received money and I’m waiting on the rest to come through.
I am also praying intercession and trying to go on the offensive over some spiritual bondage I’ve been in nearly my whole life. It has some deep roots to a tragic event that occurred in my childhood and is not something I can tell everyone. Nevertheless, I have been asking prayer about it. I want to see God’s goodness. When the issue arises, I want to be more and more…”slippery” in the hands of the enemy.
Praying for you dear.
Our God is amazing and His timing perfect. I love how He used someone in your life to bring a message before Pastor Chuck even knew you would need it. Will continue praying for you until you reach the end of this – not a “dead end”, but God’s end because I know you will give Him the glory!
I don’t need prayer for anything “dead end” right now. Just wanted you to know I am praying for you and Tony to continue to have peace while you wait to see God’s plan revealed.
Susan, this was such perfect timing for me. I went to bed last night thinking about a “dead end” in our lives right now, oddly enough also a land issue. I know that God has promised this specific land to us, and we thought everything was in place to move forward last year. But door after door closed in front of us. Last night it was heavy on my heart again. I decided to just put it in His hands and ask for more faith. Reading your devotional today was exactly the encouragement that I needed.
In addition, we are having some significant issues with our oldest son. He has entered a stage of defiance that I have never seen before, even in all my years of teaching and growing up in a family of nine. I feel like we are at a “dead end” with our discipline with him as well. I know that the hand of God is on him, and that God has great plans for him, but I am at a complete loss for how to help him get to where he needs to be.
I would greatly covet your prayers, and will gladly pray with you as well. Our God is a great God, and greatly to be praised; so I am praising Him now that He has already given us the victory in His time.
Susan:
This is a post that speaks to me. I thank you for sharing your need and the lesson you learned from the email.
Susan, just wanted to let you know I’m praying for you. May the Lord bless you with all you need. I feel led to leave you my life’s verse: “Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40 Amp Blessings!
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for sharing that with us. We will be praying for you and Tony as you await God’s answer. Miss seeing you guys and we will have to hook up soon. Love you,
What a beautiful message you received from your pastor. Sometimes we can’t see past our circumstances, but then God sends us someone who can give us His advice.
I pray that your real estate issue will be resolved soon.
Thanks, Susan! A word in due season for you and probably for all of us in some way. We’re all waiting on something! God is in the waiting, teaching us along the way, just as He demonstrated through your pastor. Love that! I’ve had a big set back on a major writing project, but I’m believing God will use this time to further His will…and He will be glorified. Praying that you would see the Lord as you wait, that He will continue to minister to you along the way, and that He will be glorified. Love!
Hi Susan,
This spoke to my heart. I’m facing a brick wall right now with a certain issue. Only God can break through it.
Blessings,
Susan 🙂
Beautiful post, Susan! I love the way God works – how neat to see the way He orchestrated the e-mail to arrive in your husband’s in-box, before the lawyer’s call came. And what a blessing that you and your husband have chosen to pray God’s word over your situation rather than give in to worry. Now THAT’S powerful!!
I’ll be praying for God’s mighty hand to be revealed in your situation. Would ask you to pray for my husband’s position at work – his company is in the middle of another re-org (the third since January). We’re thankful he still has a job, but he’s getting pretty discouraged with the entire situation. Also would appreciate prayer as I’m getting close to submitting my book proposal for my Bible study – clarification for the right agents/publishers to submit it to. Thanks in advance for your prayers! Looking forward to seeing how God will deliver! Hugs & Blessings!
Hi Susan,
Are you juggling several web pages? This one looks nice too.
I hear you about waiting situations. We have been in several of those too. The verse I have been grabbing onto this last year or two is “I wait on the Lord, my soul waits, and in your word I put my hope.”
May God do marvelous things for you in this David situation!
Warmly,
Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com