God Doesn't Blink

God is not a genie, he's a trainer. Do you ask your trainer at the gym to just make you strong, healthy and fit without the work out? Would a warrior just run into battle without learning the skills of the sword? Do people become professionals such as doctors or nurses by just winging it? No, they commit themselves to years of training. So, why do you ask God to just blink and deliver you when you're sick or weak? He is a spiritual trainer not a genie in a bottle that gets you over your problems. The process is where the lessons and growth are learned and exercised. God wants to get you through your trials not over them. Athletes do not wish for strength, they train and sweat for hours upon hours, years upon years.

Maybe your health problems are a result of stress, where you can make lifestyle changes in your management of emotions and time. Possibly, they are from an accident which left you disabled, maybe your mind needs a work out plan where you train your inner voice to speak more positive with hopeful thoughts rather than thoughts of defeat. Many people suffer physical maladies and the way to healing is in a diet change or exercise plan. It will always be THROUGH our issue that we find freedom and build character, strength and courage. God never delivers us from a lesson but he walks with us through it. He is right there to encourage us as he trains us for our purpose.

Pulling ourselves up by the boot-straps sometimes proves to be unsurmountable and we fall into depression which only exacerbates our helplessness. How do we rise up when we FEEL so overwhelmed? When it seems like God is not there. When we can't hear his voice. Well, there is actually a story in the bible that tells us exactly where God is when we are feeling afraid and alone. It's in the book of Song of Songs in the old testament. In chapter 2, verse 14, the Shulamite maiden and her lover are calling out to each other with cries of deep love. In verse 14 her lover calls to her, "My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice  is sweet and your face is lovely." In this allegory it is said that we are the maiden and Christ is our lover. Similar to the new testament where we are the bride and he is our groom. Notice that he is calling out to her and asking her to trust in his voice and to follow it. He longs to see her face and hear her voice.

The cleft in the rock can represent many things but as I see it (and this is only my interpretation) the maiden is calling for her lover to come to her. She has found a comfortable and safe spot in the cleft of the rock from which to coo. However, her lover calls to her and encourages her to leave her spot of safety. He's not coming to get her, he is calling her to come to him. Now, if you can imagine a cleft in the side of a rock mountain similar to the ones you see goats balancing on! It would be terrifying to step out of there and try to scale the ledges. I would compare it to us having to leave our comfort zones to follow the voice of Christ. Our comfort zones could be our sick beds, our complaining, excuses, blaming, distractions... But our Lord is calling us out. He wants us to trust and follow his voice, to scale our mountains of fear and go to a higher place. Each victory though, leads us to the next challenge and then, to even higher places.

So, my friends, I encourage you to ask God to call for you, seek his face and he will be with you every step of the way. In my personal experience I have displayed stubbornness, pity parties, whining... anything to keep me in my comfort spot. God however, loves me too much to leave me there so he keeps calling and calling till I reluctantly rise up and finally ask him what he wants. Everytime, he tells me that he wants me to come to him. He wants to see my lovely face and hear my sweet voice. He reminds me of how long it's been since we sat together while talking, laughing or crying. I can't help but rise and follow his voice. You ask exactly how I do that? I get up, wash my face and open my bible and devotional. I draw near to him in any way that I can and most times he energizes me to do even more. Each effort on my part is matched with his power. I have to admit that there are some days (because of my health issues) that I can barely rise but it is at those times that he sits with me while I rest in him. I've given up on continuity in my life-style. The depression of set-backs because of my limitations proved to be too discouraging. So, I rise each day never knowing what I will be able to do but one thing I know for sure is that my God will be there. 

Habakkuk 3:19, "The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places."

Reading source: Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard