ServantOne
Helping Others Get To Where They Want To Go
Stuck on the Right Stuff
Every Wednesday morning I prayed with a group of guys who are involved in our church.
We shared a number of things in common . . . husbands, fathers, all worked longer hours than we should, all liked to laugh, and all having a desire and commitment to see God do some incredible things in our lives, the lives of our families and in the life of our church.
Before our prayer time on morning we were sharing some verses and thoughts. Often, these are “tail-kickers” . . . you know . . . a holy boot to the backside.
One of the guys shared that he was reading “The Pursuit of God”, by A.W Tozer.
During a train trip from Chicago to Texas in the late 1940s, Tozer was moved by the holiness and character of God. He began to write, wrote all night, and when the train arrived at his destination, the rough draft was finished. The final copy is only 128 pages long . . . usually a one or two night read.
As our friend was sharing, he said, “I’m stuck. I can’t get past page 10”. You can guess what happened next . . . we all made smart comments on “not getting past page 10”, teased him about his ADD and asked if “hooked on phonics” worked for him. Then he said that it was so convicting that he had to go back and re-read the first 10 pages over and over, again.
In our culture, we often characterize being “stuck” as having a negative connotation. You’ve heard it before . . . being “stuck in the mud” or “I’m stuck on this problem”. It can mean caught, trapped or baffled.
In this particular case, our friend could not leave the place of knowing who God is, that God pursues us, and that in His pursuit, He instills in each of us, the desire to pursue Him.
Tozer writes, “Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking”.
This kind of “getting stuck” is good. I am reminded of several thoughts . . .
- Be still and know that I am God. The psalmist writes this direction in Psalm 46:10. It reminds us that we are finite . . . and God is infinite. It reminds us that this spiritual does not come from a lack of troubles; it derives from a steady, deep reflection on the ways God has intervened on behalf of his people.
- Wait on the Lord. This is a common phrase in Scripture that reminds us to “be stuck” and not proceed, move on, move up, move out or move, period. We are to wait . . . to “be of good courage” (Ps 27:14), to “renew our strength” (Isaiah 40:31), so we will “not be ashamed”, (Ps 25:3), and “He will incline to me and hear my cry”. (Ps 40:1)
- Dwelling in His house. Psalm 27:4 (The Message), says, “I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic”.
One thing is good . . . being still and knowing that He is God.
One this is good . . . waiting on God.
One thing is good . . . getting stuck on one thing is good . . . as long as it’s dwelling in His house.
Oh well, I guess that’s three things . . . hooked on math didn’t work for me!
Remember the old Band-Aid commercial . . . “I’m stuck on Band-Aid and Band-Aid’s stuck on me”?
As long as I’m stuck on Him – His person, His presence, and His passion . . . I’m stuck on the right thing.
ServantOne 