I believe in something that I call "God Stops".
To me, these are things that God will not let me do, or He will put obstacles in
my way to keep me from doing them. One example of this would be when I was
working on a website for a friend of mine. As I began to do more research
for the site, I become more and more uneasy about allot of things that the topic
dealt with....or maybe, how they were dealt with. I felt something inside
telling me that I did not need to be working on this site, but it was for a
friend I truly care for. I did not want to disappoint them, or create
unnecessary conflict. The more I researched, the more I found things that
were not in tone with my own belief systems. Many of the things came close to
going against what I believe in. Before I knew it, my computer crashed.
I repaired the whole system, and 2 weeks later, when I began work on the site
again, that system died once again. Coincidence? I don't know.
To me, it was more of a "Is that Odd of Is That God" Type of Deal.
God Stops are something that I watch for in my life.
I had sent out an email with a short message about GOD STOPS in it, and my friend sent me back the following message that stated, "This reminded me of your "God Stops". This has been just one more Spiritual Awakening in my life. Here It is:
Many times God will allow a
painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This
season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left
or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great
fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us. God put Jonah in
a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone.
There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no
food to eat, no interference's, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to
sit, think, meditate, and pray. When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult
situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show
us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.
A. Few Of God's Holding Patterns:
1. When you are sick in your physical body
and you have prayed, but God has not healed you yet,
you are in a holding pattern
2. When you are having problems with your
children and you have put them on the altar, but God
has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.
3. When you have been praying for the
salvation of a loved one and they have not been
saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4. When you are in a broken relationship
and you have given it over to God, but it has not
been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.
5. When the doors slam shut before you can
knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a
difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God
has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit,
think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God
because there are no mountains that are high enough,
valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide
enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are
hidden enough from Him. We must remember to praise Him
while we're waiting and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose.
2. The pattern has a plan.
3. The pattern has a process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you
right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say,
"I love you."
Submitted by JB
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This Website was last updated on:
June 17, 2008
