The "God Only Zone"

Ok, so here's a newsflash:  Sometimes life ain't easy!  Sometimes you hit the wall.  Sometimes there seem to be obstacles present which you can find no way around.  Sometimes no matter how hard you try, nor how good your intentions, things just seem to backfire on you.  Welcome to the "God Only Zone".

This is the place where God alone can solve the seemingly unsolvable.  And the truth of the matter is that He brings us to this place so that we might learn this very lesson.  We are stubborn, plow ahead, solve it on our own, lead, follow, or get out of the way people.  We delight in relying on our own strength. We love feeling competent and capable.  We are happiest when we have it all under control.  Think Helen Reddy: "I am Woman Hear me Roar".  Think Frank Sinatra: "I Did It My Way".  Our culture glorifies competency and independence.  God, however, has other ideas.  What God desires is dependency on Him.  What  He wants is to lead while we follow.  After all, as the Creator of the Universe, he might just know a thing or two about how to solve some of our issues!  He wants to show us the solutions.  But how can He when we are busy ignoring Him and  forging ahead on our own?

Being God has its advantages.  The solution in this situation is to create a problem so big, so daunting, so seemingly impossible to overcome, that we have no choice but to admit our helplessness and fall to our knees.  The Psalms are full of descriptions of people crying out in their distress to the Lord.  As it was then, so it is now. God's people have always faced adversity.  They have often seen overwhelming odds.  And it has been at precisely these moments when God delights in showing up and rescuing his people.  We are reminded that though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes with the morning.  We are reminded that though our faith may be frail and weak, our God is not!

One of the messages I have been getting lately is to praise God for my problems.  I am reading a book on prayer.  One entire chapter is devoted to this subject.  I receive an e mail devotional.  Surprise!  This was the topic one day recently.  Two days ago I got an e mail from a friend suggesting just this approach to handling an ongoing difficult situation.  Ok, Ok, I get it.  We are supposed to give praise and thanksgiving always for everything (even our problems) and we need to stop doing it on our own and allow Him to do it with and for us.  It's one thing to understand the value of doing this.  It is much harder to actually do it!  Therein lies the rub!

So what is the solution?  Well, as our friends at Nike would say "Just Do It!".  I think you just have to put it into practice and see where it goes.  Begin praising God for all the problems and obstacles in your life.  Stop trying to solve the unsolvable on your by your own power.  What we know is that when we are in the "God Only Zone" that God  will show up.  He will part the Red Sea.  He will close the mouth of the lions.  He will pull us up out of the pit.  He will cool the furnace. He will send His Spirit.  What more do we need to know?  Shalom!