Mark 11:22-25
Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever attempted to open a drawer, and it stuck on something? Try as you might, the drawer would only open so far, and then it would catch on whatever was sticking up and trapping the drawer’s forward progress in some manner. If you’re like me, sometimes it’s pretty tough to remove the displaced item and get the drawer to open smoothly…which probably says something about the organization and overall condition of my drawers!
Our personal lives are much like a household drawer… often unorganized and cluttered… perhaps filled to overflowing with all sorts of things. And once in a while, something will get turned “cattywompus” and derail everything. Until we take time to remove the source of our problem, nothing will go smoothly, and certainly “the drawer will not open!”
Let’s be honest… there are times when we just leave the “drawer” ajar and move on for a while. But that situation is not going to change. We have to do something. And in our personal lives, this most often means asking God to forgive us… or to help us forgive someone else. If you ever find that you have a situation where you feel like no answer comes… where you just can’t seem to have a breakthrough… stop and ask yourself, “What is blocking this? Where do I need to make an adjustment? Is there something or someone I need to forgive? Is there someone I need to ask to forgive me?”
Once we “get our drawer straight,” we often find that all sorts of things begin to operate more smoothly. Remember, with God all things are possible. But often, He is waiting on us to tidy up a few things before He delivers an answer or makes good on a promise. When was the last time you gave your drawers a good cleaning and organizing… for real, and in your personal life? Don’t you think it’s time you did?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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