Jump Start # 4168

Romans 12:12 “rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.”

I heard it recently in a prayer. Just a simple statement, but how bold, profound and amazing. The brother prayed, “Lord, put us where You want us to be.” I don’t think I have ever heard that before in a prayer. Put us where You want us to be.

Most times we are thinking where we want to be. We want to be somewhere safe. We want the land of easy and comfort. We want things to go our way. But, instead, the prayer asked, “Lord, put us where You want us to be.”

Our walk through Bible history shows that there are times and places where God’s people may not want to be, but it brought about faith in their hearts and glory to the Lord.

Consider:

• Do you think Israel wanted to be squeezed in with Pharoah’s advancing army on one side and an impassable sea on the other side? They were where God wanted them to be. It allowed God to show His majesty and power.

• Do you think the three Jewish men wanted to be tossed into a fiery furnace in Babylon. The men who put them in the fire died because of the intense heart. God didn’t rescue them BEFORE the furnace, but while IN the furnace. They were where God wanted them to be.

• Do you think Paul wanted to be in a prison, hurting from a recent beating? By praying and singing that led to the conversion of the Philippian jailer. That likely would not have happened had they not been where God wanted them to be.

And, for us, how many would love to work at a place where the day began with a prayer, where Bibles were found on desks and everyone loved and respected each other. Instead, for many, it’s a gossipy, toxic situation where their faith is constantly challenged. We may wish away the day, hoping we could be somewhere better, but it may be that the Lord has you right where He wants you to be so you could shine your light.

Others may wish that they had a family where everyone went to worship together, loved each other and followed the Lord. Instead, foul language fills the air. Every meal has alcohol at the table. The talk is cheap and offensive. How we long for a better family. Maybe the Lord has you right where He wants you to be to help those people.

Here are a few thoughts for us:

First, we may not see nor understand why the Lord has us where we are. We see things through our feelings and our perspective. God sees the whole world. Pleasures and ease sound wonderful. The beach is more appealing than a dense thicket of brush. But the Lord knows what is best. Trust in the Lord.

Second, in many of the difficult situations we find God’s people in throughout the Bible, there seems to be glorious hope at the end. Through faith they made those difficult situations better. By staying with the Lord, others saw. It is upon the anvil of life that our character is forged and shaped. We learn. We trust. We follow. The darkness of the night and the terror of storms can do more for our faith and character than a month of sunny days. Our faith is only good if we use it.

Third, eventually, where God wants us to be is with Him. We wants us walking with Him now and spending forever with Him in His home. It is a journey with twists and turns and decisions that can be challenging. By faith we keep going. By faith we keep with the Lord.

A simple thought in a prayer: Lord, put us where you want us to be. Can you pray that?

Roger