Stretch

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1 NKJ)

Sometimes the issues of ordinary life take days, weeks, months, and even years to resolve. In the meantime, life continues uninterrupted . . . the good, the bad and the ugly. We can sit around in misery and tears, or we can accept the challenge to stretch our faith and trust God.

Physical therapists and the US Marine Corps believe there is no gain without pain. I think the therapists learned it from the Corps. But in any case, stretching our muscles and exercising our joints are good for physical movement, despite the pain.

I do not believe that God intended for our faith to instill pain. Yet, when the Word of God challenges us to stretch, the stretching can be spiritually and emotionally painful. And that is why Jesus said, "believe in God , believe also in me." The pain is managed by our trust in the One who asked us to stretch.

Consider the stress our Father Abraham must have experienced, but he obeyed when he was stretched. He left his former circumstances not knowing where he was leading his family nor where he was being led (Hebrews 11:8). God asked Abraham to stretch and trust. His example illustrates the importance of trusting the One who stretches us beyond our comfort zones.

While the stretching our faith and trust muscles, we usually experience initial discomfort. But God comforts us with, "Let not your heart be troubled." Despite our discomfort, we may be surprised how far we can boldly obey, exercise faith, and trust God for the outcome. After the stretch, we might also be surprised how vibrant we feel, both emotionally and spiritually.

Dear Father, thank you for asking us to stretch. Empower us to obey, exercise faith and trust you. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Stretch today and trust God,