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Good Monday Mornin'!
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He
lifted
me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2
Wednesday night at around 7:30 there was a knock on my door. Out where I
live it is not normal for someone to knock on your door at 7:30. But I
opened the door and there stood a young man who appeared to be about
fifteen
or so. He told me that his dad had got their truck stuck down the road in
their hunting lease, and they needed help getting out. My truck was in the
shop, so I called Britt, a friend of mine down the road, and he came
over
and got us and we went to see if we could help.
We pulled up to see that his dad had driven off in a sure enough mess. He
had drove down hill all the way into this property, down a steep
embankment,
and around a corner to start back up another hill, where he wasn't going
any
further. To make matters worse, he was in a 2 wheel drive f-150 and it was
steadily raining.
We were in Britt's jeep cj7 so we tried it first with a chain and moved
him
a little, but then we stopped moving him and he was stuck again. So we
went
back to Britt's and got his tractor. The tractor moved him a little
further
but once again he wasn't moving anymore. Then we hooked the jeep to the
tractor and the tractor to his truck and tried that; once again nothing.
Finally we unhooked everything and went back to Britt's to get more chain.
Once we got more chain we were able to get the jeep further up on dryer
land
and pull. We pulled and pulled and almost gave up, but then his tire
caught
onto something and slowly we started pulling him out. Once we started
Britt
didn't let up until we got him back on solid ground. It was a lot of fun,
but I was glad when it was over.
The next morning when I got up I started thinking about how much that
truck
being stuck represented my life. Every one of us has been there because we
are stuck in sin! I want to look at a couple of things with you today
though
that might help us all.
1. This guy had come to a complete end of himself. The first key to
getting unstuck in your life is realizing that you can go no further by
yourself. So many of us are out here every day trying to do life alone and
trust me its easier to do life alone sometimes. But the fact
still remains that you will need help and the way that God helps His
people is through His people. Just as that man sent his son for help, so
many of us need to send for help, we need to ask God and let Him send us
help and be willing to accept that help when it comes.
2. Second, sometimes we get ourselves so stuck that we are not going to
get out on the first or second try! We make the mistake of thinking that
we can just get our lives fixed right up and it should happen in the first
thirty seconds after our asking. I am constantly
wanting my fat belly to go away and I work harder and harder but Cory is
always saying, "It took 34 years to get it there it aint going to
come off is 3". Reality is tough, but the truth is the truth. Chances
are you didn't get where you are in a days time, and you aint getting out
of it in a days time! It is going to take work!
3. Finally when you get to going, don't stop until you are back on solid
ground! Britt wasn't about to stop pulling that truck until we knew that
he was to where he could go on his own. So many of us get some momentum
going, and then we think we have it so we "unhook" from our tow
line and we get stuck again. We come to church, or join a Bible study, or
talk to a friend or go to a councilor until we think we are out but we
really are not! Get a tow from someone until you are back on solid ground!
The truth of the matter is you will never be on solid ground until the day
you go meet Jesus! So always keep friends around you.
You know its not easy asking for help. And sometimes you get help you
really
didn't want to begin with. But how are we to go through life alone? It
seems
to me like it would be easier to do, but at the end of the day I know that
no matter what happens I can depend on my friends in Christ.
Love you guys.
Pastor Jason Lyle
The Open Range Church of Henry County
Many are the plans in a man's
heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
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