I heard the story of a weak sickly man. The man was so sick and he could not afford going to town to the doctor. The man lived in the deep back woods in an old log cabin... his condition seemed to grow worse with each passing day.
Out in front of his cabin was a massive boulder. One night in a very real vision, God told him to go out there and push the huge rock all day long, day after day. The man got up early in the morning, and with great excitement he pushed the rock until lunch, then he rested a while and pushed the rock until supper time. The man loved pushing against the rock, it gave him meaning.
Day rolled into week, and week into months, he faithfully pushed against the rock.
After 8 months of pushing the rock, the weak sickly man was getting tired. In his tiredness he started to doubt his dream. So one day he measured from his porch to the rock, and after daily pushing the rock, he would measure to see how much he had moved it. After two weeks of pushing and measuring, he realized he had not moved the boulder not a 1/32 of an inch! As a matter of fact, the boulder was in the same place as when he started.
The man was so disappointed, he thought the dream was so special and now after nine months he saw his work had accomplished nothing, he was tired and his dream seemed dashed.
Ever felt like that? Have you ever wondered why the dream God put in your heart hasn’t seemed to move? You spend hours praying about it... invest resources into it... and take time each day to work hard... but it isn’t going anywhere. The new business begins... no clients. The new job starts... you feel underemployed. Your child isn’t getting any more obedient... the boss doesn’t seem to be letting up... what was once a thriving marriage has started to stagnate... your life feels like a constant push against an immovable object. Discouragement, like we talked about last weekend, begins to creep in and we wonder if we’ll ever succeed.
We keep pushing a rock that isn’t moving.
Why not quit?
Maybe we misjudged it.
Maybe the dream wasn’t from God.
Maybe God isn’t listening.
Does God know? Care? If this IS from Him... why doesn’t the rock move?
Our story continues...
As the sun was sitting in the west, Jesus came and sat down next to the man as he cried. Jesus said, “Son, why are you crying?”
The man replied, “Lord, You know how sick and weak I am, and then this dumb dream gave me a false hope and I have pushed with all that was within me for over 9 months, and that dumb old rock is right where it was when I started.”
Jesus was kind and said to him, “I never told you to move the rock. I told you to push against the rock.”
The man replied, “Yes, Sir, that was the dream.”
Jesus told the man to step in front of the mirror and look at himself. As an act of obedience the man stepped in front of a mirror and gazed at his body. The man was amazed, he had been so sickly and weak, and what he saw in the mirror was a strong muscular man. The man also suddenly realized that he had not been coughing all night.
Pushing the rock had made him stronger and healthier... more able to be the man he was created to be.
What looked like a waste of time in pushing the rock was actually time well spent.
The plan of God was not for the rock, but for the man.
Check out these two similarly-themed verses:
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
Every heartbreak, setback, storm, and challenge all mean something. You may not be moving the rock, but you were never supposed to. God simply says... if you stay obedient to me... never give up... I will make you stronger in the struggle. Oftentimes, we want what we want...and when it doesn’t look like we are succeeding... we get discouraged. God reminds us in today’s verses that what we perceive as disaster and failure are actually useful by Him...
Put simply, God uses what doesn’t seem to be working to remind us that He always is.
I don’t know what “rock” you’re struggling with today, but when it feels like you’re pushing and it isn’t going anywhere... don’t get discouraged. The world may not see the rock move and proclaim you are a failure.
God uses the rock to strengthen you... your obedience, perseverance, and faith in Christ. He doesn’t judge you... He proclaims you a masterpiece.
Who do you choose to believe?
