The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk, not to stand still in terror, but to walk and make spiritual progress upon my high places of trouble, suffering, or responsibility (Habakkuk 3:19 AMP)!
Are you in a place of trouble, suffering or burdensome responsibility? Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but if you’re not, you probably will be soon. That’s the nature of life, isn’t it? When we’re sailing along on smooth seas with a hearty breeze and lots of sunshine, suddenly a massive whirlpool appears from nowhere. Some of us have been spinning round and round in one particular whirlpool for a very long time!
On the seas, there are lots of whirlpools of varying widths, speeds, and formidability. Whirlpools of grief, depression, financial woes, sickness, unemployment, heartache, loss, troubled relationships, lost loved ones, broken friendships, etc. . . . Some are small, slow, whirlpools you can escape from quickly; others take years from which to break free.
The thing is, whether you are a believer in Jesus or not, you’re going to have problems in this world. The difference for those of us who follow Jesus is found in the verse above. It boils down to this: When we endure the whirlpool of adversity with Jesus, He uses it to teach us, to mature us in faith, to help us grow spiritually. In other words, the problem has a purpose. In fact, without the whirlpools, we would never grow. We would stagnate in our faith and end up leading boring, useless lives for God.
I know many people who, when confronted with a whirlpool, simply drop anchor outside the circumference and never try to cross. To this day, they are still sitting on the deck of their stagnant ship, complaining and grumbling about how God doesn’t answer their prayers.
So, I encourage you to plunge into your whirlpool. Don’t focus on how big it is or how long it will take to cross. Just get in. And while you’re in there, trust God, be thankful and offer Him praise.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV).
Happy whirling!
MaryLu Tyndall