Fresh Out of Ideas

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Today we have a guest post from Pam Steiner...

"So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Luke 11: 9-10

Have you ever just felt like you were

  • fresh out of ideas...
  • running into dead ends...
  • banging your head against a wall...not sure which way to turn?

If so, I am certain you are not alone...I know I have often felt that way...and continue to feel that way more often than I like to admit. We start out gung-ho, ready to go on a project or an idea, and get up a full head of steam, and then we start running into road-blocks and obstacles, you know, those little daily frustrations that catch us off-guard and interrupt our plans for the day...or the week, or our life's goals...and pretty soon we find ourselves giving up on our dreams and schemes and going back to the status-quo...the ordinary life...the comfortable place where we aren't challenged to step out on faith and do something "outside the box".

We find ourselves slumped back down in our easy-chairs, pushing the buttons on the remote and looking for something to entertain ourselves...watching other people achieving their goals, obtaining their dreams, carrying out their ideas and finding success and happiness at the end of the rainbow. And we content ourselves by saying, "well, that just wasn't God's plan for me", or "I guess that wasn't such a good idea afterall." "It's okay for someone else, but not for me."

I don't pretend to have the answer to this problem that appears to be common to many of us. But God's Word, The Bible, does have a lot to say to us about how we should go about seeking His plan for our lives...The verses quoted above from Luke's Gospel are a good place to start:

  • "Ask...Seek...Knock..." and then go to Psalm 27:14, which says:
  • "Wait on the Lord;"
  • "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;"
  • "Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Oftentimes I have found that I have given up too soon, thinking that my plans must not have been good enough or in the right direction...when actually what I needed to learn was to wait on the Lord for His plans to come into fruition. Isaiah 30:18 says,

"Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him."

Lord, I am learning to wait on You...to answer my questions, acknowledge my seeking, and to open that door in Your good time...and I look forward to hearing Your still small voice saying,

"This is the way, walk in it,"...whenever I "turn to the right hand or whenever I turn to the left." (Isaiah 30:21)

Proverbs 16:3 reminds us to "Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established..."

and in verse 9 it says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

So the next time you find yourself running into those road blocks, stop and ask for directions...and God will direct your steps. You can't go wrong that way!!!

Have a blessed, productive day!

Pam Steiner has spent over 20 years in the ministry serving various churches with her husband.  She blogs at "Closed Doors, Open Windows" where each day brings a new challenge and a new need for discernment and prayer.