Hebrews 11: 36-40:
“And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

Did you ever hear the story of “Pushing The Rock”?

There was this man who was so very sickly and weak, he could accomplish very little.  Then this man had a real vision from God, he never doubted the vision was God. He lived in a cabin in the mountains. Out in front of his cabin was a huge boulder. In his vision that he knew was from God, God told him to go out and push on that boulder every day for eight hours a day.

The first week was exciting, the second week he noticed little real change, the third week he measured the rock’s distance from the cabin, and daily he checked to see how far he had moved the rock.

After six weeks of seemingly useless pushing, he questioned his vision.  The man cried; “there has to be more.”  He even questioned, “I am not what I should be, or I could move this boulder, especially since God demonstrated for me to push on this rock.”

One morning, as he went out to push the rock, he started crying and saw how useless his work really was, he couldn’t handle one rock!

There were many more all around.  As he sat down near the boulder, he was crying, angry, and bitter.   He had failed.  Jesus walked up and put his arm around the man and asked, “Why are you crying?”

The man said; “I have pushed with everything in me and the rock is in the same place as when I began.” Jesus said, “I never told you to move the rock, I told you to push the rock.” Jesus let the man see himself, and Jesus said what do you see?   The man looked at himself and said I am stronger today than ever, the pushing the boulder has made my muscles grow, and I became a better man.

Often we seek education, power, popularity, ambition.  We long to see more than we see, and feel more than we can feel.  We see people with circular problems, always back to the same place, and we see very little real change

Exodus 4:2 “‘And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand?’ And he said, ‘A rod.’  And he said, Cast it on the ground.’ And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.  And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail.’  And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.”

God told Moses, pick up the snake by the tail!  There is a real lesson here.   No smart, real life person picks up snakes by the tail, only TV people.  By taking the snake by the tail God is sending a message to Moses about family and ministry, every Christian worker is always vulnerable.

As we do the work of God we see the obstacle, the problem, the pain of being susceptible to attack and damage.   We want ministry that is not vulnerable nor bound to the limitations of humanness.  Jesus is trying to teach those that work for Him not to see how vulnerable we are.  NO; we are to learn to trust God’s plan and walk by faith.

Most everyone wants to see the picture of the big puzzle, but God often only gives us one small piece of the puzzle at a time; daily menial work.  Moses knew there was more while he walked through the backside of the desert.

Gensis 49:23-26: ”The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.”

The lesson is that Joseph’s great lesson is dealing with family problems, people problems, and much hurt and bitterness, and at the same time staying usable by God.  Joseph never saw anything that resembled hope in his daily menial walk, yet he had to have hope anyway. His pushing the rock hurt.

As a young teenager Joseph had a dream, he probably mishandled his dream.    Those around him disappointed him, yet that hope had to drive Joseph, there has to be more and Joseph could not see it or feel it.  We want to see the picture of the big puzzle, but God often only gives us one small piece of the puzzle at a time.  Joseph was abused by his brothers, and his family was dysfunctional.
They could not speak peaceably.  Joseph felt the cruel intentions of his own family.  This can’t be God’s puzzle.  While Joseph was laying in a cold damp well, the vulnerableness of the minister is apparent.  His brothers now drop a lifeline to Joseph, but it was not love, it was greed; they sold him - they used him, sure Joseph you are vulnerable to the flesh.

Can you imagine how Joseph felt riding on a camel going to Egypt?  He may have thought, “This can’t be God!”

Here Joseph is a slave in Egypt, “where is my dream? I can’t see anything, I can’t feel anything? To jail as an innocent man???” 

As Joseph laid and peered out that jail cell window, he must have said, “God, I thought there was more than this?”

In  Gen. 49:23-26, we find that Joseph’s strength was not in man or the disappointments of life. Joseph’s strength was in THE ALMIGHTY, “let the weak say” what --- “I AM STRONG” --- Joseph’s strength was in the ALMIGHTY --- THE EL SHADDAI --- THE ALL SUFFICIENT, THE GREAT SUSTAINER --- THE SHAD IN EL SHADDAI REFERS TO A MOTHER’S BREAST.  As Joseph was dying he did not recall the pain and failures, Joseph recalled the abundant blessing!!!!!

Then there is Gen. 45:5-8, “God sent me before to preserve to deliver.”  We see the deliverance, but don’t forget 13 years, from 17 to 30 years old, Joseph had to push the rock when the rock made no sense at all.

We want to see the picture of the big puzzle, but God often only gives us one small piece of the puzzle at a time.  We have not choice; we must keep pushing no matter how painful the pushing may be.  We may even think; ‘If this were really God wouldn’t it be easier?”

Promotion comes after waiting.  Promotion is worthless unless we learn the intimate knowledge of Jesus. 

Before Elijah knew Mount Carmel, he knew the self pity of the Brook Cherith.  How do you think a mighty man of God felt eating a widow’s last meal?  It is not the last meal that is important, it is God knows, God leads, if I can’t see it today, maybe tomorrow.

God moves suddenly... But it is not sudden... how many died before seeing their dream...

Matthew 25:21, 23:
“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord.”  

IT IS NOT WHO I AM. IT IS THE GREAT I AM!!!  Can we see HOLY GROUND?  Many refuse to take their shoes off, because they can’t recognize HOLY GROUND. Holy ground is invisible except to the heart.

Exodus 3:2-7  “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.’ And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, ‘Moses, Moses.’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ And he said, ‘Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’  Moreover he said, ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.  And the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.’” Is God my source?

PEACE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF TROUBLE; PEACE IS THE PRESENCE OF GOD.  GOD AND PEACE ABIDE IN THIS LIFE.  

Hebrews 11: 36-40: “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”|

God bless those faithful leaders who keep pushing simply because God said so. 

Let us be found faithful when He returns.

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