I love their answer.  They didn’t think twice about the consequences of not following the orders of the king, and they responded in such a calm, pleasant and honorable way.  Many faced with this same situation may have been tempted to go along with the King to avoid possible death.  But their belief in the mightiness and the power of their God, and their focus on Him, gave them courage to rely upon God alone.

Speaking of focus … have you ever watched the running of the 110-meter high hurdles?  The runners seem to just glide over the 42” hurdles like they don’t exist.  When I tried it years ago, I focused my attention on each hurdle and seemed to always clip the hurdle with my trailing foot.  Rarely did I hurdle it cleanly, and more than a couple of times I ended up on my face.  What I learned (besides that I wasn’t meant to be a hurdler) was that I needed to set my sights on the finish line and take the hurdle “in stride” rather than making it bigger than it was.

To run the race that God has set before us, there will be hurdles along the way that you will have to get over.  We often “perceive” an obstacle in our life as a blockade, trying to avoid it, rather than working our way over it and through it.  Many of us end up concentrating so much on the hurdle itself that we miss what God has for us on the other side. 

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I d  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God  has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 5:13-14)

How do you perceive “obstacles” in your own life, a consequence of sin or an opportunity for the Lord to work? 

Nothing is an obstacle unless you say it is.
—Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies

 
Cliff Young is a contributing writer to Sandlot Stories (ARose Books).  An architect and former youth worker, he now works with Christian musicians and consults for a number of Christian ministries. Got feedback?  Send your comments and questions to CYdmg@yahoo.com.