Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 1:1-8
A car can get stuck if it drives onto a soft muddy or snow-covered surface. Then when the driver tries to get moving again by pressing hard on the accelerator, the tire’s
repetitive spinning wears a groove or rut in the mud or snow and the car sinks into it, until it is unable to get out and move on to a different place. It's said that that car is "stuck in a rut."
After the Israelites left Egypt the spent 40 years wandering in the desert. In today’s Bible reading, the Israelites had been camping at Horeb. They had been at war with various kings for some time. They were tired. They were feeling stuck in an unpleasant situation. They needed rest and safety. God saw that need. In Deuteronomy 1:6 God told the Israelites through Moses, “The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough…’” God knew it was time for the Israelites to move on. He knew it was time for the Israelites to “go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them” (verse 8).
We can get "stuck in a rut" in our spiritual lives, too. We can spend so much time serving God in the same place and in the same way that we wear a rut in the path of our Christian walk. We get bogged down, unable or even afraid to go someplace new or do something different. Also, being in the same place, doing the same job can be tiring. We can begin to feel worn down, stuck, in need of a change.
However, there are times when God wants to use us to do his work in a special way. That may mean pushing ourselves out of our rut of routine and taking a risk.
When was the last time you tried some different or unexpected way of serving God?
Take a step of faith. Get unstuck, follow God’s lead, because with God, you can do anything He wants you to do.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Prayer: Heavenly Father, if You have something different that you want me to try, I’m willing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.