By: Pastor Steve Wilmot
Edgerton, Ohio
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev used to tell of a time when there was a wave of petty theft from factories in the Soviet Union.
To curtail this, the authorities put up guards around the exits. At one timberwork in Leningrad, the guard knew the workers in the factory very well.
On the first evening, out came Pyotr Petrovich with a wheelbarrow and, on the wheelbarrow, a great, bulky sack with a suspicious-looking object inside. “All right, Petrovich,” said the guard, “what have you got there?”
Oh, just sawdust and shavings,” Petrovich replied. Come on,” the guard said, “I wasn’t born yesterday. Tip it out.” And out came nothing but sawdust and shavings. So, he put it all back again and went home.
When the same thing happened every night of the week, the guard became frustrated. Finally, his curiosity overcame his frustration. “Petrovich,” he said, “I know you. Tell me what you’re smuggling out of here, and I’ll let you go.”
Wheelbarrows, my friend,” said Petrovich, “wheelbarrows”. We get distracted so easily. When difficulties come our way, we let our minds wander to the what ifs.
We worry. Our minds go into a frantic scramble to find a resolution to the problem. We too quickly lose sight of the antidote to our frenzied worries: set your attention on God.
Focusing on God has been the consistent counsel of Scripture and the practice of some of God’s greatest followers.
Take Elisha. The king of Aram was furious with him and sent a battalion of soldiers to surround the city where he lived to capture and silence him.
“When the servant of the man of God (Elisha) got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked.
’Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 5.15-17).
Elisha was calm and unruffled; his servant was in panic mode. Elisha saw something his servant failed to see — the Lord’s army sent to protect him from harm.
Maybe you need to ask the Lord to open your eyes today so you can see him: your defender, your refuge, your help in times of trouble.
Stop. Open your eyes. Look to the Lord. He has not deserted you to face your adversities alone. See him, the ever-present God who has you covered and protected. Keep your eyes on him and don’t be distracted.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40.28-31).
The questions posed at the beginning of this passage are excellent questions to ask ourselves in the middle of a crisis when we feel overwhelmed. Do you not know? Have you not heard?
If you’ve been a follower of God for any time at all, you’ve heard. You know. You know that God said: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41.10).
But you forget because you’ve been distracted by the bigness of the problem, and fallout all around you. Remember again.
“The God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel, says: ‘Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called you by name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end — Because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you!” (Isaiah 43.1-4).
But our fears and worries drown out this message as if we had never heard it before. The size of the waves and the terrifying sound of the storm distract us from our Refuge. It causes us to forget: God is bigger. God is stronger. There is nothing he cannot do. Nothing.
Our problem isn’t a lack of faith. It’s that we get easily distracted. We concentrate on the problem and overlook the Problem-Solver. Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see you.
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Steve Wilmot is a former Edgerton, Ohio area pastor who now seeks “to still bear fruit in old age” through writing. He is the author of seven books designed to assist believers to make steady progress on their spiritual journey.