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December 7, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Mark 11:24
Indian folklore tells of a youth's rite of passage into manhood. When the boy became of age his father took him into the dense forest at night, sat him on a log, blindfolded him and left him alone. He was required to sit on the log the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shone through it. He could not cry for help but waited in silence. Once he survived the night he was a man, accepted by the tribe.
He could not tell the other boys of this experience, because each one must come into manhood on his own. The boy was naturally terrified. Wild beasts might be all around him, some human might do him harm. The night produced strange sounds, the wind blew through the trees and bushes, but he sat stoically, silent, with determined perseverance, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be accepted by his tribe as a man.
Finally, after the fearful night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then he discovered his father sitting on a log nearby. He had watched over him the entire night, protecting his son from any harm that might come. What a beautiful picture of the father's love and care and the obedience of his son as he waited in quiet confidence and trusted the words of his father. By patient endurance, the boy was accepted as a man by the tribe.
Jesus said, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think through the power that worketh in you" (Ephesians 3:20). All of these are wonderful promises from our Father. But do we really "believe" what the Father has told us?
The young Indian boy could have reasoned, "What a foolish thing this is to be accepted as a man. How will anyone know if I peek from under my blindfold to see what danger may be lurking around me?" Sitting in fear and bewilderment he was tempted to deviate from the rules. As we look at the promises of our Father we rejoice in them and take comfort that He has made them, but do we really believe that God will make them a reality in our life?
We are sitting on the "log." We sit in darkness, often in fear, loneliness and frustration. We cannot see or know the future. What did the young Indian boy do? He sat in total obedience and with determined perseverance all night long to complete his passage. He trusted the word of his father who had led him into the dense forest. He waited for the sunrise and completed his role so his tribe would accept him as a man.
How does all of this apply to us? We are to sit on the "log" wherever God has placed us--with unwavering obedience. We wait in faith knowing that God will bring to maturity or completion that which He began. It is not a question of IF he will come through. Rather, we wait in a quiet commitment of trust in the One who will bring us to His desired result. In the meantime our Father is there all the time to comfort, protect, and lead us according to His plan and purpose! How glorious!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-12-07&print=1
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