HOLES IN THE ROAD

I used to have a blue Volkswagen. One night while driving in a heavy rainstorm, I drove into a hole (25’ x 12’) in the roadway. It was dark and the hole was filled with water—I didn’t see it until I was resting in water 2 ½ feet deep. There was no driving out. I opened my car door, stepped into knee-deep water to discover that my front two tires had blown in addition to significant damage to the suspension. As I walked to the hole’s edge and attempted to climb out—I slipped and found myself sitting in water up to my neck. I felt really stupid and the tow truck guy didn’t help when he asked the obvious, “Hey man, how come you drove in the hole?”

Fact is—life is a lot like that. We’re driving on what seems to be a safe road when “BAM!” Life has opened up a Grand Canyon-sized man hole and we find ourselves in it, unable to drive out without any damage to our car. Truthfully, life does that a lot more than we want to admit. Question is—how do you deal with holes in the road?

Most believers are shocked when the road opens up—we live under the allusion that this shouldn’t be happening to us. We love the Lord, do our best to serve Him faithfully, and it only seems reasonable that He would “steer” us down another road. But no less than the apostle Paul had his share of holes in the road as he followed hard after Christ.

“I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT).

So how did he climb out of the hole? Three ways; (1) God was with him; (2) He belonged to God; (3) and the third way was the fact that he was doing the will of God.

Essentially, he was “on the job for God.”

God told Paul that he was to testify of Him in Rome (Acts 27), so Paul could keep going with the assurance that God was with him.

We can know this–as long as God has a work for us to do, we will be here to do it. God will preserve us to do it.

And when that work is done, completely done—we will go to heaven. Not too soon and not too late. Right on time.