From time to time we get Standers who are stuck in…..

“My spouse is happy, seems to be blessed, and has peace. Why am I Standing? It seems wrong to pray for them to come back to me when they have a new life.”

Your spouse may even be going to church and seeking a relationship with God, so praying for their salvation doesn’t seem to be required. So what ARE you standing for?

Good question.  And that can only be answered by the call to which you said, “Yes.”

When God called you to Stand, you answered, but for what did He call you?

I will start out by saying this. When God calls and commissions you, you don’t get to set the rules. You don’t get to negotiate the terms, or the time. It’s a “yes” and “Your will be done, Lord” answer. Not “I will stand until they remarry, or until they seem happy and going back to church again,” or, “I will stand until God changes His mind.”  God called you for a reason, and you have to let that reason unfold. 

‬‬‭‭ “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”‭‭  Isaiah‬ ‭46:10 NLT‬ ‭

‭‭When God called you to Stand with a destination in mind, He saw the full journey and everything that would happen in between. Some of you are making unplanned pit stops and are grounded at places of tempting God and refusing to believe. You think, “Well, he is happily married now so there is no point for me to Stand.”

This is the same unbelief, the same tempting, grumbling, and complaining the Israelites did in the wilderness that tested God and made Him hold back from them the promise. It’s a form of trying to tempt (force God) into action instead of moving God through pleasing Him through your belief. 

You have to go back to what God called you to do and not waiver. You must not try to negotiate the terms of the Stand or argue with God simply because of the direction He has taken you produces a lot of turbulence. Some of your storms get very severe and rough and require absolute blind faith and trust in God. This is where you have to reach down deep and keep making the choice to believe and take Him at His Word. It’s not the time to accuse Him of misleading you.

The Israelites knew God was real but were upset for being led to the promise in a hard way. Because of their physical hunger and thirst, they became angry at God for the discomfort and started to question if God was good, not if he was real. It led them to complain to the point of trying to force God’s hand by saying, “If this is how God’s going to treat us, I would rather go back to being a slave.” (Exodus 14:12)

Many don’t realize they have the same type of attitude with God when they say, “Well, God called me to do this, but why should I when my spouse is married, happy, and being blessed by God? I would rather just move on and be happy myself.”

We need to understand that God is testing US, while we are testing Him. We are in a place of seeing whether we are going to listen to Him, be obedient to what He has asked of us, and not question His integrity. 

“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Deuteronomy 8:2 NKJV

Do you remember the man with unbelief, who asked God IF He could have compassion and help his son?

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:23 NLT

Again, this is not a belief in whether God CAN do the impossible, but rather a question. Is God kind enough? Compassionate enough? Does He care enough?

We need to question our questions. For those of you who are stuck on, “Well they are blessed, happy, married, and have moved on,” know that if that is what you keep telling God and others, your heart is tempting God and trying to force His hand to prove Himself. He won’t! He won’t be manipulated by self-pity. It’s not the same type of “test Me” that is talked about in Malachi 3:10, where God says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (ESV)

His Word and promise to you will not come back void, but it sure can be delayed when we get grounded on our journey in the place of “My spouse is happy.” Let it go! Get back on the journey and give that up. Happiness has no bearing on anything. Being in God’s will, obedient and serving Him, is what you should be looking for. 

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

Standing with you,
Sheila Hollinger