How To Turn Every Dead End Into A Powerful Door Of Hope
I’ve been there, haven’t you? A dead project. A dead dream. A dead relationship. A dead business. No hope.
When you run out of options, you are at a dead end.
Paul was there once. He tried to go to various places in Galatia (Turkey) but each time the Holy Spirit stopped him. Finally, he came to the end of the road. It was Troas and the road ended at the Aegean Sea.
That night, at that dead end, he had a vision of a man across that sea. That night changed his entire life.
What do you do when you come to a dead end?
You trust.
God is never lost. He is never confused. He has plans beyond your plans.
Sometimes, He brings you to a dead end to reveal His new direction. When Moses came to the Red Sea it was a dead end. God brought him there to do a great miracle and destroy the entire army of Pharaoh.
Trust Him at the dead end.
You wait.
The good thing about dead ends is that you have no where to go! You can only wait.
God has a hard time getting us to wait upon Him. We plan, strategize, and manipulate. We try to control our way over the sea.
Waiting is hard. Deal with it. Ask the Holy Spirit to relax you, even when you have no idea of the next step.
Wait on Him at the dead end.
You work.
Some people think that when there is no hope…you shut down. Absolutely not.
Effort and providence go together. Doing what you know to do helps you know more of what to do.
“Cast your net on the other side of the boat,” Jesus said after a whole night of empty-netted fishing. Their fishing was at a dead end but they had not tried all the options yet.
Keep working at the dead end.
You listen.
When I come to a dead end, I listen better.
Maybe what I have been doing was not the right way. A parent, a coach, a friend actually held the key of sound advice for me. I just didn’t listen.
Don’t be hard-headed. Listen to your spouse. They love you enough to tell you that you missed the right turn about a half hour ago!
Keep listening at a dead end.
You praise.
All through the Bible, people reached dead ends in jails, in battles, in storms, in starvation.
In the “midnight hour,” they learned to praise God.
Stop whining and start worshipping. Stop blaming everyone else for your dead end.
Praise the One who has His eye continually fixed upon you and the sparrows. Praise the One who can send an angel and open a jail cell. Praise the One who can send hornets and destroy enemies.
A “dead end” is just a powerful “door of hope.”