Hope That EnduresSample

When There's No Way Out

There have been so many times when I’ve felt stuck. I’m sure you have as well. It’s an awful feeling, especially when we’re stuck in horrible situations where our world has fallen apart or our hearts have been broken.

The hopelessness is the worst, because that’s when we wallow in the pain, allow the darkness to overtake us, or pull the covers over our heads because we’re too discouraged to get out of bed. That’s exactly where Satan wants us, because a defeated Christian can become bitter or even turn his back on God.

I once got stuck in a parking place at the outlet mall. Yes, I realize that takes exceptional talent, but I’m gifted like that. I had pulled into the space quickly and cut it too close, so the back wheel had gone up on the landscaping island beside the parking place. When the tire dropped down off of it, the rubber wedged against the concrete—and when I tried to pull up so I could straighten my SUV, I realized there was also a high concrete barrier at the front of the parking space to keep people from pulling through.

I was stuck, without a speck of room to maneuver. And despite numerous embarrassing efforts to get un-stuck, I couldn’t get out of that parking place—until I finally did the one thing that could (and would) make a difference—I prayed. It was an elegant and frantic prayer: “God, get me out of here!”

Friends, if we pray, God will free us from the situations where we feel we have no way out. His rescue is sometimes in the way we hope, sometimes not. But it is always in the way that He knows is best for us.

Two or three more tries and I felt a tiny bit of movement. Before too long, I was able to finally get free from that parking space. But I’d made prayer my last resort instead of my first response.

Sometimes we end up stuck in our circumstances because we forget to pray. We become so focused on the trauma of our trials that we’re consumed by them. We wring our hands, talk to our friends about all that’s wrong in our lives, and worry until we have elephant-sized knots in our stomachs. We whine and complain. But we don’t pray.

I wish I knew who to attribute this to, but somewhere I read a sign that said, “Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?” We talk to our friends and family, but we don’t talk to the One who can actually make a difference in our circumstances.

Desperate times call for desperate prayers. Moments when we get serious about talking with God. When we bare our hearts and souls before Him, asking for His wisdom to know what to do, for His strength to make it through the day, and for those glimmers of hope that remind us that He has it under control.

Friends, if we pray, God will free us from the situations where we feel we have no way out. His rescue is sometimes in the way we hope, sometimes not. But it is always in the way that He knows is best for us. I love what God says in John 8:36 (nlt): “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” Our hope—our freedom from whatever we’re facing—comes from Him. Even if it comes through a grandma gal uttering frantic prayers while stuck in a parking place.

Prayer

Lord, I feel so stuck in my circumstances. I desperately want out, but the situation seems hopeless and every doorway out seems closed. The darkness has overwhelmed me, and I’m so discouraged that I don’t even want to get out of bed. Please help me to get my eyes off my circumstances and onto You. And please forgive me for talking to everyone else about my problems instead of talking to You about them. Remind me that You’re the way-maker and that You want what’s best for me. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What are some circumstances that seemed hopeless to you, and what did you learn from them?

2. How can going through difficult times defeat you as a Christian or make you bitter?

3. Why does God sometimes answer your prayers in ways that are different from what you wanted?

Reach the World Around You

No matter what situations you find yourself in, there are always things to be grateful for—if you’ll just look for them. And doing so will completely change your focus. Remind someone else going through difficult times to count their blessings by giving them some slips of paper and a “blessing jar” to count their blessings each day. Don’t forget to share how that helped you.