Take Away That Stone

One of the saddest parts about growing old is having to look back at childhood dreams that I was never able to see come true. Many of the goals and ambitions that I dreamt about when I was in my twenties seem a lifetime away. How many of us wanted to be a professional athlete and play center-field for the New York Yankees? As a Christian, I know that my life has been directed by God so these sentimental reflections don’t lead me to remorse. It’s just that sometimes I sit and wonder what changes I could have made in order to fulfill those goals that I now look back on. Is it too late for me to achieve these dreams? Every morning I wake up feeling stiff as a board making me realize the dream of jogging onto the field at Yankee stadium is over. In the natural, my body cannot accomplish this dream any longer. It’s over… Dead and buried…

As Christians, we can experience this same feeling in our everyday life. How many of us, myself included, have stop praying for things that we have yet to see come to pass? Who has given up on a word they felt was from God to start a prayer meeting in their home or to begin some new way of spreading the Gospel? Maybe some of you have had a prophetic word spoken over you years ago and because it’s been so long you have dismissed it in your mind. Will these dreams ever go away? No. Not if it was God who truly gave it to you. Remember, His word “can never return void.”

So what happened? First, we must realize that whenever we feel the urge to do something for God or we engage Him with a special prayer, immediately, you will get resistance from the devil. Satan’s first plan of attack is to kill it in you immediately. If it’s a prayer request for an unsaved child or a thought to step out in faith, Satan moves in right away to discourage you. If you’re praying for God to do something in your life, he tells you it will never happen. If you feel a prompting to be used in some small way by God, he tells you you’re not qualified. He will do anything at the early stages to discourage your heart to give up on this very dream of seeing what God has spoken come to pass. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells these words to His Disciples. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) Before the first group of Christians ever gathered together in His name, Jesus knew that the devil would come in and attack it. Destroy it right from its early beginning. Jesus gave His disciples this promise, nothing will prevail against it. Just like the dreams and prayers that we hold dear to our hearts, the gates of hell can never prevail against it. Never. So how do we break through on these forgotten prayers and dreams? Is there something blocking them from coming to pass?

In the book of John, there is an interesting story that I’m sure you’ve all heard. It’s the raising of a dead man called Lazarus. Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha were close friends of Jesus and people that He loved dearly. Well, Lazarus becomes very sick and his sisters reach out to Jesus with their request that He come and heal their brother. You see, it was their dream and prayer that their brother may live again. Well as the story goes, Lazarus dies and is buried in a tomb and his body is already starting to see decay. Isn’t it like that with many of us? We once had dreams of doing something for God or had someone speak a word over our life and now that dream or prayer request is dead and gone, buried in the back of our mind somewhere. So what was the answer Jesus gave to these two sisters in order to spark life back into their fading dream of seeing their brother live again? “Take away the stone.” (John 11:39) Take away the thing that blocks the dreams and miracles you once had. Take away the stones from that spiritual tomb where they are lying in decay. For these two sisters it was a physical stone in front of the tomb of their loved one. For us, these stones can be unbelief or a feeling of inadequacy. Maybe it’s the stone of hurt or rejection. Maybe it’s the stone of past failures. Whatever that stone may be, Jesus wants you to remove it today so that calling in your life, like Lazarus, may rise and live again. So how do you get rid of these heavy stones that have been blocking the dreams and prayers of your life?

John 11:41 says “So THEY took away the stone.” Notice this, sometimes the stones are so large that you can’t remove it yourself. You need some divine intervention to get them out of the way. You need someone’s help. That someone is Jesus. Through His love He not only reveals to you the stones in your life that must be removed, He is right there with you, arm in arm, rolling them away. If you try removing these stones on your own you will only get frustrated and weak. Through His power, He will remove these stones and bring to life all those forgotten prayers and broken dreams. One of the reasons He does it, besides the fact that He loves you, is to ensure these dreams and prayers are completed. Isaiah 55:11 says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It (His Word) will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Translation… God’s word and promises must be accomplished in all who put their trust in Him.

If you’re not a Christian today and haven’t put your faith in Jesus your stone is sin. But if you confess to Him your sins He will remove that stone just for you. He will do it. And the gift you will receive inside is eternal life through Christ Jesus…

Just Something to Consider.