Keep your eyes fixed on the ark because you haven’t passed this way before. 

It seems the last months we’ve struggled with things that we’ve never gone through before. About two weeks ago, my daughter’s little dog got the “zoomies” and was pestering her. So Christi, who lives across the street from us, brought the dog to our large backyard so it could sniff and investigate stuff. 

I still suspect an angel stirred up the little rascal because otherwise my daughter wouldn’t have been present for what happened next.  

As we listened to my wife Phyllis tell a story about a lady in Germany suddenly her speech garbled, her mouth pulled to the left, she became confused and her left arm and leg were paralyzed. 

My daughter is a nurse and she reacted like a professional. The ambulance arrived in around ten minutes and whisked my wife off to the hospital where doctors removed a blood clot from her brain. 

The surgeon told us later that when he sucked the blood clot out, left-side function immediately returned. She’s slowly heading towards normal in all categories, and we’re thankful, so thankful to the Lord. Your prayers are still appreciated as she still has a ways to go.

Keep Your Eyes On Me

The morning after the excitement I was praying as I headed back to the hospital following a short night. I believe God spoke to me and said, “Keep your eyes on me because you haven’t passed this way before.” 

We still didn’t know whether she would be paralyzed or otherwise handicapped. Lots of questions. For me, it was like when God’s people found themselves in front of a flooded Jordan river. Not far across the river the formidable walls of Canaan’s gateway city, Jericho, threatened them. They needed supernatural help. 

Have you been there? Your world seems to be shaking and you’re not sure what’s just ahead. 

You know what is true, but your feelings don’t seem to track with that. You’re doing emotional gymnastics as one moment your feelings tear out your insides, then they’re dead. Maybe you’re questioning and sometimes you don’t know how to feel because you’ve never passed this way before. 

You don’t even know what to say when you pray. You might scream, “Help!” or maybe nothing comes out.  

But still that cry for help flows up from the Spirit in your soul, “groanings which cannot be expressed in words.” (Rom. 8:26, NLT) 

What do you do in life when you’ve never been here, never done this, don’t know what to do? 

–Don’t crowd the ark (Joshua 3:4.) That’s what God told the people who had to cross the Jordan. Stand at a distance where you can see where the Ark of the Covenant is leading. I think that sometimes we get so “spiritual” about God’s will that we can’t see what He’s doing. If you crowd the ark too closely you can’t see where it’s going. Is that spirituality or is that pride? I say this hesitantly, but be careful of someone who says, “God told me,” too much.” (And I realize that’s what I said when I began this Coffee Stain.) 

–Do what you know is right. Keep doing what you know is right, even when you don’t know what will happen. At least do what you know to do.  

–Replay in your mind the things that God has told you. Hang on to this ‘word.’ 

–What does this Bible say about your situation? What does this word sounding in your heart say? 

–Look for others who passed this way before you and imitate them or take counsel from them. 

–Keep your eyes fixed on the ark, because you’ve never been this way before. The ark symbolizes our alliance with the Lord. What are the ramifications of that covenant? It also represents the presence of the Lord. Be stubborn in seeking the Lord; don’t give up. He is our direction, our victory, our salvation. 

You may be in a situation you’ve never been in before but you need to know this—it’s not a situation that the Lord has never faced. On Calvary He carried everything that ever hurt us (Isaiah 53). He’s helped a host of his children in situations just like yours. He passed this way before. 

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:28-31, NLT)