Monday, May 24, 2004
My son had dreamed about an old Mustang for years. I mean, the kind with four wheels, not four legs. He saw a great price advertised; he sold some of his baseball card collection, and he became the proud owner of a 1968 Mustang. Yeah, right, the kind that runs on gasoline, not oats. Right? I just wanted to make that we're clear on the Mustang thing. Now he invited me to take a drive, and I slid in. I turned the key. It whirred to life, and several nearby birds went for counseling as I started up the driveway. I mean, this thing had a roar to it! Now, when I reached the top of the driveway, I found out what I didn't like about that "cool"' car - turning it. See, I'm spoiled. I've got power steering. This car had power steering, except it was my power. When you want to turn that Mustang, it's like a total body operation. You sort of wrap yourself around it several times. You sort of call it corkscrew turning. Now, I never asked to drive the Mustang much after that. It was entirely too hard to turn!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hard to Turn."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 30:1-2. "Woe to the obstinate children, declares the Lord, to those that carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin, who go down to Egypt without consulting me, who look for help to Pharoah's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge." God's talking here about stubborn children.
James Dobson wrote a book called "Strong-Willed Children." Well, God could write a book about me with that title. How about you? I mean, I read verses like this, and I start thinking about that Mustang, and how God might be saying, "Why are you just like that car, Ron? You are so hard to turn." See, strong-willed children of God are the ones that are most likely to miss His best. We make up our mind what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, when it needs to happen, and we start driving full speed in that direction. But God's saying, "I want you to go this way, or I want you to wait, or to stop." Maybe you consulted the Lord at the beginning of the trip. You got direction, and you're rolling that way, but He's changing direction right now, and you're barreling ahead on the road that He was leading you on, but He turned and you didn't! And you are now in the most dangerous frustrating position a Christian can be in. You are on your own.
This "hard to turn" problem is usually a struggle for gifted people, determined people, make it happen people, controlling people, maybe wounded people who won't trust even God. It's tough for fast-moving people. We blaze ahead in our project, or this relationship, or toward our goal. Or we blaze ahead with our plan, our schedule, our desire, and we carry out plans that are not God's - not consulting Him.
See, being in the will of God requires frequent consultation, and Holy Spirit flexibility. I call it "spiritaneity," a constant sensitivity to whom, and what, and where the Holy Spirit might be prompting you. Let's call it "turnability." The leadership of Jesus in your life is dynamic not static, and stubborn people can miss it so easily. If you go against God's plans, it's guaranteed pain - needless pain. No amount of rationalizing or spiritualizing can manipulate God to agreeing with your plans. You need to line up with His. That's where the peace is. That's where the happiness is. I don't like to drive a vehicle that's "hard to turn," and neither does God. Listen up to Him, relax in His plans, and stay tuned for any turn He wants you to make at any time. You don't want to end up speeding down some road that your Lord isn't on.