The Trans-Alaska Pipeline stretches 800 miles through Alaska. Because it
was built through an earthquake zone, engineers had to be sure the pipe could
withstand earth trauma. They decided on a network of Teflon sliders designed to
ease the shock when the ground moved below the pipes. Engineers were delighted
when the first big test came. In 2002, an earthquake occurred causing the
ground to move 18 feet to one side. The Teflon sliders moved gently to
accommodate the movement without any damage to the pipe. The key was
flexibility.
The believer’s spiritual pipeline to heaven is built upon firm trust in
God. But if we are inflexible in our expectations of how God should work, we
can run into trouble. In a crisis, we can make the mistake of shifting our
focus from God to our painful circumstances. Our prayer should be, “God, I
don’t understand why You have allowed this painful situation. But I am trusting
in Your ultimate deliverance despite all that’s going on around me.” The
psalmist expressed this so well when he wrote: “My soul trusts in You . . . until
these calamities have passed by” (Ps. 57:1).
When the earth seems to move under us, let’s be flexible in our
expectations but firmly confident in God’s steadfast love and care.
God may delay or deny our request,
but He will never disappoint our trust. (RBC)
