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)
