We just had a snowstorm that piled up eight inches of snow. It truly was a winter wonderland, pristine white beauty everywhere we looked. Since we didn’t have to be anywhere that day, I really enjoyed it.
But then the second snowstorm arrived that night, piling additional inches of snow on top of the mounds that were already there. And then on the evening news, the weathercaster gave us notice that still another snowstorm was headed our way.
This gal was not happy. I had things to do and places to go. After days of being snowbound, I felt like I was under house arrest. I was stuck.
Stuck isn’t a fun place to be, whether it’s from a snowstorm or from life circumstances such as a bad relationship, bills that seem to tower over our heads or situations where we see no way out. All of us will feel stuck at one time or another, but it’s how we respond that makes the difference. God gives us some great examples in the Bible.
When Moses and the Children of Israel were stuck in Egypt under the dictatorship of a harsh ruler, they could have given up hope, but instead, they took action—and God led them to the Promised Land.
What about Hannah? She was stuck in the heartbreaking world of infertility. She longed for a child more than anything. Instead of accepting defeat, she prayed earnestly to God, pouring her heart out before Him—and God answered with a son named Samuel.
Consider Daniel as he was stuck in a den of hungry lions. He could have moaned and cried. He could have been mad at God, but instead he trusted—and God delivered him.
Think about Paul and Silas in a dank prison cell. It was a grim and seemingly hopeless place to be stuck, especially since they weren’t guilty of wrongdoing, but instead of becoming depressed or bitter, they sang. Yes, they sang, filling that dismal place with joy and Jesus.
Circumstances don’t define us, but our reactions do. Each of those men and women from Bible days learned important lessons in their “stuck” situations. And we can as well.
