As a small boy my favorite story, which I asked my mom to read to me over and over, was The Little Engine That Could. I somehow took the message of that book to heart and it became “the watchword” in my life… I think I can, I think I can? I grew up believing that I could do anything I wanted to and become anyone I wanted to if I just put my mind to it and my “nose to the grindstone.” Oh how that has paid dividends in my life. Unfortunately it didn’t pay dividends where it counted.
That little “mantra” floating around in my brain became a huge barrier for the Holy Spirit to overcome. It cost me years of asking God what to do and then taking the issue up by myself and pressing ahead. And in every instance (truly I cannot think of an exception) when my little train arrived at my destination, it was only to find an empty station. My answer… load up the coal car, fill the boiler, and press on! And down the other side I would go wondering why that station was empty… I thought I could, I thought I could?
Have yo
u been on that train? It took the Holy Spirit a long time and a great deal of patience and longsuffering to teach me that everything I heard in my head wasn’t from Him. And that taking a deep breath and forging ahead wasn’t always the right thing to do. That’s when I finally understood that I wasn’t designed to be a train… God designed me to be a boat.
Something that Paul wrote in Romans reminded me of when God helped me make the transition from the steam engine to the boat. It wasn’t earth shattering or mind blowing, it was just a gentle reminder of how God wants to work in our lives.
Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
There is a lot to feast on in this short verse, but I want to focus on just one part… continuing instant in prayer. Through prayer we are able to lift our eyes off of the present circumstances (good or bad) and focus on the future; the future of the coming glory of our Lord and Saviour. W.H. Griffith Thomas rephrased it this way… In the matter of prayer, staunch. Paul is telling us that we are to reflect our true attitude, the attitude of our spirit, by firmly and constantly waiting. We are to be “patient” in our tribulation and not anxious and impatient to move ahead.
It was that verse God used to tell me that I’m not a steam engine, I’m a boat. He made His point by taking me back to something Jesus said to His disciples:
Mark 3:9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
He wanted me to learn that I must “always” patiently wait on Him, and that the only way I would know when, where, and how to move would be by remaining continuing instant in prayer. The word in both verses (continuing instant and wait on) is proskaretero, which means to be earnest toward; persevere; be constantly vigilant; to adhere closely to. That’s when He painted a picture for me of that little boat anchored and waiting for the moment when the Master said to shove off.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
It took me awhile but I learned the lesson of the steam engine and the boat. God doesn’t want me to get a destination in mind and then build up a full head of steam to climb up the mountain (I think I can, I think I can?) because it always ends up the same way (I thought I could, I thought I could?). He wants me to patiently stay anchored like that little boat, just prayerfully waiting for the Master to climb on board with “The” destination in hand.
If you find yourself constantly having to fill your tender with coal and your boiler with water in order to make the steam you need to overcome, then I might suggest you think about turning in your steam engine for a boat. The journey will be a lot smoother, far more pleasant, and certainly less noisy in the boat. And at the end of the journey you will find yourself right where God wants you to be… right where you need to be. And in the process you will learn a new watchword… I know He can, I know He can! And when you reach the other side you’ll find an anchorage that hold your answers… I knew He could, I knew He could!
Trade those ??? for !!!