Hell In The Hallway
We live in the hope that God is with us and will not forsake us but those times of waiting can be terrible!
1 Kings 17.1-24
Reference: v.7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. (NIV Bible)
Explore: I heard Jentezen Franklin speak a few years ago and he added an additional line to a very familiar saying:
When one door closes
Another will one will open…
But it's hell in the hallway.
I had always known the first two lines and they do give hope to many of us. But the realism of the third line rings so true for me. We live in the hope that God is with us and will not forsake us but those times of waiting can be terrible!
Application: In this Bible passage we read that God provided Elijah's basic needs, even down to his food and water. But in verse 7 we read that his water supply dried up. Verse 8 says that the word of the Lord came to Elijah and he was told to go somewhere else but how long was it between verse 7 & 8? To be honest, if I were Elijah I would have started stressing even before it got to verse 7. I would have seen the water levels starting to go down and started to stress. Verse 7 would have read for me: 'And Linda, seeing that the brook was starting to die down, began to cry out to the Lord. "Why, oh Lord, have you brought me here, only to have my brook start to dry up? I thought this was the place you had called me. Now I'm not so sure. Please give me a sign, Lord. Should I leave? Are you going to still provide for me? Was this the right place to begin with? What am I going to do???"' Clearly Elijah had a lot more faith than I did – either that or they did not record his actual thought process!! However it is in these in between times where our faith is really tested. We want answers straight away but it is not always the right time for answers. Those times in the hallway can be the most gruesome, however it's often in the hallway where our faith can grow. In those times we rely so heavily on God and wait with baited breath for Him to respond that we grow closer to Him and our faith is stretched. While it may feel like 'hell in the hallway' it can often get us closer to a piece of Heaven.
Prayer: Lord, we know that you will never leave us nor forsake us, but so often our faith is shaken. Forgive us for our lack of trust. Amen.
What has helped you as you have sought God for an answer? What assists you when you are in the 'hallway'?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.
6 comments:
This is a good read and an interesting perspective. Suffering months from insomnia and after trying many methods of remedy I am convinced that God is keeping me awake because this is the only time he can get my attention. I will lie in bed and ask a question in prayer and then will get a notion that sets me out to the desk and on the internet to research a quote or saying. My sister and I have been discussing by events of our lives the idea of “it’s hell in the hallway” and what it feels like to be in-between. Over a month ago a search led me to purchase a book by Sandi Bachom. “Hell in the Hallway”. In the introduction the lines that stuck to me were “We are all prisoners of our own making. Our will and pride and ego can keep us locked up in hallway for many years, but we can come out any time.” Now that many weeks have passed, insomnia still keeps me up and I keep going back to that phrase and still have questions. Perhaps it is not that I don’t want to come out of the hallway but that I haven’t dealt with the real issues keeping me in: pride – will – ego. Then tonight after typing in yet again, “it’s hell in the hallway” this article popped up this day September 8, 2015, that was written in 2008. So maybe it isn’t just about coming out of the hallway at anytime we choose, not always. Maybe God keeps us there until he says we’re ready, when he has worked out in us issues with our pride, our ego, our lack of trust, or just to strengthen us in other ways, to allow us to heal, etc. Or maybe he’s using us all along, setting the stage and we’re just waiting on the timing, our queue to enter. So the next question is Lord, is it me? Am I just not moving on? Or is it you Lord keeping me here, you have my attention. I’ll be quiet now and listen for what you have to say.
I will make sure Linda reads your comment. I hope God can start talking you to in dreams so you can get some sleep!! 😉 ^Cameron
And then I ready the devotional dated for today September 8 2015, “What are you waiting for” that seemed address my closing question above. “Sometimes things just take a long time to happen…” another good read! It just seems to be more than just coincidence. Thank you for these devotionals.
Make sure you sign up for the devotions by email Sandra, the box is on the home page.
Thanks, I did. 🙂 Also, shared a link to this site on my Facebook page.
🙂
Thanks for your support.
Cam