When I was a kid, I took a Physical Education class, and we did track and field races. I enjoyed short sprints but running long distances well, not as much The coach would line us up and give us the old command,” Get on your mark, get set, go! We would take off like horses busting out of the gates at an official horse race, running with power, strength, and determination. We had one thing on our mind, and that was to get to the finish line first. We were determined to run the race to the best of our ability, to give it all that we had!
In my prayer time with the Lord one morning, I said,” Father, why do I feel like I have a stirring in my spirit, yet I have an uncertainty of what to do with it?” I heard the Lord say gently to me that I was in a season of “Get on your mark, get set….” I asked Him if that was all? He said, “I will tell you when to go.”
Even though this reply didn’t give me complete clarity as to what I was to do, it gave me comfort. To be honest, it actually filled my heart with joy. As I sat quietly, Holy Spirit ministered to my soul.
I feel like we are all in a season of getting ready. We are preparing for the race of our lives. We need to be running toward the finish line with His power, His strength, and His will for our lives. Philippians 3:14 says,
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Now that is an incredible goal. That is an amazing prize to receive.
Sometimes life can truly feel like a race. Not always pleasant, sometimes disappointing, long, hard, and can leave us feeling exhausted and empty. But when we run with God always by our side, how can we lose? We might slip up and take our eyes off Him, but the goal is to turn our eyes right back to Him, so we don’t run off course or trip and fall.
Friend, we were never meant to run this race alone. God created us to spend time with Him. To fellowship with us and lead us in the race set before us. We were created by a loving God who brings us into His eternal family. He didn’t just create us and throw us into this crazy world to run through it blindly, on our own, and defeated. He created us to be His family. To be His hands and feet on this earth and to be salt and light. We cannot do it without Him. He has to lead us in this race, or we will certainly lose.
In my Physical Education class, I would run the racecourse, my breath would increase, and I felt like I was done. I wanted to quit. Then I would hear my coach say, “Come on, Beth! You can do this! Keep on going; you’re almost to the finish line!” So I would dig deep, feel his encouraging words go straight to my heart, and I would push and run my hardest to the finish line. I didn’t always come in first, but I gave it all I had and always completed the course.
That’s what our Heavenly Father wants from each of us. He desires we always reach out to Him when we are breathless, weary, and want to quit this difficult race, but we aren’t quitters! We have the DNA from the King of Kings running through our veins! That makes us winners right there! We have the most powerful, faithful, merciful, and loving coach that ever existed, and He is worthy of our running this race for Him and with Him. He is right beside us to encourage us to run this race and make it all the way to the finish line –Home!
So, if you feel like you are in a holding pattern and waiting on the Lord to give you his commands, just press on. Press into His word. Build your biblical stamina. Build your endurance through time just listening to his voice in the quietness of your prayer room or wherever you can be alone. This, my friend, is the race of our lives, and we will not lose, no, not with God as our eternal, loving coach.
So get on your mark and get set…
Beth Nahkala
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#bethnahkalablogs
