Have you ever felt as if life is walking through water, chest deep? The effort to push forward seems to require more strength then you have that day.
The last few days I have been fighting depression. There was nothing in my life that was wrong. Many different friends were battling things at work and personal changes. Plus, all the chaos in the government trying to get American’s budget out of the crushing debt has cause much pressure. Some people are afraid, and others are excited.
I woke up feeling all this weight of the shifting environments. I asked God, “What is going on?” He reminded me of the astronauts who were stranded in space. Their mission was supposed to be an eight-day round trip. It ended up being just over nine months on the space station. Being in a weightless environment for nine months causes many physical problems when you come back to earth’s gravity environment. Upon returning to earth, the astronauts needed to get reacquainted with the stress and weight of gravity. Bone and muscle weakness affects their ability to walk and drive. Even their skin becomes sensitive to the weightless environment to the heaviness of gravity pulling on their skin and organs. An astronaut will need to go through extensive physical training to get back the lost strength.
So, what does the heaviness I am feeling have to do with astronauts stranded in space? When there is a shift in God’s plans for man, we feel pressure. The prayers we have been praying are being answered. But in answering these prayers, that means changes in our environment and culture. We want the change, but we don’t like the upheaval. The upheaval makes us uncomfortable. We feel pressure and dissatisfied. It is kind of like going to the refrigerator and finding plenty of food but nothing you want.
Things we did before don’t seem to work. We can’t see what is next. We feel weak and helpless. We are confused and depressed. All these things happening are not meant to destroy us. God is using them to help us walk in this new environment. These new shifts are causing us to depend on God and not on what we relied on in the past seasons. To make room for the new we need to get rid of the old. This can be depressing and confusing, but it is how God creates new wineskins. Old wineskins cannot contain the new wine because there is no room for the fermentation that increases pressure. Fermentation is needed for the taste and texture of food and beverages that makes it desirable and tasty. God’s fermentation is transforming us to carry His glory to bring His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. New wine creates expansion beyond what the old wine can contain.
Isaiah spoke about God doing a new thing.
Isaiah 43:19 TPT “I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and open up flowing streams in the desert.”
You are not stranded. Be willing to let go of the old and allow God to build new strength for the new shifting environment. He is not caught off guard with what is happening on the earth. This is a time to stand on God’s word, ask for the Holy Spirit to help you change and be ready. God says in Isaiah 42:9 NIV “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” Ask God to show you the new things taking place. Ask God how to walk out the process of these changes. He knew you were going to be born at this time and place. He has good plans for your future.
A Prayer for You!
Father God,
I come before Your heavenly throne asking for my fellow travelers to keep pressing in for success in this changing environment. Please prepared and comforted them for this walk with You. Open their eyes to see Your good plans and purposes for them. Cause them to be able to let go of the old and grab hold of the new adventures You are in the process of bringing on earth. Holy Spirit, I ask for Your wisdom to enlighten them and give them strength to walk out God’s plans. Jesus, You paid the ultimate price for us to have victory on earth. Lead us towards that Kingdom victory. Amen!
Scriptures
Luke 5:37-38, John 14:26, Matthew 6:10, and Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
References
https://theweek.com/science/nasa-astronauts-return-space-effects-on-body
https://www.bing.com/images (free of copyright)
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