Have you ever been between a rock and a hard place? Maybe you’re in one right now. I know I have on several occasions in my life. I went through the loss of a parent my last semester in college. A company layoff a few years ago and I was forced to take a significant pay cut. I had to live in my mother-in-law’s garage for almost 6 years during this time. Others have been through divorces, deaths in the family, financial hardships and other situations.
Webster defines it as being “in a difficult or uncomfortable position with no attractive way out.” That definition pretty much sums it up!
There are a five things we need to understand from the Bible if we are going to make it through a rock and a hard place. See 2 Samuel 5:1-10 for the context.
- You will always face the enemy standing in your way. The enemy was held up in Jerusalem, which was David’s destination. The enemy was living where David was supposed to be. Too many of us get used to the enemy living in a place that he has no business being in. We compromise and say it’s not worth the fight or give up too soon because things get difficult.
- The enemy will always try to discourage you on the way to your destiny. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” Other people will say that you’re not good enough or not smart enough. They will say that you don’t have enough education or experience. Others will try to convince you that you don’t have the right skills. You have to decide who you’re going to listen to, God or the enemy!
- You can’t always take the easiest path to get to where you’re supposed to be. In verse 8 David tells his men that they will have to use the water shaft to overtake the city. This particular water shaft was an arched passageway that started out considerably large and gradually narrowed down to the final part of the passage being about 14 inches wide in diameter. It would have taken 4 hours to crawl through to get through to the other side. By the time they got through this rough spot they were bruised, cut and bleeding. Sometimes the greater the reward the harder the journey.
- You have to take the time to build yourself up and those around you. In verse 9, “David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward.” David never stopped growing in his life. How do we build up the area around us? We pray, read our bible daily, go to church and join a small group. Your life will only be able to support what your foundation can hold up.
- You have to realize you can’t do it by yourself. In verse 10, “And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.” David realized his success was because of who he knew and who he spent time with. David learned to spend time with God and the more time he spent with God the stronger he became. His success in life was dependent upon his relationship with God. David was a strong king because he served a strong God.
Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great endured great hardship in their life. Hardship is usually just a sign that you’re doing something right.
Really good points. Thanks! It is in the “hard places,” in the rocky, rough, get-me-out-of-here moments of life that we are both broken and made. No matter which state we “see” or find ourselves in, one thing is assured – dependency on God is essential.
To your question, point 5 resonated the most with me.
You’re right. It’s during the hard places that we are shaped and molded into who God envisions us being! The hard places is also the place where the “rough edges” in our lives are rubbed off.