"I WILL MOVE THE ROCK"

>                    "I WILL MOVE THE ROCK">>A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room >filled with light and the Savior appeared.  The Lord told the man he >had work  for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his >cabin.  The  Lord explained that the man was to push against the >rock with all his  might.>>This the man did, day after day.  For many years he toiled from sun >up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive >surface of  the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.  Each >night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that >his whole day had been spent in vain.>>Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan >decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind >such as: "You  have been pushing against that rock for a long time, >and it hasn't  budged. Why kill yourself over this?  You are never >going to move it.">>Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and >that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened >the man even more.  "Why kill myself over this?"  he thought. "I'll >just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be >good enough.">>And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a >matter of  prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the God.  >"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, >putting all my strength to do that which you have asked.  Yet, after >all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a >millimeter.  What is wrong?  Why am I failing?">>To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked >you  to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to >push  against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.  >Never once  did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.  >Your task was to  push.  And now you come to me, with your strength >spent, thinking that you have failed.  But, is that really so?  Look >at yourself.  Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed >and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your >legs have become massive and  hard.  Through opposition you have >grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to >have. Yet you haven't moved the rock.  But your calling was to be >obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My >wisdom.  This you have done.>>  "I, my friend, will move the rock," says the Lord.>>At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own >intellect  to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants >is just simple  obedience and faith in Him...>>"By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains; but it is >still God who moves the mountain."