Imagine This Scenario:  You have been handcuffed behind your back and thrown into a locked container.  Pressure from the outside is weighing heavily upon the walls of the container and you're feeling like it's almost over for you.  You try desperately to escape, but you can't find the way out. 

You've been told by friends to wait and they would come to rescue you, but they haven't arrived yet.  You scream for help, but nobody's answering.  You wiggle and wiggle and wiggle, but there is no place of comfort for you.  Is this the point where you give up?  Is this the place where you look for alternative solutions?

As Christians, the most important element of our doctrine is based upon our belief that Jesus Christ raised up from the dead and now reigns with His Father in heavenly places.  If we cannot fully trust and believe this, then our hope and faith are without power, useless. 

Romans 10:9 - If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Yet, in the minds of the majority of believers, doubt and fears persist.  We feel, many times, like we've been thrown inside of a locked container - a place of torment and suffering, with no relief in sight.  We try to quote "faith" scriptures, but that too, leaves us empty and feeling alone. 

As I was enduring one of these type moments, needing almost immediate relief from an extremely stressful situation, I began to look for alternative avenues of escape.  I could hear the word of God telling me to "wait on the Lord", but my flesh was very impatient and the pressure from it was being heavily applied against me.  I was being tossed to and fro with all kinds of thoughts and fears, and struggled to keep hope alive.  

Just as relief from a natural source was about to be manifested, I received a text message from a brother in Christ that read "but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  I knew the word was true and I thanked God for it, but it only complicated my thought process.  The question remained in my head - how long would I have to wait for relief?  I needed it NOW!

Hebrews 11:6 - "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." 

We must, in every situation, believe that there is no situation or temptation that is beyond the scope of God's power to deliver us.  He is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think", so we really should have no fear.  King David exclaimed "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."  He also said "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  Those are powerful scriptures, but when the enemy is beating upon our houses, we don't always feel so strong or courageous. 

Most of us have been born and raised in a society that has left the need to exercise faith for their provision.  God has graced us with great employment, health care packages, retirement plans, and other blessings in abundant measure.  These things can cause us to lean more heavily to the flesh for deliverance than unto God.  It's a fact that, if the majority of us experience a headache, we don't pray first.  We look for the aspirin bottle. 

Sarah laughed as the angel spoke to Abraham concerning her upcoming pregnancy.  She felt that the time of her childbearing had long passed and any notion of her carrying a child was absolutely absurd.  But the angel admonished Abraham, saying, "wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?  Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" 

Each of us will have moments of great faith, but we will also suffer through times of great depression and doubt.  We experience times when, as things are going very well for us, we have no doubt at all.  But as the tides change and it seems that our prayers have not been answered, most of us question God's presence and His willingness to move on our behalf. 

Mark 15:33-34 - "And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

It is during these times that we feel the most vulnerable, we feel all alone.  Scriptures seem to be only a short-term relief and keep us going only a little while longer.  Why?  Because we're looking for something tangible to happen.  We're expecting someone to come and open the lid on the container and release us from our captivity. 

I am reminded of King Hezekiah who was sick unto death.  As a matter of fact, the Lord instructed the prophet Isaiah to warn Hezekiah that he would die and to get his house in order.  Hezekiah immediately turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord saying these words, "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight."  The scriptures tell us that Hezekiah wept sore before the Lord. 

The Lord heard the prayer of Hezekiah and extended his life an additional 15 years.  Hezekiah, at the same time, was also enduring the stress of threats from the king of Assyria, and the Lord promised to defend him and their city against the opposing king. 

Waiting on God is not an easy task for most of us, especially for those who have been successful in handling their natural affairs.  It is easier to take the controls out of God's hands and place them inside of our own.  But we must know, without any doubt, what God has spoken to us and believe the promises He has made concerning us. 

If we are sure and our faith is firm concerning these promises, if we are willing to accept whatever consequences may result from our decision, then we should not move from what God has spoken.  We must be careful not to make decisions that will cancel the promises of God or hinder His word in us.  If we cannot get above our doubt and unbelief, however, then we might as well go and try to fix it for ourselves.    

James 1:6-8 - "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."