Daily Devotional – 7/24/18 “Stretch out!”

Sitting in worship service, a few weeks ago, God gave me two words … stretch out. I jotted them down, like I always do, until the time comes for me to use them as He will see fit. And this morning, He saw fit for me to tell somebody, stretch out. This is for somebody who is being pulled on and you don’t know why. This is for somebody who is being stretched and it doesn’t make sense. All around you, it feels as if hell is breaking loose and no amount of praying has halted your storm. You are being hurt with words and actions and you haven’t done anything to anybody. You keep being sent into dark places and God hasn’t turned on your nighttime vision so fear is starting to set in. Things are happening, you cannot control and crying seems to be all you have the strength to do. Well beloved, stretch out! What are you stretching out? The parts of you that are ready to receive from the Lord. When God stretched out, He created everything from nothing. In Genesis, Abraham stretched out his hand to slay Isaac – his obedience was being tested. Whenever Moses stretched out his hand, things God promised happened. The plagues happened and the Red Sea parted because Moses stretched out. In Joshua 8:18, God commanded Joshua to stretch out his hand and He’d give him Ai and defeated his enemies. When Elijah stretched out over a child, man deemed as dead, the child lived again. In Matthew 12, when the man with a withered hand stretched it out, it was made healthy. When Peter’s doubt caused him to sink, Jesus stretched out His hand and grabbed him.

Beloved, stretch out. See, when you stretch out you keep your muscles from being fatigued. When you stretch out, you keep mobility in the parts of you God has need of. When you stretch out, things God promised, happens. And sometimes, your stretching out will not just involve your hands but it’ll be you, stretched out before the altar of God. Yea, you may find yourself in a place that only stretching out can make right. Yea, you may come face to face with some stuff that only stretching out can get rid of. You might just have to toil with some stuff, for a few days that only stretching out will give you the strength to handle. So, will you stretch out, this time? Will you take your pains and burdens and stretch out, this time? Will you not give up and just stretch out, this time? Stretch out on God’s word. Stretch out on God’s promise to never leave or forsake us. Stretch out and trust God. Instead of trying to fix it yourself, stretch out. Instead of trying to handle it on your own, stretch out. Instead of relying on man, stretch out. Stretch out on God’s word. Will you? Will you stretch out?