When You're Looking to Get Through the Wall in Front of You

I was walking along the path when suddenly I came to a wall and not just any wall.  It was a solid stone wall that went up, for as high as the eyes can see.  I tried to turn to the left, but there was more wall.  I tried to turn to the right, but there was wall.  I tried to turn around, but oddly, the path that I had so easily tread just moments ago was no longer behind me.  So I called out to one of my most trusted friends nearby, and like always, she came and grabbed my left hand.  I turned to another, and she too came and grabbed my right.  We stood there for a moment, discussing the wall-how to move through it, how to remove a stone, should we go around it.  Weary from much discussion and dead-ends, there seemed to be nothing for us to do but stay in place. Exhausted, we fell to our knees, and as night covered the earth, we eventually fell asleep, right there on the path.

Sometime in the night, I was awakened from my sleep by a voice.  It was a deep, authoritative voice.  It echoed off the wall, thundered around my friends and I, and even within.

"I will remove stones from the wall in front of you, and you will pass through."  There was no wavering in His voice.  He was so sure, so certain.  I was so relieved.  He knew what we must do to move forward.  

I started to wake my friends, but He spoke again:  "You can't take them with you. There is only one way through this thing.  I will pass before you, and then I will remove just enough stones for you to fit through.   You must trust me in this.  For there is no other way to be saved."

And so it is with Jesus...

It is true what Keller says, that at the beginning of following Jesus, we could never know exactly how far He'd ask us to go. We could never know many times He'd ask us to die to ourselves.  How many times He'd lead us to a wall, only to strip off everything but Him.  

If you find yourself at a wall, a stone wall-high and long-trust Him. Follow Him through the very narrow hole in front of you. 

And there is salvation in no one else,

 for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which

 we must be saved.

Acts 4:12