Men propose, God disposes.  At the end of the day, we can only make plans and try to realize them; there is no guarantee! Hence, the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, the second century Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, that says, “What any man can do, you can do” is not always true.  There are times we must come to terms with the fact that we can’t do or go on anymore.  We must stop!

Sometimes we stop because we plan to, but there are times when we stop because we have to.  God stops us!  And the Bible is replete with the stories of men and women whose lives were stopped by God.  Recently I heard a testimony of a singer and actor who was stopped by God so she could hear God and respond to His call.  She was not brought up in a Christian home, in fact, she was taught to be a devout follower of her religion.  At a relatively young age she became a singer followed by acting in multiple films. Despite all the glamor she always felt empty inside.  But more than empty, she also felt pain that came from being raised in an abusive home. 

One day she got sick in her throat requiring surgery and while there in the hospital, she cried out to God for healing not so much from physical ailment but more from mental anguish.  After crying out, she turned the tv set on and what showed up was this Christian evangelist preaching the Gospel, so she stopped and listened. Out of the blue the preacher stopped preaching and said something like, “There is someone watching the program from a hospital bed who has problem with her throat.  I want to pray for you.”  She was so shocked because she knew the preacher was talking about her.  So, she prayed along and asked Jesus to come into her life. God stopped her so He could talk to her and heal her, but more importantly, so He could give her His gift of salvation, which she has kept decades later.  Perhaps God is stopping us now; if He is, then stop and listen.

Pastor Paul