From Push-ups to Prayer - Roundabout Revelation

This morning, I was in a little bit of a funk. I didn't feel very well physically or spiritually. Searching for ideas on how to get out of the funk, I thought that some exercise would help, so I got down and did some push-ups. After a handful of push-ups, I started to feel a little better, so I rested on my knees for a moment. Suddenly, I understood where I got the idea to do push-ups. Still kneeling, I told God in prayer that I had always known that He was clever, but that I never knew that He was that sneaky, and I mentioned that I was impressed.

Sometimes, God helps us indirectly. Rather than telling us precisely where He wants us to go, He tells us the next step along a path that'll get us there. God knew that He'd have an easier time getting me to pray on my knees if He got me down to my knees before asking me to pray. If He had asked me to pray while I was still at the computer, I probably would have prayed right there where I was sitting. By getting me on my knees first, He made sure that I was really thinking about what I was praying, and that I spent more time praying than I would have if I had prayed while doing something else.

Of course, had I been more receptive to the Spirit, God could have told me to get on my knees and pray without having to trick me into it by getting me to do push-ups. Then again, if I were that receptive to the Spirit, I wouldn't have needed Him to remind me of my need to pray, nor would I have been in the funk I was in at the time, because I would have already done something about it by that time. The thing is that we humans can sometimes be pretty thick. We typically don't listen to the Spirit very well, and we often find ourselves in emotional states that make it even harder for us to receive spiritual guidance. At those times, God has to almost trick us into doing what He wants be giving us any directions we're willing to follow that'll amount to being a step in the right direction. I'm sure God was trying to give me more ideas than just "maybe some push-ups would help," but I just wasn't listening. Eventually, He caught my ear and then did His best with what He could get. The end result was that I said a kneeling prayer, but that was more a result of His persistence than my perception.

Still, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. We all have times when it's hard for us to feel the Spirit, and at those times, God has to get creative in order to give us the direction we need. I'm just glad that He's persistent enough to keep talking to me and giving me directions, even when I'm having difficulties hearing Him.