Drawn to a Place of Struggle

“No man can come to me (Jesus), except the Father draw him….” John 6:44

What a tremendous comfort this verse is to those who the Father has brought to Jesus. You may be struggling with sickness, poverty or spiritual complacency, but if you have been drawn to Jesus, He who has drawn you will keep you near the Son for both now and forever.

We cannot draw ourselves. The word “draw” is the Greek word “helkuo” and means to draw without force, to drag, as in drawing a net. It literally means to haul. Other New Testament usages are found in Acts 16:19 (“Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace”), Acts 21:30 (“Paul and dragged him out of the temple”) and James 2:6 (“they who drag you into court”). These verses go far beyond the concept of “prevenient grace” or wooing the person to Christ. They imply a dragging or hauling without the use of force, yet done in such a way as not to interfere with our responsibility to answer the call of God. Force is not necessary because God changes the heart of the one He is drawing. How can this be done? With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. God can so change a heart without force that we will want to be hauled or dragged anywhere He desires in His wisdom to take us. Sometimes the place we are dragged to is not a place we want to be.

If today, you feel that you have been hauled to a place you don’t desire to be, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I know for a fact that I am saved for all eternity and that Jesus loves me? If so, you have been drawn to Jesus and no matter where you find yourself today it is a safe place.
2. Is there a lesson God wants me to learn in this place of struggle? You should start in prayer telling God how merciful He has been to you in the past and how much you desire to follow Him even to the place of self-denial, carrying your own cross and following Him all the way to a place of death to your desires and wants.
3. How may I best serve the Lord in this place of struggle? Too often, the believer focuses totally upon themselves and what they need to escape the difficulty. Go to the Father in the name of Jesus and ask how you may serve Him in the place you are at. Place your desires beneath His and serve Him with all your heart; no matter the pain or sorrow, seek His face and grow into the image of Jesus Christ who while He was hanging on the cross forgave those who had crucified Him. It is a place of great peace beyond what money can provide when you can bless the Lord at all times!