I started writing this blog several days ago. Then, writer’s block hit - I was stuck and not sure what words to type. It’s ironic because I’m supposed to be writing about leveraging obstacles… and I hit an obstacle.

(An obstacle, by the way, is anything that impedes progress. An opportunity furthers progress).

And now, as I write this, it is Good Friday - the day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion and death. His disciples have scattered and are afraid. The movement Jesus began three or so years earlier seems to be done. It just occurred to me that if there ever were an obstacle, the betrayal, arrest, conviction, and execution of your leader would be it.

Jesus had told his followers multiple times that he would be killed but that three days later, He would rise from the dead. Whether it was from unbelief or ignorance, I don’t know, but they didn’t act like Jesus was going to come back to life. At Jesus’ death, the disciples are nowhere to be seen as he is laid in a tomb. The women take note of the tomb’s location and prepare the burial spices. No one seems to be expecting life from Jesus’ death. They are helpless and have lost the one they gave up everything for. What an obstacle!

But we know the rest of the story, don’t we? We know that even though Jesus’ followers didn’t see it, God was working. God would do what only God can do. He raises Jesus from the grave! Jesus conquers death, paving the way for any who would believe in Him to have life forever with Him. The apparent obstacle of Jesus’ death gave way to offering life, an overflowing life, to those who would take it - what an opportunity!

Darrell Bock says, “It is not unusual for God to be active in our midst and even to tell us about what he is doing, but we miss the point. We can get so locked into a routine of how things normally take place that we risk missing what God is doing out of the ordinary” (NIV Application Commentary: Luke; page 603).

To leverage obstacles as opportunities, let’s remember that God specializes in doing the miraculous with the ordinary. In Jeremiah 32:27, God asks, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Flip through the pages of your Bible, and you’ll see it. Time after time, you’ll read of God doing what is humanly impossible because He loves us and desires to reveal who He is to us.

So what are we to do when we face obstacles? Start with asking God for wisdom and help. James tells us that He’s generous in answering our prayers (James 1:5). Jesus said that God is a good Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). Then, look expectantly for God’s answer. Where is He working, or has he already provided? Perhaps He wants you to leverage what you have, what you know, or who you know.

Let’s close with a story. There once was a man who was a slave to a king and lived in a country not his own. He heard that his nation and her people were in trouble, and it broke his heart. He wept, fasted, and mourned for days. He was powerless to help. His enslavement and lack of resources blocked any efforts he could make.

But, this man knew God. So with sincere humility, he prayed earnestly for God’s help and that God’s will would be done. This man wanted God to be seen and known. He prayed, “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

The man is Nehemiah. We know from his story in the Bible that God did indeed remove obstacles not just in answering this prayer but in the many prayers that Nehemiah uttered. Let his story encourage you to go to God in leveraging your obstacles as opportunities.