Once a Psychologist, an Engineer and a Pastor were on a hunting expedition in a very remote area. They happened upon a small mountain cabin they thought was abandoned. After entry, it was apparent that the cabin was still occupied, for there was a potbellied stove with the last remnants of a fire remaining. This sounds rather normal, but the stove was not situated as you would normally expect. The stove was not on the floor. No, it was hanging by wire from the ceiling.
The Psychologist took one look at the stove and exclaimed, “The mountain man did this to his stove so he could sleep under it, therefore, feeling the warmth reminiscent of returning to the womb.”
“No, no, that’s not it”, replied the Engineer, “By elevating the stove, the man is using his heat source more efficiently. This will distribute the heat more evenly throughout the cabin. He really is quite a smart man.”
The Pastor listened to his two friends and then remarked, “Well, actually, lifting up fire has been a religious symbol for centuries. This man is merely expressing his devotion to God.”
The three continued to break down the puzzle of the hanging stove, each with their own ideas hardly able to see the others point of view. Finally, the old mountain man returned to the cabin with a nice catch of fish. He was cordial and greeted the three welcoming them to his humble abode. After some small talk the question eventually arose about the stove suspended from the ceiling by thin wire, to which the old mountain man replied with earnest, “I had plenty of wire, but not much stove pipe.”
Believe it or not there are lessons concerning God’s will from this story. First, simplicity is usually the answer. God’s will by in large is simple. It is our tendency to over complicate things. For Jacob, in the Old Testament, simplicity was the best answer. He had been through decades of treachery, deception, and manipulation. However, he was returning home as God was calling him. He was beginning to mature. His name wasn’t the only thing that changed on a lonely night by the river as he struggled until daylight with the strongest man he’d ever encountered. I believe that is the moment everything crystallized for Jacob. Second, what others think about your hanging stove (response to God’s calling) can be off base. Here you need discernment for the Bible is clear that counsel is an aid in discerning God’s will, but sometimes the enemy places folks in our path to dissuade us from God’s will. They may not be doing it intentionally, they just don’t get it, much like the pastor, the engineer and the psychologist.
Third, God will meet you where you are. He created you with talents and strengths that He wants to utilize to His glory. You may not have much “stove pipe”, but God can do a lot with “wire”. I always love the picture of Andrew bringing a small boy’s lunch to Jesus as over 5,000 waited to be fed. Andrew didn’t know how Jesus would do it, but he had more faith in Jesus than the boy’s lunch. The point is, Andrew acted upon the only resource they had, small and pitiful as it was. Doing this will require trust and don’t expect to stay within the confines of where you start, no, God will move you forward out of your comfort zone and ask you to grow. He will ask you to grow in Him as He grows in you. This will mean you may have to address a weakness or two (five or six in my case).
Finally, my fourth point – sometimes you just have to trust God and move forward. I’m sure the mountain man had no idea whether or not the stove would work being suspended by thin wire. He surely must have had his doubts. He most assuredly didn’t have all the answers, but he moved forward believing. Faith will always be a prerequisite for action upon God’s will. He designed it that way, so we would learn to trust Him rather than ourselves. If I had to wait for all the answers, I’d never move a muscle much like the sheep who would exhaust a pasture and then starve to death. The Shepherd will usher you to greener pastures. He will move you and you won’t always have a detailed map – just follow Him.
Malcolm Woody lives in Madison, Ms with his wife and four boys. He is the general manager of a furniture store, life group teacher, and leader of the Jackson Street Ministry, an outreach to the homeless of Jackson. Read more from this author at malcolmwoody.com.
