The Message Behind The Steel Wall
As the sequel to “From Woodstock to Eternity,” “The Steel Wall” is a great adventure story full of drama and perils in jail, on coke runs, and stings. It is also a great victory story over all these perils, but the main theme behind these victories is to hear God for yourself. Dustin Morgan tries every spiritual tactic he has heard from teachers and preachers, all to no avail. It is not until he sees clearly from the Bible what God wants him to do in this situation that things begin to turn around.
How can we hear God for ourselves? Here are 4 concepts to understand to truly hear from God
1. God is not all rainbows and butterflies
Contrary to popular opinion, God does not want to “bless” us and give us “favor” the way many preachers portray it. We think it will be all positive things like healing and prosperity, but God is not all rainbows and butterflies. His idea of blessing us and showing us favor is to do in our lives what will ultimately be for our benefit. Romans 5:4 says that perseverance produces character, and an improved character is always to our benefit. But why do we need to persevere? Because we have trials. And Who is behind those trials that cause us to persevere so we build up our character?
2. Total faith means total obedience
Hebrews 11:6 says, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So, to hear from God, we must be completely committed to Him in total faith, and total faith means total obedience. God is not going to reward a milk toast Christian or an unbeliever who thinks he can play some faith game to get what he wants. He wants us to do what he tells us to do. In Dustin Morgan’s case, obeying God required such a gut-wrenching act of obedience that God sent The Steel Wall as a vision to encourage him and put the fear of God in him.
3. Know that God knows what is best for us.
As stated before, God moves on our behalf according to what He sees we need. It is important to know that God knows what is best for us. He may not answer a prayer to be promoted on our job because he sees we need a little more humility and diligence in our character. On the other hand, He may send you a phone call from your boss offering a lead position that you did not expect. The key is to rejoice in what God gives you or tells you to do, knowing that He is in control.
4. Rejoice in God’s answer
This is a hard one, especially when God says, “No.” I know friends in jail now, serving unjust sentences for crimes they did not commit. Did they pray for deliverance? Of course, yet God saw fit to have them serve time anyway. Was God displeased with them? No, He allowed his most faithful apostle Paul to sit in a Roman prison for years. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven,” (Matthew 5:11). If we have total faith and have given ourselves totally over to Him, we can rejoice in God’s answer, knowing we are where He wants us, even if we don’t understand.
5. Not all Doom and Gloom
This is not all Doom and Gloom, however. Sometimes God says, “Yes,” and we are free to celebrate. For Dustin Morgan, after asking, seeking, and knocking on God’s door for an answer, he heard Him. When he heard Him, he obeyed Him, and when he obeyed Him, God moved in the situation and brought about a tremendous victory.
