Before there were parking spots there were hitching posts. You would ride your horse into town for say bonnets and holsters and other cowboyish things. You would circle the dusty block a few times looking for a good spot to park your horse. Hitching posts were set up in front of dry good stores, the sheriff’s office and saloons so you could tie up your four-legged ride and he wouldn’t wander off.

From the horse’s point of view, the hitching post was a stop in the journey. One minute you are galloping along with the wind in your mane and then, boom, you are roped to a stake in the ground and you aren’t going anywhere. You are quite literally tied to a post with nothing more to do then watch the tumbleweeds blow by until your cowboy (or cowgirl) comes back to untie your reins.

Do you ever feel like this in your spiritual journey? You are running along, reading the Bible, learning God’s truth, trying to apply it and then you come to a screeching halt and you find yourself tied to a hitching post. You can’t seem to move forward.

So many things can act as a hitching post in our lives:

Time (I’m so busy now - when can I ever find time to read and study the Bible?)

Desire (I would rather do other things.)

Struggles (Life is in survival mode; I don’t have time to sit with the Lord.)

Disappointments (I have tried investing in faith and been left hurt or wanting.)

There are many reasons we may find ourselves at a standstill in our faith. I have at times found myself lost in the canyons of doubt or stumbling on a narrow precipice; hearing the coyotes howl late at night and wondering if I will make it home safe. These times in our faith can be scary and discouraging. Yet, I will attest to their importance in our lives.

Over the years I have hit many a hitching post. So many challenges have come against my faith. Big posts and small ones. Like the big questions: Is the Bible all true? Why does God allow pain and suffering? And the smaller ones - like not spending time in the Word or isolating from Godly friends.

I have spent long seasons at some of these posts. Not moving forward. Stuck! (Usually because I did not want to do the work to figure out the answer.) Questions of belief and a worldview that eventually need answering. I’m often uncomfortable with these spots. How do I find the answers? What if I don’t like the answers? So there I remain.

Are you tied to a post right now in your journey?

Do you struggle to believe God’s promises apply to you?

Perhaps you can’t understand how a supposedly loving God allows so much pain in the world?

Maybe you don’t think your past can really be forgiven.

Until we come to terms with some of these types of questions, we can’t really move forward.

Spiritually, we are stuck at that post.

What do you need to figure out in order to move forward in your faith?

I have found that if we don’t spend too much time stuck on a hitch, it can actually be a time of growth. I want answers to those questions. The understanding that comes out of spending time in pursuit of them is actually very valuable. My faith is enriched, my witness is stronger and my ministry has more depth just because I spent time wrestling with these questions. The key is the wrestling part not just watching the tumbleweeds blow by . . .

Other posts that I find myself tangled up on are ones I need to just fight against. Making time to invest in my faith. Forcing myself to be in community when I just want to stay under the covers or buried at my desk. Speaking truth instead of giving into the lie in my head—before I start believing The Enemy.

What is your hitching post right now? Is it big one that has you completely stuck or just a series of small stops?

What can you do to move forward?

Start by praying. Ask the Lord to help you understand His ways. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths. (Pr. 3:5-6) Ask for wisdom. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. (Pr. 2:6) Next start researching. Chances are wherever you are are stuck, somebody else has been stuck there as well, and perhaps they have written a book or recorded a podcast. Ask a trusted friend who seems to be solid in their Biblical knowledge. Once I started searching, I found a plethora of resources and over time, I curated a list of go-to websites or authors to consult when trying to get past a hitching post.

It’s really important to be in the Word of God while seeking answers. The Lord speaks to us through the Bible. I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit brings all things together. (See 1 Cor. 2:10) Sometimes it’s years later and other times, it’s that very day! I will keep hearing a same verse or a similar concept from several sources. When I first started studying the Armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18), it kept coming up everywhere—in the books I was reading, in conversations, in the Bible verses that just happened to be be my daily reading and on my preset radio station. Out loud, I ask God questions (usually in my car) and then I wait to see when and how He will answer. The more I’m engaged in seeking, the more avenues I have open to hearing an answer. What am I reading? Listening to? Talking about? Who am I hanging out with?

Don’t stay tied to that hitching post!