I recently saw a very humorous Face Book post about being stuck in the parking lot at the Wilson County Fair. “Please, God, rapture me out of this parking lot. …. Well, hour number one trying to get out of this field. … I am still here, God, in this field, not moving.” 
Anyone that has ever been in this situation can sympathize. However, we often get stuck in the field of life and do not understand why. Situations arise where it seems we can never get ahead. We can't seem to make ends meet to pay the bills; we can't seem to get our spouse to communicate; or we never seem to be able to do enough at work to be appreciated … We get stuck in the same ruts time and time again. We pray for deliverance. “Lord, if you'd just let me win the lottery, I wouldn't have all these worries. … Lord, if you'd just help my spouse understand me, I would be happy. … Lord, if you would just give me that promotion at work, I'd be satisfied.” The truth is, what we think we want may not be the best for us in the scheme of things. Or, perhaps, God is trying to do a work in us that only time in that field will accomplish. In this modern age we have become accustomed to instant gratification. Whatever we desire is only a fingertip away. We want what we want when we want it - even answers to our prayers.
Although God answers our prayers the second we ask, we may not realize it for many years. We have forgotten that God uses the field to teach us to wait upon His timing, which is always perfect. God uses our time “stuck in the field” to strengthen us, whether we realize it or not. Sometimes we have to be mired in the clay so we will stop and truly listen to His voice. We have to be held in place so He can do His good work so we will stop trying to get out of that field on our own. He knows what the future holds for us and it takes time in the field to prepare us for the trials ahead. Sometimes if we weren't “stuck in the field” for a while, we would completely miss the blessings He has prepared for us. It is in these times of not moving that we allow Him to move us. Whatever situation in which we find ourselves, we need to always remember, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).