On certain days we should just consider what God is saying in His word and seek to apply it appropriately to our lives. It’s not that we shouldn’t do this all the time but I believe it is good to purposefully slow down and focus intently on the fact that God gives His word in order that you might think on His ways, understand on some level the beauty of His character, obey His desire and ultimately to rejoice in His goodness to you. He communicates to us and you are graced immensely with the possibility of knowing Him and understanding in particular what He is saying to you today. If you do not believe that God speaks to you in particular then I would suggest that all your bible reading, church attending, praying, serving, and spiritual disciplines have little to do with a healthy relationship with Him and, more than likely, much to do with entrenched religious routine. Today I was blessed to spend time in Psalm 30 and hear a little from the great God who is so unceasingly gracious to me.
“O Lord my God, I cried to You for help,and You have healed me.” – Psalm 30:2
Few things are as liberating as coming to the end of your own strength or wisdom. For those who have nowhere to turn after the end of self is reached, this can be a troubling experience. Yet, for the followers of Jesus Christ, arriving at the bottoming out of your own resources is where a whole new realm of living occurs. God, in grace, mercy, love and commitment to you, will ordain numerous seasons in your life that cause you to recognize your limitations. Pay no attention to the nonsense that always chimes in with the well-meaning platitude, “God will never allow to find you more than you can handle!” That is one of the most unbiblical statements that we mindlessly bandy about in the Church. Of course God will place more upon you than you can handle – and He will do so regularly for those who have committed their lives to know Him and glorify Him! If He did not there would be no conscious awareness of how much we need Him. If you never sensed your own lack and the resulting need for His supply then you would learn to live independently of Him and finish out your days in a life of lip-service dependence. God structures our lives with repeated opportunities to reach our breaking points and, when we arrive at them, He is ever faithful to show us His power, His love, His mercy, His supply and His grace. When this process of learning our weakness and His strength is embraced as God’s technique in developing us we learn to actually anticipate this method, recognize it when it is happening, cooperate with it and, in the end, desire it. We learn not to deny or avoid the difficulties in this life because He has well taught us that these are occasions for us to know Him more deeply and intimately. This is not academic knowledge of God that I’m referring to. It’s not text-book learning that I’m suggesting. It’s falling in love with a God who is so great that He makes Himself our chief desire and whatever we must endure to have that priceless desire filled becomes well worthy of its cost.
Are these days where you find yourself crying to Him like the Psalmist declared above that he was crying? Good. God’s word indicates that He is allowing you an opportunity to come to the end of your self-reliance and faulty determination. It feels bad but it is actually very, very good. When you arrive at the end of your rope you must trust that this is a beautiful moment. Why? Because your Savior has committed to care for you and therefore He is going to act on your behalf. Cry out to Him in the deepest desperation you can find as the Psalmist did; then, when end-of-your-rope relief begins to find you, you must also say to your God as did the Psalmist, “You have healed me.”
AMEN….
Not many of God’s people can say they “rejoice in tribulations also” (Rom 5:3); but that was the outflow of what Paul expressed elsewhere as the affirmation the Lord had given him that “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (II Cor 12:9)
Annie Flint’s hymn comes to mind too:-
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.