How often I fail to trust God; even as I cry out to Him for help.
You know those times someone comes to you in need, pouring out their heart about all their troubles, but it seems they don't want your help, they don't really want to have their burden lifted. --- I often feel this way about the repetitive struggles I face.
Go to God. Check
Tell Him about my struggle, fear or concern. Check
Ask Him for help. Check
Trust. ...
I tend to put that struggle, fear or concern in God's hands just long enough to cry out to Him, and then pick it right back up as I go face it. He is not just there to cry out to - HE is there to sustain you!
Cast your burden on Him, and HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU! - Ps 55:22
A photographer by the name Steve Garrington spent numerous hours over the course of six years photographing a single lighthouse in Porthcawl, Wales. The position of the lighthouse subjects it to destructive and abnormally high waves. His photographs demonstrate just how relentless the waves and how powerful the winds. But the structure remains. Why? Because its creator knew the storms it would face and the waves typical for that particular location. Due to that perspective, the lighthouse was equipped to withstand. Built to uphold. Designed to overcome.
Our creator, God, designed us much the same way! He knows every obstacle we will face, each fear that will rise against us, every concern of our heart. Because of His perspective - He equipped us to withstand and designed us to overcome.
Our mistake, my mistake, is often times thinking that He equipped me and designed me with character qualities that enable me to overcome on my own. But this is not entirely true. He equipped me with access to His character. He designed me to lean into Him for help. He wants us to come to Him entirely and TRUST Him to offer rest, assurance, guidance, and peace.
Remember, He tells us to come to Him because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) But this is not a single verse, as it is often quoted. You have to read vs 28-29 to understand why He is telling us His yoke is easy and burden is light:
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30
When we are given the opportunity to learn from Christ, it is because we are learning how to live through our struggles and fears by following His example of life here on Earth. I believe this verse leads our attention to another fact:
For [Christ] was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. - 2 Corinthians 13:4
Christ was crucified in weakness - just as we must die to our flesh (where we are weak, those things that cause our struggles and fears). Then, as Christ rose to life again by the power of God - we too must rise above those struggles and fears not on our own, but by the power of God: which we are equipped and designed to accept.
Paul also furthers this when He made it applicable to us through His own life. Paul accounts for the weakness in his flesh as a thorn. A thorn he was blessed with to remain humbled and dependent. He asked God to remove his weakness which "harassed" him, but this was the response God gave him:
He said to me: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
God's grace bypasses our shortcomings.
Note, Paul was not asking for difficulties to be removed, but for God to remove his weakness in those moments. He wanted God to eliminate his struggles and fears in relation to those difficulties so he could succeed and overcome.
Not a bad thing to pray, but from a heavenly perspective, from God's view, removing those weaknesses would enable Paul to attempt to resolve life's obstacles on his own, which we would all be inclined to do.
God, in his infinite wisdom, knows two things to be truth:
We are all naturally inclined to lean on Him when we reach the end of our own abilities and resources
There is benefit in the obstacles we face, making them necessary
Therefore, our weaknesses are strategically placed to cause us to depend.
To show us our need.
To humble us.
And then, when we see we cannot succeed on our own - he tells us to come.
He tells us His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
He reminds us that His grace is sufficient and power is made perfect in our weakness. That we are strong in our weakness.
1 Peter 5:6-7 affirms this: "Humble yourselves...casting all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you."
I have a quote that I use to remind myself constantly of this truth. It is in pinned in my office, written in my Bible and posted in my journal:
God has arranged life so that you canNOT manage it apart from Him. - Craig McConnell
When I feel out of sorts, or ill prepared to handle what is in front of me, it helps me to realize I have done one of 3 things:
not cast enough of my cares on God,
not humbled myself to admit I canNOT handle it on my own, or
I am not trusting God and leaving things in His hands.
God never intended us to be burdened - He intended for us to lean into Him. He wants to lift our burdens, and only give us the portions we are able to receive at a time. He anticipates our dependence on Him. And He will be faithful when we are depending on Him. We mature and outgrow our dependence on our human parents, but as a child of God, we will never outgrow our dependence on Him. Nor will He ever cast us out to rely on our own resources. (Come Away My Beloved, pg 145)
He is always Present. Call on Him.
He is always Faithful. Trust in Him.
He is always Good. Believe in Him.
And after a time of suffering, after we learn, he promises to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. (1 Peter 5:10) Notice, He never promised to relieve. We can be restored after pain. We can be confirmed through difficult circumstances. We are often strengthened in our struggles. And we are always established when we lean into Him.
When we accept the gift of Salvation by believing that Christ's death and resurrection was sufficient to cover all our sins - our yoke was lifted. Broken. Removed. Galatians 5:1 states "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery."
DONT PICK IT BACK UP.
Once you are free, don't take and reclaim that which Christ freed you from. When that freedom is threatened by fear - remind yourself: You are safer on the waves with HIM, than in the boat on your own.
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