“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
“You look ill.”
It was a brief sentence and the knee- jerk moment I realized I might better pull back until I got my stuff together.
I need God-sized assistance.
You see, sometimes it’s easy to hide what’s inside, while sometimes it rudely jumps out like a Jack-in-the-box when I’m not anticipating it in the least. I hate those little toys! Yet, those moments are sometimes wake up calls.
Yes, I’m “ill”.
So I retreat to “get ahold of myself” and when I fall to my knees and humbly admit I need help, God always meets me there. Any walls come crumbling down and I can be real without hesitation. He never leaves my side.
As frightened as I am by the sudden, jolting surprise of the dreaded box toy, when God wraps me up tightly in His loving arms, an equally fulfilling peace overflows my weary soul there in His presence. What a sacred place to be found.
We all have our moments when we get angry, we all need grace and mercy, we all respond wrong occasionally and have to work to get it right, we all have need of a place to go with our failings and weaknesses, we all need times of pruning and remaking…and we ALL have the opportunity to access this help any time.
God is ever faithful, isn’t He?
He knows us inside and out. He knows the areas in which we struggle and of which He is trying to shore up. He sees any wounds we fiercely guard and longs to be allowed to apply healing salve. He is aware of our every weakness and can easily bridge the gaping span if we’ll humbly ask His assistance. He sees the battle we’re trying to gain victory over and desires to defend us Himself. Yes, He’s simply waiting to be involved, called upon, and welcomed into our situations.
I know I cannot do it on my own; you probably do as well. I realize I need help and direction more often than not. You too? I know He is Sovereign yet sometimes I respond like I “know” no such thing. I know He is the Author and Finisher of my faith but there are times when I wonder if He realizes exactly what’s going on in this chapter. On and on I could go. You have your own examples and thoughts you could submit as well. We’re all living our own stories in a fallen world — which is much different from the way God intended to look, I might add. It’s okay.
What I must remind myself as I fall to my knees is to invite Him in and let Him do what only He can. There are seasons when we simply must take baby steps on this path of life. There are mountain top and valley experiences we must all visit.
Nobody is exempt from trouble, but we all have the same option for assistance.
It doesn’t matter how “in over our head” we are, it doesn’t matter about our status in society, or any other thing we might think disqualifies us.
So, no matter how you or I might describe ourselves and situations today, God can write into our stories what we cannot. Just breathe. Rest. And trust Him to do what only He can while we regroup and gain new strength under the safety of His wings.
Take my hand, my friend, and let’s walk this journey together…with Him.
Blessings be upon you today ~