I am the clichéd male when it comes to asking for directions. I just won't stop and ask for help, no matter how lost I am. Yep, it is a matter of pride. Somehow, someway I believe if I keep driving I will figure out where I am. This silly trait makes my wife crazy, especially when my frustration level is rising and she feels the tension. Thank the Lord (really!) for a little device called GPS. It's almost like having a guide from Heaven in the car. Lost? Just turn it on, give it a moment to get its bearing, and it shows a dot on the map that says, "Here you are!" Then, I program in my destination and the device leads the way. My pride is salvaged in that I don't have to 'ask' a real living person for directions and I can still appear to be the "Blazer of Trails Along Unknown Highways!" The great B'TAUH!
Pride may be laughable when it involves spending an extra few moments on the road trying to find the way on our own, but it is deadly when it keeps us from admitting our need and/or seeking help with the larger issues of life. According to Paul, keeping pride in check is one of the reasons that God allows us to suffer! That's right, God does not want you and me to fall into the deception that we are the masters of our fate, so He allows us to go through experiences that remind just how fragile, just how dependent on Him and others we are. Take a look at Paul's testimony. He tells of the amazing, wonderful spiritual visions God allowed him to have, the insights into the Truth that he was given. Then he says, "Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty!
At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, The Message)
"I was given the gift of a handicap!" What a thought. Did you ever consider that the thing that is most difficult in your life, the situation that produces the greatest angst, could actually be allowed by God for the purpose of keeping you from becoming an arrogant fool? God's greatest opportunities to reveal His power happen at the point of our greatest weakness. The things that 'kill' us, allow the resurrection life of Jesus to be revealed in us! So, says the Scripture.
So invite the Holy Spirit into your weakness, and thank Him for giving purpose to that situation that causes you such pain. Trust Him with the difficulties and disappointments, and thank Him for promising you grace to endure, strengthening you right at your weakest point. I know you're asking, "But, Jerry, doesn't He promise to deliver us from suffering, to heal us?" Yes, and He will - maybe here and maybe in Heaven. What I know for certain is this - He is always working out His plans in my life and the world. Despite that mysterious blend of my free will and His total reign, I can be at complete peace that His purposes will ultimately be accomplished. And I know that I know that He is always with me - on the days when the sun shines brightly and in middle of storm, too.
"Learning to lean, learning to lean.
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed,
I'm learning to lean on Jesus!" John Stallings
Lean on Him today!
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