Trying too hard?

The pitcher stared at me and sent another missile flying my way.  I swung the bat with grim resolve and missed again. The coach tried to help telling me, “Jerry, you’re overthinking it, trying too hard.”  I never did master baseball!  That advice has come back to me time and time again over the years when I feel the tension rising and find myself doubling my efforts to meet some challenge.  It happened during worship on Sunday. As I prayed, “Lord, come and meet us here. Let us sense your Presence in a powerful way,”  the Spirit whispered into my heart the old words of my coach, “You’re trying too hard. Relax and accept my promise to be among my people.”

The Word assures us that God is perfectly capable of accomplishing His will in us. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 3:16, NLT)  "Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." (Ephesians 3:20, NLT)  Could it be that we actually get in His way, that we try too hard and hinder the work of the Holy Spirit?  While we are going on and on in prayer, almost begging Him, might there be moments when we need to just be quiet and listen for His lead? When we find ourselves in a situation that seems unmanageable, do we turn first to Him, waiting on Him; or do we become frantic and desperate?

There is no argument to be made for fatalism (God will do whatever He decides to do no matter what I do).  The Lord of the Universe works in partnership with us and, amazing as it may seem, allows us to resist or cooperate with His purposes.  Nor do can we become passive, sitting like lumps waiting for God to do something.  Being lazy is unrelated to ‘waiting on the Lord.’  This Psalm, a favorite of mine, shows the way. "I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy." (Psalm 123:1-2, NIV)

Let the Lord lead you, alert to His ways, attentive to His word.  When I felt His gentle rebuke yesterday during the worship gathering, I responded with thanksgiving. Instead of begging for what He had already promised, I thanked Him.  Instead of trying to wrest a blessing from His hands, I opened mine to accept what He was ready to give. 

Are you trying too hard? Pause, reflect, listen, give thanks, receive!

Here’s a word from the Word.  May your soul sing with the Psalmist about the glorious works of our God.

"You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy.
You care for the land and water it;
 you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it."
(Psalm 65:5-9, NIV)