Fictitious though they may be, even superheroes have limitations. God does not. He is limitless, almighty, omnipotent, and omniscient. There is nothing He cannot do, there is nothing He does not know, and one of His promises to those who love Him is that He will be an ever-present help. That may not sound like much to some because they still view God through the prism of their experiences with their fellow man.
We’ve all been there. We all have that one friend who
promises to help us move, only to twist his ankle the night before. It’s almost
serendipitous how that happens. He’s very clear about how he’d love to help, he
really would, but his doctor told him not to put any weight on the ankle if he
wants it to heal properly. You kind of want to point out that the last time
they had a doctor, it was a pediatrician, and Ronald Reagan was still president,
but you let it go, say you understand, and try to barrel-carry a couch down two
flights of stairs all by your lonesome.
When God says He’ll be there, he means it. When He says He
can help, He can. They are not just empty words. He is, after all, not Joel
Osteen.
If you’ve ever wondered how certain individuals could display
such courage and boldness in the face of persecution, threatened with loss, and
death itself, it’s because they believed God’s promise toward them, as well as
possessed certainty regarding His ability to carry it out.
Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength. A very present
help in trouble.”
God doesn’t ask what kind of trouble. He doesn’t qualify His
promises with addendums or disclaimers like the commercials for medications on
television. He is a very present help in trouble. That’s a broad umbrella. Any
kind of trouble, at any time, He is there, presently, and not just to stand by
and watch you sink into the quicksand, but to help.
A man does not need refuge during times of peace. He does not
need refuge when things are going swimmingly, there are no enemies to be had,
and the sun is shining overhead. A man needs refuge when he is being pursued,
when his life is in the balance, and when being without refuge would mean
certain death. It is in times of peril that God our refuge is there, not just
willing to lend a hand, but fully able to turn the tide, to quiet the storm,
and to put your enemies to flight.
Oftentimes we want God to do for us the things we can do for
ourselves. The Word doesn’t say He is our maid, our piggy bank, or our personal
chef. He is our refuge! You don’t need supernatural healing for the ingrown
toenail; you just need a pair of clippers.
The mundane is not where God resides; the impossible is. If
you are able-bodied and of sound mind, pray for an honorable employer and not to
find a bag of gold someone left on your front porch.
But what about Elijah and the ravens? What about it? It’s not
like Elijah was camping out in the parking lot of a Quickie Mart. He was in the
wilderness with no way of providing for himself, and God sent the ravens with
meat and bread. Even then, it doesn’t say God cooked the meat for Elijah. Some
things we can do for ourselves, and if we can, then we must rather than expect
supernatural intervention. When the answer to your problem is less laziness
rather than ravens bringing you meat, be less lazy.
Could you imagine if that happened in our day and age?
Granted, if it came down to survival, I don’t think anyone would be that picky,
but I’m sure there would be at least one who would ask if the bread was
gluten-free and another who would try and remind the ravens that they were
vegan and couldn’t possibly eat the meat proffered them.
Whether refuge, strength, or trouble, they all denote a sense
of urgency, desperate need, and an inability of the individual to affect change
regarding the situation of their own volition. If you need refuge, you are unable
to push back your enemy, whether because they outnumber you or because you are
not strong enough. If you need strength, it is because you do not currently
possess the strength required to carry out the task you intended to carry out.
If you are in need of help, it is because whatever the mountain standing in
your way is, you cannot move it on your own.
Men blame God or the devil for their failures but never
themselves. If they did not succeed in an endeavor, it’s either because the
devil tripped them up or God didn’t help them enough. It’s never because they
didn’t put in the requisite time or because their endeavor was a nonstarter, to
begin with. I'm sure books for pets would have been a global phenomenon if only you could have gotten it off the ground. Never once do they consider that their endeavor might not have been
the will of God for their lives or that had they succeeded, it would have
chilled their relationship with Him.
Self-obsession eliminates objectivity. If you think the world
revolves around you, you leave no room for the plan and purpose of God for your
life. What may be good in the short term for you might be detrimental in the
long term. What may be easy for your flesh might be detrimental to your
spiritual man.
No comments:
Post a Comment