A different outcome

Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide-open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities. (Psalm 119:5-9 MSG)

Have you been thinking that life has 'pushed you to the wall'? As a youngster, there were a couple of times when some bullies pushed me to the wall. I was scared and intimidated by their actions, but I did my best not to show that on the outside. I tried to portray myself as 'strong' and 'tough' in my own way, but I did a miserable job of actually 'standing strong' when push came to shove. I wanted so much to call out for a teacher to come to my rescue, but I had to appear 'tough', so I just took it. When we feel 'hemmed in' by life's challenges, it easy to feel like there is nowhere to turn, but if we really want to see things change, we just need to call out to God!

Look at where God answers FROM - wide-open spaces. He doesn't inhabit a corner somewhere, cowering because there is evil all around. He lives out in the open spaces, in the light. It is into those spaces he wants to take us, but before we can get there, he comes alongside and walks with us in those spaces where we feel 'hemmed in'. It is because he is with us that we can stand assured - not because we are tough and strong enough to push our enemy back, but because his presence makes what we believe about our inner strength to become true. It really isn't our strength so much as his strength moving in us that helps us face those struggles with fortitude and grit.

While I wanted to call for a teacher for help, I never did. Why? I didn't want to look weak. I wonder if we sometimes fail to call on God in our times of greatest distress and need all because we don't want to look weak. If we would just realize that our place of weakness is actually his greatest opportunity to reveal his strength, we might just call out a little sooner. We trust in a lot of things and others to make us 'strong', but we will never find the degree of true strength we need anywhere other than in relationship with Jesus. The bullies will always be there, attempting to make us feel we have no way of escape. Maybe not physical bullies, but circumstances that make us feel like our backs are against the wall. What we do at that moment makes all the difference in the outcome.

We can choose to rely upon our 'made up' strength, or we can 'own our weakness' and call out to God for his intervention. When we choose the latter, we are assured of a much better outcome 100% of the time. Just sayin!