Depending on God

Scripture frequently reminds us no king, governor, or ruler of any sorts succeeds by his own doing. Big armies and lots of loyal servants or citizens in your territory does not make a ruler successful - indeed, it gives an "appearance" of success, but it is nothing compared to the glory of being anointed and blessed by the Most High God. Armies are full of warriors. There is an extreme futility in thinking a warrior's strength is his own - that he doesn't need good leaders and others to fight alongside him. The warrior has a tendency see his "strength" as something he possesses - instead, it is something he is "granted" as God prepares him and goes with him into the battle. It is silly to believe having more "horsepower" or "brute strength" will win battles. When we "count on" the wrong stuff, we often don't really "win" the battles at all!

Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got—that's what we're depending on. (Psalm 33:18-22)

Make no mistake - the battle is real and it is tough! The struggles with life-debilitating disease processes almost overwhelms some of you. The constant changing environments within work, home, and community seem to be pulling many in all directions - stretched almost beyond capacity. Grief doesn't seem to pass, despite the passage of time - making us vulnerable and leaving us feeling a sense of being alone in the fight. In short, the outlook just doesn't seem to "clear up" sometimes for us as we 'live life' - it continues to be a little more than challenging for us! Maybe we take a few 'clues' from our writer on how we should face the present so we are well-prepared for the future ones. Watch this! This is a call to pay attention to what our writer is going to lay out for us - to direct not only our eyes, but our hearts and minds so that we can apprehend fully. He has a hold on something which he found has been able to take him through some of these tough times and he is calling us to attention. Wouldn't it be a shame to have the answer to our "need" right there in front of us and miss it totally? God's eye is on us! The condition for being under his watchful care is twofold - our part is to respect him and look intently for his love to become evident in our lives. Don't get this idea of respect wrong - respect is more than just holding God in "high regard". It is giving him the foremost part of our being - our attention focused on him above all else.

Too many times, we think we can be "casual" with God - just holding him in "high esteem". His instruction is clear for all to know and fully comprehend - have no other god before him. When he has the right focus in our lives, it is natural for us to look for his love to be manifest. We begin to "count on" his love to be there, sustaining us, helping us to move forward. What excites me most about our relationship with God is the "face-to-face" contact we have with the one we honor! His back is not to us - it is his face! It is impossible to "eyeball" someone when your back is turned toward them! When seeking God, holding him in the center of your focus, we are in the center of his! He is ready! God doesn't delay - although we may think the answer is slow coming! Bad times and lean times come - there is never any assurance in scripture of these being totally avoided by service to the King of Kings. Too many times I think we have a little bit of warped belief here. I think we believe God should "keep us from" these bad and lean times. In the lean times, I have come to appreciate how little I have and how much I need what he has! In bad times, I have drawn closer to his heart - just to hear it beat a little faster when I draw near! His hands are always ready to intervene for us. Look at the outcome of God's intervention in our lives - body and soul are kept together. In the bad times, doesn't it feel like we are being "ripped apart" by the struggles we are in? This is another word picture to show us how much God is the "cement" that holds us together even in the midst of forces who'd like nothing more than to see us "undone"!

We can (and must) depend on him! The instruction here is not one of living "independent" of God - it is one of relinquishing our control and giving it to him. In the times of challenge - don't we always want to "fix" whatever we can first, then ask God to help us with the rest? Or is this just my struggle? I think many of us try the best we can to "fix" the leanness or change the outcomes of the bad stuff. When we just can't get it done - then we turn to God. Oh, what a warped sense of importance we give ourselves! We try to live independent of God - all the while he is saying he is the one we can depend upon! Our psalmist wanted nothing more than to serve his God well. He struggled with the "real stuff" of life, just like us, and each time he found God faithful in his life. "God, love us with all you've got!" We are brought back to what brings us through the challenges unscathed - God loving us with all he's got! It is good to keep the right perspective! We either "make it through" or we are "brought through" in life's battles - which would you prefer? Quite honestly, I'd prefer the latter! Just sayin!

Just right....

Neither too much, nor too little - how many of us can actually say we kind of operate by the "Goldilocks Principle"?  We don't want too hard of a bed, nor too soft - it has to be just right.  We don't want too much food, nor too small of portions to satisfy - we want them to be just right.  We don't want too much hardship, but neither do we expect to live totally without any - it just cannot be too overwhelming to deal with.  I think we all kind of live by this principle as we want to live by the standards which "suit" us the best. The only problem with this is our inability to really decide on what "suits" us best. We have a "warped" idea of what is "best" for us - because we base what is "best" on what brings us the most comfort, suits our present needs, or just plain doesn't cost us very much to obtain.  Not always the best way to make decisions, if I may say so myself!

And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me—banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence.  Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.  If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’  If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.”  (Proverbs 30:7-9 MSG)

Neither too little, nor too much - why?  Simply put - too much allows us to live just a little too independently and too little might just lead to us making a few unwise decisions which we not only will regret, but which will bring dishonor to the name of God.  If I get this scripture correctly, there is a fine balance God is looking for - one which keeps us close enough to him to feel deep peace, yet just hungry enough to move whenever he moves!  I think this is the principle taught in the Book of Solomon - being so content with God's love that we desire no other - our hunger drives us closer, not searching for something or someone else to satisfy us.

If we really stop to consider this prayer long enough, it might just make a good starting point for our year.  Most of us might dream of hitting is rich this year by winning the lottery and never having to work again in our lives.  Yet, in the most literal sense, we'd be miserable - why?  Simply because we were created to work - even Adam had the responsibility of tending the animals in the Garden of Eden!  Even the principle of the Sabbath teaches us we need some time off, but not forever!  Most who win big in the lottery have tales of woe to tell in just a few short years - for nothing satisfies quite like the magnitude of God's riches.

Some of us imagine this year to bring us closer to Jesus than ever before. Indeed, a good starting place - yet, if we draw closer to him and still don't reach out to others, we really haven't grown in the closeness he desires.  We might just have become a little more "religious" instead of growing in the depth of our relationship with him.  It is this relationship which brings us to the place of reaching out to others in need, seeking to share from the abundance of what we have found in our relationship.  To become so "heavenly minded" that we are of "no earthly good" is not what God desires. In fact, he desires we become so "heavenly hearted" that we cannot help but be of "earthly good"!

Neither too much - for it leads to independent thought and action.  Neither too little - for it leads to misconduct and damaged reputations.  So, where is the middle-ground?  Isn't "middle-ground" what some may refer to as "mediocrity"?  Nope, I think God has a perfect middle-ground for each of us which really makes us more "grounded" individuals.  It is when we are close enough to his heart to experience his heartbeat firsthand, and yet not content to experience this alone.  We want others with us in this experience, so we continue to reach out to those who haven't drawn close to him yet, drawing them into his presences and close to his heart.

Independent thought leads to independent action.  I am a pretty strong individual - sometimes too strong for my own good.  I can fix my own plumbing, but whenever I have to get down on my knees for too long to actually fit into those tight spaces, I find I don't bend as easily as I did before!  I can mow my own lawns, but I pay the price of dealing with my allergies when I do.  There are a lot of things I can do in my independence and strength, but the consequences of always doing things independent of God's direction and wisdom are not always those we'd like to experience!

A lack of contentment can drive us in many different directions, cannot it not? In fact, sometimes it drives us right back to square zero and we find ourselves relying heavily upon developing our relationship with Jesus a little deeper or afresh.  At other times, it drives us toward more "promising" ventures - but the "promises" of any venture which takes us further from Jesus is really not any venture we'd like to be on.  Trust me on that one!  

My prayer for us this year - neither too much, nor too little.  Let's get this "just right" with Jesus this year!  You in?