I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in Me thine all in all."The line is from the song "Jesus Paid it All" lyrics written in 1865 by Elvina Hall.
I immediately thought, that's me -- a child of weakness! Those words caught my attention. My biggest struggle is what I consider to be a "fallen condition" that came into the world as a result of the fall of mankind... you know, when Adam & Eve put their faith in Satan by eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. I believe God created ALL good things. And, I believe that bad things in our world such as starvation, oppression, pain & suffering, depression, and more are NOT OF GOD. I believe that they came into the world when man walked away from the perfect relationship God desired when He created life. I also believe that God will bring good out of the bad in life, if we allow Him.
I struggle more with depression these days than temptation to do those things that we all consider to be sinful. And yet, it often prevents me from feeling as though I am living an abundant life. I have a wonderful relationship with God. I have a great fellowship with my local church family. I have a wonderful Christian accountability partner with whom I meet weekly. I spend time reading God's Word - the Bible.
Although hampered by my depression, through it I have been able to related to people that I might not have otherwise. I have more quiet time with God since often I can't get myself out & about. I'm not really sad... more overwhelmed by simple day-to-day life. I have to "cry to God" on some days just to get the energy to do anything.
And so for my thoughts on the phrases in that song which caught my attention...
Thy strength, indeed, is small - Yep, that's how I feel most days -- not much strength. I feel really strong in some areas & very weak in others. I'm constantly reminding myself of Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ (with the help of Christ) who gives me the strength I need." So, I guess I don't need to worry so much about my own strength and rely upon the strength that God gives.
Child of weakness - no shame in that for me. If each of us is honest, we all admit to areas of weakness. Only when we set our expectations too high and apart from God's plan, do we have to feel strong at all times. Our strength comes from God & is made perfect in our weakness, as said in II Corinthians 12:9-10.
Watch & pray - I can do that. Watching is only looking actively for something. And, praying is merely an open dialogue with God -- a conversation. I can look around me in my world & see God at work. I can acknowledge His presence in a beautiful sunrise. I can hear Him in the rain in the night or in the sound of the surf. I can see Him in the faces of children singing on the platform for their parents on a Sunday morning. I can audibly say something to Him during the day and also lift the thoughts of my heart to Him silently. Hebrews 4:16 says... "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." A great prayer found in Psalm 25:4-5 is, "Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."
Find in Me, thine all in all - with the help of Christ, I can & will do that. Matthew 6:31-33 reminds me that He is all I need. He's my provider & He wants the best for me. His plans for me are for hope, peace & a future, as told in Jeremiah 29:11. He enables me to accomplish more than I could even imagine was possible, as promised in Ephesians 3:20. I see that often as He helps me meet goals even on my toughest days. I Timothy 6:17 reminds me, “... their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” And I truly believe in the promise of Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
So today, I encourage myself (and anyone else who reads this) to trust in God for anything that comes up in life. The Psalmist in Psalm 42:15 cries out “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.” I will put my hope in my God and be encouraged by Romans 15:13:
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”God Bless all of us - for each of us is a CHILD OF WEAKNESS :)
To check out any scripture references or look up certain words you remember from scriptures, on your laptop or PC a great site is http://www.blueletterbible.org and on your mobile device a great one is http://www.bible.com
Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today...
No comments:
Post a Comment