Right Standing With God
OUR INSUFFICIENT STRENGTH
As we look around, we see people going in many
different directions. We get used to the rat race,
but if we would get out of it for a time and then
return, we would see it for what it is-confusion.
The mind is taken over by too many things to do.
We say, "If we could only do this or if we
had that, then we would find happiness."
Our life becomes possessed with finding contentment,
moving from one state of mind to another. We seek
excitement, going from one experience to another.
Solomon said, "There is a path before each
person that seems right, but it ends in death"
(Proverbs 14:12 NLT).
There are so many paths before us in life. As
we get sucked into school, more paths seem to
complicate things. There is peer pressure, grades,
sports and then, career. We not only hear of adults
committing suicide to stop the pain, but children
too. There must be an answer to such complex problems?
Psychiatry would tell us they have the solutions,
but we soon learn, they have no realistic answers.
They may be able to define the problems, but have
no real way to solve them. Some use medication,
but they are only putting a Band-Aid on the symptoms.
Some people may be demon possessed, by forces
they have opened their hearts to. Is the power
of God strong enough to cast out these devils
within?
In our attempts to stop the pain, we have turned
to alcohol, illegal drugs and sex. The comfort
these addictions give does not last for long.
Even by doing more drugs, the pain never ceases,
but increases as these vices fail to heal the
problems within. We lose hope as we become enslaved
more and more to the monster that binds us.
There is this nature built into each one of us
that says, "I'll do it my way!" We are
so dependent on our own strength being sufficient
for everything that comes along. Our strength
is not sufficient! Man is not an island, but rather
needing help to make it in life. Eventually, if
we are wise, we cry out for help from God or from
someone around us.
GOD IS OUR SUFFICIENCY
Most of the time, we are not concerned about
being right with God. We might recognize wrong
standing with our parents, or realize we are in
conflict with those around
us. Those we consider friends might not even like
us any longer. In our mind's eye, we are failures,
not knowing where to turn. Things are just so
wrong!
Our ways that seemed so right become so wrong
as things just don't work out. There must be something
better than this insanity we are experiencing.
We try the same solutions again and again, realizing
no change. All we can do is cry out to God as
we come to the end of ourselves, "Help God,
help! You must have the answers for me!"
The Psalmist David cried, "Send thee help
from the sanc-tuary, and strengthen thee out of
Zion" (20:2). "Make haste to help me,
O Lord my salvation" (38:22). "God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble" (46:1). "Give us help from
trouble: for vain is the help of man" (60:11).
"Trust thou in the Lord: He is our help and
our shield" (115:11). "My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and earth"
(121:2).
If we try to live life by our own strength, we
frustrate the ability of God to help us. His strength
is nullified because we are trusting in ourselves.
We must let go of trusting our ability and let
God. He has promised to help, and His promises
are true.
We don't have the ability to live this life by
our own strength. We often discover that the people
and things we depend on are even more unstable.
The Lord God told the Apostle Paul, "My grace
is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in [your] weakness" (2 Corinthians
12:9, emphasis added). This sense of helplessness
is the first step to a spiritual awakening as
we stop depending on things, or ourselves, or
others and realize our strength depends solely
on God.
EXTERNAL VS. INTERNAL
There are so many scenarios. We each have our
own stories, but things simply are not right externally.
If only things could be right again with my friends
and family, then I would have peace. Why do things
have to be so wrong?
Whatever your story, things are not right and
only a relationship with God can get them right.
But the answer is not getting all the external
things right, but getting the internal right.
It is the internal that must be made right for
the external to shape up. Again Solomon says,
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…"
(Proverbs 23:7).
We are the product of our thoughts today, whether
we like it or not. We are experiencing today what
we thought in years, days and minutes past. The
thoughts we have followed have helped to create
our situation today. The things we did or did
not do, placed us in this present circumstance.
The times we listened to wise counsel or failed
to listen, produced what you are today.
There are so many things that can go wrong: a
child in trouble, an accident, an arrest for drunk
driving, a divorce or a death in the family. Whatever
the circum-stance, we cannot let them control
us. Things will not always be right, but when
we are right with God, we gain the ability to
overcome in any situation.
Our hearts must become right with God in order
for the external to become right. As our hearts
become right internally, circumstances and situations
no longer control us. Things may not always change,
but we will have the ability to overcome external
problems. We have the promises of God to always
count on as true. As our hearts become true to
God, trusting in His promises, we will see our
lives change.
WHO IS GOD?
God is the Creator of the universe. He created
all the stars and galaxies. He placed the sun,
the moon and all the planets in orbit. He made
the land, the sea, and all that lives. He created
mankind in His own image. This is God, Who gave
us authority to rule in this world. We turned
our back on Him and lost our authority to do things
our own way. He has given us the way to return
to Him and to become right with Him.
God desires to take all our wrongs and make them
right with His righteousness. He has given us
every provision for this to happen, but He needs
our cooperation. We must hear His voice and turn
to Him as He shines His light in our hearts. Won't
you come to Him?
In Hebrew, God is often called "EL SHADDAI,"
which is usually translated: "God Almighty."
The actual meaning is more like, "God, Self
Sufficient." Only God is truly self sufficient!
Some of the most important verses for a devout
Jew are Deuteronomy 6:4-9. These verses begin
by establishing that "God is ONE LORD."
The very concept of a sole God is dependent upon
Him being sufficient in and of Himself.
The prophet Moses sought the Lord for help in
trouble. "And the Lord passed by before him,
and proclaimed, The LORD God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Keeping mercy for thou-sands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin…" (Exodus
34:6,7a).
He is a holy and loving God, Who has graciously
gone out of His way to be merciful and forgiving
since the beginning of time. He cares for us and
desires more than anything that we turn to Him
for help. If we do not, He is a righteous and
just God, Who will judge our unrighteousness,
"…for he cometh to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness, and
the people with his truth" (Psalm 96:13).
He is crying, waiting for you to open the door,
"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock.
If you hear me calling and open the door, I will
come in, and we will share a meal as friends"
(Revelation 3:20 NLT). God desires to dine with
you. Oh, what a meal that will be!
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