Learning To Rely on God
I saw a tweet some time ago that caused me to think about the subject of relying on God. It said :
"If you don’t seek Him in crisis, you won’t seek Him in success." Bill Johnson
Man is that ever true!
Generally speaking, most of us tend to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Relying on God, based on what our culture teaches, is old-fashioned and irrelevant.
David and Goliath, or Daniel in the lion’s den, can seem to be nice bedtime stories for children, because who would really kill a giant with a stone, and who would be thrown into a den full of lions in our world nowadays?
The truth is that because we tend to rely on our own abilities, we work to find our own answers and solve our own problems. We seek little help outside of our own ideas, and that can lead us to be alone in the end and at times scrambling for answers.
The same David, who defeated Goliath in one of those "bedtime stories," also said this: "God is my refuge and my strength and my help in time of need."
That verse certainly does not mean that God will remove all our problems, make our bank account grow overnight, hand us our dream job, and give us complete and unobstructed happiness. Of course, God can do ALL things, but that was not what David meant in that verse.
David was a man of integrity and honor, and he exemplified those traits in the midst of the greatest rejection of his life. King Saul would try to kill him multiple times, yet David chose to keep his value system intact and honor King Saul, whom God had chosen.
Based on what the Bible tells us, this attitude paved the way for David to be promoted.
"David chose to honor the King and that paved the way for his great success."
We may see David as a man who is frustrated, living in a cave and hiding from his enemies. Although he was known as a man of war, David learned that relying on God and not taking matters into his own hands was key. He learned God would give him the strength he needed to overcome battles.
As a result of his faithful integrity, the same frustrated David in the cave, later became the King of Israel, because his heart had been in the right place all along. He did not allow frustrations to overtake him and cause more frustration and bitterness towards people.
Here's the question for all of us, how do we face conflict? Is it easier for us to scramble and look for answers in our own strength? Do we try to solve issues because it makes us feel good to accomplish something, rather than going to God and admitting we need His help?
Nothing wrong with wanting to feel good about a victory, but there are many situations we need to rely on God for. The Bible says that He (God) can “make a way where there seems to be no way.” This is particularly true when the road is dark, long, and takes us on unexpected turns.
The reason we don't trust him at times, might be connected to the health of our relationship with God.
Allow me to explain. A child trusts his father because he understands his dad is bigger, stronger, and able. There is usually no question in the mind of a young child who jumps in the arms of his dad, that his dad will catch him.
Likewise, as we develop our relationship and love for God, our trust and confidence in Him will also grow. We will discover that God delights in helping us when we face struggles and challenges. We don't have to walk alone.
If we learn to seek Him when things are hard, we will learn to rely on and praise Him even when things are good.
As the wise Solomon said: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track." (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG)
What areas of your life do you need to learn to rely on God more?
Are you taking steps toward God-reliance and move away from self-reliance?
Let's decide today that we will do our best to rely on God's wisdom rather than our own.
Davide Colletta
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Davide is the Senior Leader and blogger
at Mission Community Church