Help!

Have you ever felt like you can’t handle or fix a situation that you’re facing? Some people respond by ignoring the whole thing in one way or another and stuff all their emotions down deep inside. Others explode and everything comes out all over everyone, or whoever is closest.

This past week, especially the beginning of the week was a hard one for my family. As the week went on it improved; Monday, however, was very hard. I couldn’t do anything about the situation myself, actually none of my family could. I found that the only thing I could do that would actually help in anyway was to completely rely on God and pray. God was the only one who could intervene in the situation…and He has and is at work in the situation!

[Added note: I am very grateful to all the people that have and are standing with me and my family in prayer in this situation.]

There was another situation recently where I felt so inadequate- completely unable to do what was before me to do. Have you ever felt like that…totally inadequate, unequipped, useless in the situation, ready to give up and let someone else take over, maybe even that you’ve already messed up the situation. I felt like that.

As I thought about the situation and began to cry out to God that I was unable to do this without Him and how I felt like I’d messed things up, He spoke to me. It wasn’t an audible voice, but He spoke all the same. At the time I was in the kitchen. We have random pieces of tile with pictures of different things on our backsplash…and as I cried out to God I looked down and saw this one tile that is a picture of clusters of grapes. The picture sparked something in me and God reminded me of some verses in the Bible, and I looked them up:

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves as true followers of Mine. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]. If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.” (John 15:5-10)

In my Bible there is a comment by Joyce Meyer about these verses, I’ll include part of it:

“God wants us to depend entirely on Him. He wants us to lean on, trust in and rely on Him. Actually, that is part of the definition of faith. We are partners with God, and that means we both have responsibility. But we must lean on Him in order to do the things that are our part. God called me into the ministry and He anointed (enabled) and gifted me to do what I need to do, but I still have to trust Him and remember how much I need Him at all times….When the Lord says we can do nothing apart from Him, He means things will not work properly in our lives unless we invite Him into everything. His presence can eliminate much of the struggle we experience in life. It makes impossible things possible, hard things easy and frustrating things peaceful. Do not ever be afraid to say, ‘Help, Lord, I can’t do this without You.’” (The Everyday Life Bible p1716)

After reading that I looked over at the cabinet door and saw this on a piece of paper:

“Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.” (Ephesians 10:35-36)

Through these verses I saw the answer to my situation. Really, it’s true, I can’t do the things that are before me on my own. I need God. I must abide in Him, completely rely on Him, to be able to accomplish anything meaningful. My confidence must be in God alone. He will keep me from tripping as I go along this journey.

If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to do, or things look overwhelming, call out to God. He is waiting for you with arms open wide to receive you. He loves you and accepts you. He has the answers you need. He is the answer. Abide in Him. Call out to Him. Throw yourself at His feet in complete dependence on Him. He is able to do amazing things in your life.

I’ll leave you with this:

“May He [the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ] grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it]; [that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the rich measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-” (Ephesians 3:16-20)

If you didn’t understand this post reading it the first time, try reading it again. If you have questions, leave a comment and let me know. I’ll do my best to explain.