Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 04/23/10)

Letting Go To Get To God…

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 (Amplified Bible)

⁵Of this same [man's experiences] I will boast, but of myself (personally) I will not boast, except as regards my infirmities (my weaknesses). ⁶Should I desire to boast, I shall not be a witless braggart, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I abstain [from it] so that no one may form a higher estimate of me than [is justified by] what he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.] ⁸Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me; ⁹But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! ¹⁰So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).

Recently I have had some issues that have manifested in my life. Here I thought I had a handle on it. I was telling myself I was refusing to let these things get to me in such a way that it would stress me, or place me in a place of distress. I swore with all that was Holy that I had this. I told God, myself, the dog and the walls, I was strong enough to handle this storm, for I had been here before in larger proportion. As I lay in bed sick today, I heard in a still small voice I thought I told you to let it go. I said I have, He said, no, you have not, because you are trying to handle it and you have not even allowed yourself a moment to feel the full impact. I argued with God, I said but I have, finally God won, He showed me that I had not allowed myself to feel the full magnitude of the hurt, pain and disappointment and that I was trying to hold on, be strong and handle it in my own strength and that I would not be able to handle it that way. Today, I lay prostrate before God and poured out my soul and gave it ALL up to Him so that I could move on. I immediately felt a release in my spirit and a calm that I had lacked.

So many times we think we have matured in God to the point where we are beyond asking for help, or even acknowledging that we cannot handle certain things that arise in our lives. We figure that by now we should be strong enough to handle certain levels of pain, disappointment and trial, but given the right circumstances, the right climate and even sometimes the right people and all bets are off. What was a breeze becomes a literal fight for our lives. We are holding on to our pride, our thoughts, our abilities, and our knowledge (even in the Bible), but the answer cannot be found in any of that, it can only be found in letting Go, Giving it up, Releasing it and running straight into the arms of God to help us, to heal and draw strength to be saved. Just as the woman with the issue of blood, she had suffered so many things for twelve years, in essences she had tried everything that “she” could think of to change her circumstance, but when she was able to let go of what the doctors said, what society said and what she thought she knew to do, she recognized that she had to get to Jesus, because He was the only one that could heal and deliver her. Just like Ruth, she realized that all she had been familiar with, all she knew and was raised to be had not helped her, but she recognized that Naomi could guide her to a God that could change her circumstance and make her something special and unique, an example for generations to come.

Often we think it is a horrible thing to be in a place of weakness, and to admit that we need help, that we cannot do it alone. So instead we try to fool those around us and ourselves, we even try to fool God by saying I got this, and God is saying no you don’t, but He patiently waits for us to let go of all that we are holding on to and all we are holding up as a pretense of a solution until we have had enough and then He gently encourages us to let it Go and come to Him and let Him handle it. You see we can never handle God’s to do list, so why are we exhausting ourselves trying? Let Go of those cares and get to God as quickly as you can. Just like when you need assistance getting out of a car, a boat, etc. you have to first let go what you are holding on to, in order to grasp the hand of the person assisting you. It is the same with God. Let Go so you can feel His hands pull you up and out of the hurt, the pain, the mess, the discomfort that you are in.