When Tom Hanks used a catapulting rock to extract a bad tooth in an excruciating scene from the movie The Castaway, I cringed. Alone on a desert island, he was forced to take painful action. He had no other choice.
Sometimes I'm tempted to feel the same way. There are days when the enemy tells me I have no choice and no hope, and that I must extract myself from certain painful situations if I want the hurting to stop.
But the enemy is a liar.
If we think we will never endure seasons of suffering, we're wrong. Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration;" How's that for a reality check? But then He speaks powerfully encouraging words: "...But be of good cheer, take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted, for I have overcome the world. I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you." (John 16:33, Amplified Bible)
I believe that the toughest thing Jesus accomplished on this earth was resisting the urge to rescue Himself from the cross. He could easily have commanded a legion of angels or called down fire from heaven. Or just walked away.
But He didn't.
He chose to stay. He chose to accomplish God's will instead of His own.
We face the same temptation. We will always have to resist the desire to rescue ourselves from our situations. Ironically, the option to extract ourselves will always be there, because God loves us enough to give us the gift of free will. He gives us a choice.
We can't allow our desires or the enemy to force us into prematurely rescuing ourselves. God has a plan. His timing is perfect. And He is faithful.
If we're willing to yield to God's will instead of our own, He will grant us grace, and ultimately, triumph. How do we accomplish this?
- By talking to the Lord about our feelings, just like King David did. He can handle it.
- By sharing our hearts with a trusted friend, and listening to godly advice.
- By reading the Word of God (our Bibles) and believing what it says.
- By praying, praying, praying.
God, help us, help me--believe that You can redeem our situations and accomplish Your plan and purpose, regardless of how we feel. Help us not to rescue ourselves, but run to You and trust You instead. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Photo taken outside my front door, by me. I'm tired of paying for photos at i-stock, so I'll be using my collection of sky/sunset/cloud photos more often. On this particular shot, my lens fogged up the moment I stepped into the muggy front yard, giving the picture an ethereal quality I like.
17 comments:
Love it Julie. And your picture is beautiful! I don't use photos so much any more. Just keep it quick & easy. Time is so short, I don't have time to do it all!
Always a joy to come over here and read your posts.
I am always blessed when I come by here. THANK YOU!!
Andrea
Oh, Julie, that is a hard lesson I've been learning my whole life. But the encouraging words from scripture always defeat the moment.
Love the photo. I refuse to pay for photos, too. The ones I do copy are free, as long as you give them credit.
Have a good week ahead.
Wonderful post, Julie! Thank you for the good advice on how to resist the temptation to rescue ourselves. Nice photo!
Beautiful! Because Jesus made a choice, we can also make one.
Julie, loved John 16:33 out of the Amplified Bible. Powerful. And great message exhorting us not to rescue ourselves from tough situations. I'll look forward to seeing more of your own photos. You've posted some great ones on Facebook from time to time. Blessings to you this week!
goodluck.....
I am in a season of fear and deeply needing God and I find that I lay everything at His feet and then run right back in and try to sought it myself again. I so needed this Word today- i guess in waiting & trust , faith grows,
Thanks for your words today,
Hugs
C
Thanks for the pep talk! Quitting is easy, but it's not usually what God has planned.
Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day :-)
Oh... this is a powerful message. Thank You Lord for reminding me that You "are" in control and know what you're doing. Praise YOU Father God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Wow! I so needed to hear that today; it brings great confirmation as to what I have been prayng about.
your posts are soo good and so cleansing in nature, i loved visiting your blog and i will be coming soon again - the picture is beautiful too
Powerful. I appreciate the reminder. You encourage me. Thank you...
The enemy is hard at work telling me that I am hopeless, a loser, a failure. I cried today because lately I feel that way.
But then, Julie, I viisted your blog and you have such a ministry going on here! I always come away blessed and feeling hopeful again. Thank you.
Beautiful reminder.
I hope you're having a good week!
Yup - my attempts at self rescue NEVER work.
And oh how often I succumb to the enemies lies that I can escape the pain - one way or another, cope or run away.
Thank you for this post!
Heather
Amen to that. Run to Jesus. b
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