Leaning on Jesus
Today was one of those difficult days that left me feeling like I was going to have "writer's block" as I sat down to compose this article. Yet the difficulty was the means by which the Lord spoke to me today. I was reminded of how much I need to rely on Him for everything, that apart from Him I have nothing. Nothing to share here, nothing with which to encourage others, nothing meaningful in life at all without Him. In the midst of all my lack He stands with His strong arms open wide, and as I lean on Him, He gives me the strength to go through everything He allows to come my way in a given day.
Sometimes I am not even conscious of this strength until after the fact. Then I look back and know that as I chose to rest in Him, He imparted His grace and strength to me. This resting in Him is a choice, by the way. I can attempt to do many things in my own strength, wisdom, and ability, but my efforts will never produce the results God desires there to be in a situation. This does not mean the results of my efforts will be "bad" in the eyes of those around me. I can accomplish many "good" things on my own. I would rather see results come in God's way than in my way, however. For that to happen, I must choose to rely on Him in all things, even when I do not understand everything He is seeking to accomplish in me at the moment. I have to remember that He sees all things and is working for His glory. If something is for His glory, it can only mean good for me in the end.
This is why leaning completely on Him involves trust, for I must believe that He will not abandon me in the midst of whatever He is doing in me. It is trusting that He is holding me, even when I do not feel like He is. The Enemy tries to lie to me in those moments, saying that "The Lord does not care, so why should you? Give up on relying in Him and do what you want to do—it is easier that way." I do not want to believe that lie for a moment. I would be miserable if I did. The Enemy knows we are weakest when we are not relying on the Lord Jesus. This is why he tries so hard to get us to doubt the Lord's ability to do all things. So I must make a choice, every day, and often many times a day, to rest in Christ alone and believe what He says about Himself in His Word. The hard days make me much more aware of this fact; I am thankful for them because they help me to remember how much I need Him. The best part is He loves to give strength to His children. He loves to have us lean in close to Him. Thank-you, Lord, that I can lean on You for all I need each day and rest myself in Your care!
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." (Isaiah 40:31, NASB)
