Grace When You Are Unraveling

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.” Psalm 18:6

Some of our greatest griefs are when others depend on us being strong, but we’re falling apart. I have to be strong as a dad and husband, as a pastor and friend. To be able to be trusted in feels good. What happens when others depend upon me but I’m unraveling, my heart aches or has become numb, or I find little rest in my mind?

There are people who need me. If I lose sight of my Lord’s grace, my pride will let that sentence make sense. People need me. Am I sovereign over creation? Where was I when God laid the foundations of the world (Job 38:4)? Do I have secret wisdom that I alone can give? Do I alone have power that God’s creation depends on and needs?

Although the Lord uses me to be a means of grace to others, encouraging them in the faith, discipling or caring or comforting or counseling or teaching, the Lord does not need me. Rather, I need Him. No moment teaches this glorious truth of my need for God than when I am unraveling, breaking, falling apart in the midst of others depending upon me.

When others need me rather than God in and through me, that is a problem. I don’t have the energy, strength, wisdom, or ability that God alone has. If I am not dependent upon God, and celebrate that dependence on Him, then I will unravel and break apart. 

However, in your distress, in your unraveling, you call open the Lord for help. Your tearful pleas reach His ears. He doesn’t turn away from you simply because you are unraveling. He knows those depending on you to be strong are in need. He is the only Savior. He comforts, guides, counsels, corrects, teaches, loves. 

Parents who struggle, knowing you are depended upon, remember to depend upon the Lord yourself. Pray. You don’t need eloquence, just a cry for help. When you are needed at work and needed at home, remember you are in need of the Lord’s help. When life, relationships, jobs, money, whatever wears you down, depend less on those things to sustain you. God’s grace sustains you and preserves His people (Psalm 55:22).

Are you unraveling now? Weep. The Lord who will wipe away tears for the last time (Revelation 21:4) hears your cry for help from His temple. He draws near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He mends. Are you growing weary in doing good? Remember Galatians 6 is about carrying each other’s burdens as a church family, directing our attention to depend upon God together. God has given us each other to depend upon Him, and we rejoice in our dependence upon Him together.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for believing in our own strength and ability, as well as our pride believing we are needed. You are needed Lord. For the sake of others, bless us by Your mercies. For the sake of Your name, hear our cries in times of distress, rescue, lift, and carry us. May You be glorified in and through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Satisfied in the Holy Christ

“Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice” (Proverbs 16:8).

Our hearts and minds are often distracted by the culture. Unbelievers seem to be happy, despite the never-ending pursuit of the greater, the bigger, the “more.” How can we find satisfaction in Christ when we often find ourselves in the “have nots?” How do we enjoy holiness more than earthly treasure?

Jesus taught us that finding the kingdom of heaven is like finding hidden treasure we would joyfully sell everything to possess (Matthew 13:44). If Christ is our true satisfaction, then whatever earthly possessions we have left is a gift from God meant to point to Him. In other words, when Christ is our all, we focus on what He does give us and view them as gifts rather than chase the folly of the world by focusing on what we do not have.

We see our relationship to Christ as supremely valuable, which makes any earthly discontentment seem utterly ridiculous. Imagine the surprise you would feel watching the news at night and hearing a billionaire broke into an inner city house and stole an outdated lamp. Even more absurd is a person possessing eternal joys in Christ yet feeling unsatisfied in earthly pleasures we do not possess!

The disciple of Jesus fights this sin of discontentment with daily reminders that Christ is far more valuable than finding ourselves in the earthly category of “the haves.” To know Jesus is to treasure Jesus with our hearts. Nothing on earth compares to He who gave His life for me, reconciling me to my holy God to enjoy forever!

Let us view righteousness as greater than earthly wealth. Let us view enjoying our holy God as more enjoyable than earthly luxuries. Let the hope of Christ’s kingdom completed give rest to our hearts to enjoy Him knowing we possess now full satisfaction in our supremely valuable Savior and Lord.

Heavenly Father, grant us grace to find in Christ full satisfaction. Our hearts are restless, sinfully seeking from the world what ought to be find in Jesus. Forgive us, O Lord, and transform us by Your great power to treasure Christ with all our heart, mind, and strength. May our joy in You increase, and may Your joy be found in Your Church. Amen.