Psalms 55:22 ~ Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (The Message translation starts with “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.”)
This past Sunday, in Sunday school, we were discussing the fact that there are people who do not see their need for God. Even though things are getting worse in our country, they still are not so bad that some people continue to believe they can do this life without Christ. Then yesterday I was listening to the song by Lauren Daigle, “Thank God I Do.”
I don't know who I'd be if I didn't know You I'd probably fall off the edge I don't know where I'd go if You ever let go So keep me held in Your hands
You're my safe place My hideaway You're my anchor My saving grace You're my constant My steadiness You're my shelter My oxygen
I don't know who I'd be if I didn't know You Thank God, I do
These lyrics made me think about what my life would be like if I had not made that critical decision to surrender everything over to Christ 26 years ago. What an awful, painful thought! I know my life would be radically different. I know the blessings I have now, would not have come my way. I would have been too selfish, too damaged, too broken, too angry, too inwardly focused, too prideful, too empty to allow those blessings to thrive and grow. There would not have been a safe place for those blessings to land in my life. I would not have been healed. The thought of having to carry those awful scars for the past 26 years instead of allowing Christ to heal them piece by piece makes my heart heavy. My heart is heavy because I know there are people out there that are struggling with those burdens. They have not come to a place of knowing they need Jesus. Not just the Christ that saves them from hell, but the Christ that saves them from themselves, the One that saves them from carrying burdens they should not carry. This is the Jesus that we need every day, every hour, every moment. This is the Christ that can shelter you from the damage of your past. This is the Jesus that can take the pain or heartache you have endured and turn it into something beautiful.
My God took the rejections, abuse, and neglect I experienced in my past and turned into something that He can use to help others. He has healed the brokenness in my heart to the point that His love can pour out into other hearts through me. He keeps me, He protects me, He shelters me in His unwavering hands. I cannot imagine a moment without His love, protection, and grace.
Why do we struggle with surrendering everything to Christ? I know I fought it all those years ago, because I thought I could do it better. I thought if I was in control, I would get what I wanted instead of having to wait on God to provide it. I thought my way was best and God’s way was too rigid. I was blinded to my need for Him because I thought I could handle things myself. That is pretty much the definition of stubborn. Then one glorious day, God opened my spiritual eyes to see how futile my attempts at running my life had been. He showed me my need for Him. The God that sent His Son to die for me, took the time to chase me down and open up the truth in my spirit. The truth is I am nothing without Him.
Just in case anyone is thinking, “Well, she sure thinks she has it all together,” please, please do not believe that is what I think! I am a work in progress and that work will not be completed until I reach Heaven. That, again, shows my great need for Jesus Christ in my life. My prayer for each and everyone that reads this is that God opens your eyes so you can see your need for Him. The God that loves, protects, changes, and rearranges so that you can be FREE! That is the God you need!
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