The Moment I Realised My Strength Is In God
Everyday when I read the Bible I write down how to apply it to my life. Typically I end up with four or five different things that I need to do, or to change. It is quite possible for us as normal human beings, faced with that many things every day to do differently, to feel overwhelmed, guilty or discouraged. But I rarely feel like that because ever since I had an amazing moment one day when the light turned on for me, I have never really had that issue.
I think it was about 13 years ago, and I was sitting in my room, reading my Bible. I was reading Psalm 18 and came to verse 30:
‘As for God, His way is perfect.’
The word ‘perfect’ caught me and dragged me in to think about it. It has such a high standard – the highest standard there could be. And God’s ways have this written across them. I immediately started to feel depressed and thought, “How am I ever going to reach God’s standards if they are perfect?” Now I know that as Christians we are already perfect in God’s sight positionally, since Jesus died for us on the cross so He has given us His perfect righteousness to cover us. And we are already saved and going to heaven, and we won’t change that by sinning, and can’t work towards it by doing right either since it through faith in Christ that we are saved. Having said that, we are definitely not perfect practically, and a long way from it! But I wanted to live for God and please Him, and do what He wanted, so I was continually trying to put away sin and live a godly life instead. So having thought about this I was left feeling a bit down and discouraged, as it all seemed too hard to attain.
Then I read on. Two verses later, in verse 32 it was like God suddenly flooded me with a sense of peace and rest.
‘It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.’
It is GOD who helps me get there! He gives me the strength, and He makes my way perfect so that one day it will be like His way of perfectness. Instantly I no longer felt discouraged, but happy, realising that the God who made the heavens and the earth is right there beside me helping me to me the way He wants me to be. Psalm 18:32 has been my favourite verse ever since that time, because it always reminds me of how God is with me, strengthening me and helping me to be holy as He is holy.
But that is also why I never worry how many things I write down that I need to change to be the way God wants me to be, because I know He will help me to get there. It is God who gives us the victory. At the same time I also know that I need to put the work in, as it says, ‘Train yourself for godliness’ 1 Tim 4:7. So I throw myself into working at it with all my heart too: ‘Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men’ Col 3:23.
Another verse which I read recently which sums up for me this wonderful truth is this one:
‘The horse is prepared for the day of battle. But deliverance is of the Lord’ Prov 21:31
We have to prepare the horses, do our best to get everything ready, but it is God who wins the battle for us! So we do need to work at putting sin to death in our lives, and throw away things which hinder us, but we also need to pray to God and trust and depend on Him to help us. Which is also why we should give God the glory for the battles against sin and temptation that have been won in our life, as it is Him that has given us the deliverance. To God be the glory, great things He has done!
