I've been attending the Purpose Driven Life Bible Study Series for the past 4 weeks already, and have been pastoring a group of single women through the sharing sessions. This weekly gathering has proved to be a healthy exercise for me because I not only gave book reading a good workout, it also allowed me to connect with young women who are going through the difficulties and challenges I experienced at least once in my single life. I've read the PDL book as far already as the 28th chapter, but one line has so far struck me more than any other that I've read.
"You'll never know that God is all you need, until God is all you've got."
This is a very powerful sentence for me, and it hits home really hard because there are so many moments in my life that I can think of where God has led me through circumstances, and I had nothing else left to hold on to but Him. I have always been a woman of full control of my life and destiny. In the past, everything I set out to do I did and accomplished to the best I could. I never really took into account a God who was a major player in the scenes of my life.
Back then it was all about my life, my decisions, my consequences and my achievements. Glory and credit of course were entirely mine as well. I had full control of the steering wheel, or so I thought. It is only when you've gone completely off-course and ended up in unfamiliar or unwanted territory that you realize that you are not entirely in control. It is when you've been stripped off of all material possessions, all dignity, all confidence and self-worth, and when you've been completely exposed of your weaknesses, flaws and shortcomings, that you realize that it all boils down to you... and God. You may lose your dearest friends, you may be rejected by family, you may lose your job, your clients and everything you THOUGHT were valuable to you. But it is during these times when you realize, face pressed down on the dirt, that you have no one and nothing else -- except God. He is constant. He is consistent. He is immortal. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is all things people aren't. People who we prefer to call in times of trouble. People who we set out day in day out to please. People who we run after for business and money. People who we adore, idolize and mold ourselves to become. People who hurt us, disappoint us, leave us and die. Yes, we choose people over a God who even at our lowest and our worst moments, remains faithful to us by loving us, by comforting us, by healing us of our hurts, by forgiving us, by nursing us back to health and by blessing us far beyond what we could ever even hope to achieve on our own! Praise God for when we need Him the most, "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." Isaiah 59:1
This Holy Week, join me in reflecting on this phrase. Think about all the times in your life where you felt that the whole world has turned its back on you -- when you had no one to reach out to and nothing left to hold on to. Has there been any circumstance in your life that has left you to realize that God is all you've got? Share them and let others be blessed by your story of how God has been faithful to you in your life. Let this be our way to "save one more for God".
God bless you all today!
7 comments:
Oh, yes, I know what you are talking about - totally. I have said it before: God has so many claw marks just from me. :) I can't imagine how many others He has.
Like I said to you: God is faithful, even when I am faithless.
You are so right saying that people always will disappoint us, because we are all sinful by nature. There is only One who is pure.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. :)
Amen. I can definitely relate to this. Thanks for sharing it.
God Bless you too!
I'd love to go through that series sometime!
I am not a religious man, but a spiritual one. I do not attend church but pray in my own way and as The Doobie Brothers sing: "Jesus is Just All Right". Yes, been there. I find it fascinating when people in need approach resourcesful people for input and they complain that they feel "embarrassed". What they are "embarrassed" about is the fact they do nothing to help anyone. That's why I agree with Paul Newman. He said he cannot ynderstand why people as blessed as he has been in show business feel no need to give back. Good post and I corrected your address on my Link!
I'll be signing in with Annette Burkett for her Bible Study, and who knows this is the way to go for me. But this is when my server is okay na.
Hope you are having a great day. Thanks for your email. Will be sending out those postcards A.S.A.P.
Take care, Meow
Monday as I stood in a parking lot waiting (that's where I was, not a very interesting story why I was there), I realized that God was literally all I had and I was okay. It is a breath of fresh air and such a relief to know that He loves us so much. He can be all we need and it's more than enough, we just have to get to that place to experience it and know that it's true.
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