Have you ever just wanted to pack up and runaway? The stress of life, kids, family, jobs, anything and everything pressing in on you demanding your time and attention all at once. Problems start happening, people start trying to discourage you, enemies come at you that you didn’t even know you had. The only thing that you want to do is just run away. Go somewhere, anywhere, where no one knows you and you can just have peace.
Have you ever felt like God was far away?
David did in Psalm chapter 10. He starts off by saying: “Why O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Then the rest of the chapter he just seems to vent. I have to vent sometimes, and I’m sure that you do too. Usually I vent to Jacob, (I try to warn him beforehand) , and I will vent, and he will listen. He doesn’t offer advice, he just listens.
But why do you think David refers to God as being far off? When we are going through something, we usually only see the problem at hand. It is so big to us, so overwhelming, so dire, that we lose God as our focus. We shift our focus from God to our problem. We don’t remember that God is bigger than our problem, we just see the problem. Then we cry out, asking, “where are you God?” When in fact, He never left in the first place. We did. We walked away from Him.
Later in the chapter, verse 17 says: “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,”
God is there with you. He’s there the whole time. He listens, and understands and He wants to encourage you and walk with you through your problems. Don’t make him a last resort. Don’t go through your trials alone on your own strength. You won’t make it. You will end up looking around saying, “Where are you God?” And He will answer, “I was there the whole time, waiting for you to remember me.”
You may be overwhelmed, stressed to the max, and not sure if you can hang on anymore. Remember that God is bigger than your problems, He is able to take care of them. He wants to encourage you. Let him. It’s okay to tell him that you need help. It’s okay to lay your problems at the foot of the cross. He wants you to.
One of my favorite songs At The Foot of Cross goes:
At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received
And You’ve won my heart
Yes You’ve won my heart
Now I can
Trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross
At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me
Now I can
Trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross
I’m laying every burden down
I’m laying every burden down
Hugs,
Erin
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