I wanted to share a simple statement that carries power to humble us, to change our view of ourselves and our circumstances. When I face an issue, big or small, it is my tendency to envelop myself completely in that cause. I struggle to get out, I struggle to see past blurred brain waves, and I exhaust in confusion.
I wrestle with God, and am thankful that he wrestles along. Allowing me to work out what's in my heart, calling me to not throw in the towel, and loving me wholly along the way. (BTW be encouraged that it's ok to wrestle, friends. It means you're pushing forward, you're giving effort, you're taking heart!) The thing about wrestling is, it cannot last forever. Not because lack of endurance or strength of our Almighty Lord, but because we are weak, we are lacking, we exhaust. That is the most beautiful part, the exhaustion, because it is there we see who has been sustaining us all along.
Last night my mind felt exhausted. As I opened up the bible to finish the so very calming, bed-time tragedies of Job.... I strangely found what it was I sought. After reading through Job's wrestling to hold on to God throughout one loss to the next attack, "the Lord spoke to Job out of the Storm" (Job 38:1), and beckoned him to remember who He Is.
"Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, "This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?"
- Job 38:8-11
The Lord's message continues for a couple chapters as God points to his strength and wisdom
throughout creation. His care and concern is even for the bear with its cubs (38:32). God called Job to lift his eyes out of what he was facing, and to God's magnificence, what was "too wonderful for me to know" (42:3).
It's strangely sweet how God works on our behalf, hemming our steps behind and before, and speaking across time and space as to let us know He was here and there before we had even breath to breathe. A sweet friend gave me Psalm 121 printed on paper and stuck with pretty washi tape as encouragement recently. I stuck that sucker on my dash, and have been reading it over and over throughout the past couple weeks....
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from? My Help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth...." When my original idea for a painting at my church was already in progress by another artist.. this message came to mind. For 7 hours I painted these words, and God pressed them in my heart last night. "Lift your eyes to Me," He calls us, loves.
Job's response was humility. He heard God's words, and excalimed "My ears have heard you but now my eyes have seen you" (42:5). He repented for speaking when he did not understand, and God blessed him. You see, I am trying to wrap my stubborn brain around the fact that I do not have to understand the inter-workings of it all... in fact, I cannot! Whether you're facing tragedy, attack, depression, ANYTHING... we cannot solve the equation, sweet ones. Only God can do that, and did! Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. He paid all we owe, he "figured" it all out on the cross, and we are called to lift our eyes, open our hearts, repent, and trust.
So let's start with the lifting, especially while we have some snow at which we can gaze <3
