Week 20: Lord, I Need You

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But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me.

Evening and morning and at noon

I utter my complaint and moan,

and He hears my voice.

He redeems my soul in safety

from the battle that I wage,

for many are arrayed against me.

God will give ear and humble them,

he who is enthroned from of old,     Selah

because they do not change,

and do not fear God.

 

My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;

he violated his covenant.

His speech was smooth as butter,

yet war was in his heart;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were drawn swords.

 

Cast your burden on the Lord,

 and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.

 

Psalm 55:16-22 (ESV)

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We live in a world that preaches independence. The ideal man or woman according to the values of the world is someone who is strong and confident, with no need for external support. Self-help books line the shelves of bookstores, all proclaiming the message of self-dependence and self-esteem. Psychologists preach the message of looking within oneself for help. Both Eastern and Western philosophies are marching towards the goal of achieving true self-sufficiency.

Christian thinkers are, tragically, often not exempt from these ideas. Various famous pastors preach a message of self-help. Christian leaders encourage congregations to love themselves, not because of any grace from God, but because of their inherent, personal self-sufficiency.  Yet, while the message sounds appealing, the words ring hollow.

The message of Scripture is not one of self-dependence, but God-dependence. Many of us could only dream of achieving anything near the achievements and character of David. He was a powerful king, an esteemed warrior, and a wise writer. His resumé is unmatched. Despite his flaws, his spiritual resumé was not any less impressive; he was, after all, called the man after God’s own heart. Yet when we read his deepest, most personal, and most emotional thoughts as expressed in his psalms, we do not see him holding on to self-dependence, but God-dependence.

There is no message in the Bible that life will be easy, for Christians or otherwise. In fact, Christians are called to especially bitter roads. The one thing that carries us through is not our force of will, but our surrender to Christ. This is a difficult walk to maintain in a world that screams independence at us. Both strangers on the street and the most famous thinkers of our time preach the same message: If we have to rely on God, then we are weak. Are they right, perhaps? If so, then let us be weak in Christ! In the face of trial and temptation, let us cling onto the words of God spoken through Paul:

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)

The message of the Bible—indeed, the message of the Cross—is not one of strength but one of weakness. Our God does not demand independence but dependence. So let us commit to this dependence. When the world is calling us cowardly for being dependent, pay no attention, for they know no better. When they ask us to let go of God in order to be “brave,” do not listen to their cries of false courage. When they call us foolish for our belief, let us be fools for Christ! After all, when we have found Love Himself who provides all our needs, the glorious Jehovah Jireh, would it not be more foolish to let go?