Helpless in His
Hands
By Jeannine Sawall
“In this world you will have troubles, but
take heart, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33b
As
Christians, oftentimes, we don’t like to think about being absolutely helpless
in the hands of our God. We like to
think that somewhere, somehow, we still have some type of control over what’s
going on in our lives. We like to think that when difficulties arise, there is
something we can do to help, some 1-800 number we can call for support, a
positive thinking attitude we can adopt to make us “feel” better. There’s got
to be something we can do…right?!
The
psalmist made no bones about it…life is hard and full of suffering. We may find
ourselves in situations so beyond our control there is no way out, no matter
what we try to do. Perhaps it’s the loss of a job, a divorce, a betrayal, an
unplanned pregnancy. Or perhaps the worst has happened and we have lost a loved
one. Whatever the situation is, suffering is never easy and there’s never an
easy way out. People may say “it’ll get better,” “you just need to get a grip,”
or “just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”
The only bootstrap in the Christian life we can get a grip on to make
things “okay” is the Cross.
Knowing
Christ is there, in the midst of our suffering and interceding for us is a
comforting thought, but it may not always bring immediate feelings of comfort. However, it’s hanging on to this truth, even
if by our fingernails, that will eventually get us to that place of comfort and
through the crisis. Unfortunately, much of suffering is a long process and
there’s no mention anywhere in the Bible of a detour or a short-cut through it.
It is only through a purposeful stepping one foot in front of the other that we
ever reach the other side of the valley. And along the way, we can count on the
Lord to walk with us.
We
all will all have to face many crises in our lives. Maybe you are in one now.
When these times come in our lives, we can choose to look up and hang on to
truth no matter what our feelings are telling us. The Shepherd walks with us,
offering comfort and support along these difficult journeys - - holding us up,
sometimes when we don’t even know He’s there.
It’s in these instances that the best place we can be is helpless in His hands. He
has overcome the world and He will help us through to the other side.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
When feelings tell you something contrary to the truth, what do you listen to?
2.
Who do you turn to in times of crisis and suffering?
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine
is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in property management and
is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
