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 (NIV)
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 married to Marty and is a busy mother of four boys. She works in property
management, serves in Café and actively ministers to those walking through
grief.
