June 2007 Devotional

 
As Christians, we profess that we live our lives following the path that Jesus walked. We try to be a beacon of light in a dark world and an ambassador of the love that Jesus taught us is so vital. We read our Bible, pray, serve our church, and reach out to those who are in need. But, how many of us actually rely on Him and what does that mean? To be a follower, by definition means "to go in the direction of; be guided by". As followers of Jesus, isn’t that what all of us spend our lives trying to the best of our ability to accomplish. To rely, by definition means "to be dependent for support, help, or supply; to place or have faith or confidence".

I think it is crucial to our walk as Christians to rely on Him as we follow Him. Our lives are so chaotic. People rely on things each day. We rely on our coffee in order to get going in the morning, computers to get our work done faster, ibuprofen to soothe the headaches that we get from our computers and some of us even need medication to help us fall asleep. Now, what if we relied on God instead? Can we rely on God for daily needs? The answer is yes, absolutely!
 
I heard a perfect example of relying on God recently. It was a woman who had been married to a man suffering from severe bipolar disorder/alcoholism/drug addiction. The two of them had a child together. She desperately worked at saving the marriage for the sake of the child. After the relationship took a turn towards violence, she knew that if her main concern was the welfare of the child, the best she could do would be to leave. Her husband was the bread winner and by leaving him she lost all that she had and literally drove off with nothing but her clothes, her daughter's clothes, and some of her daughter's toys. She moved 800 miles away to be close to her parents so she would have help raising her daughter. Extremely distraught over her loss, her doctor kept her sedated for several months. Then a year or so later, she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome and found herself in a dark hole. She went to the doctor every three weeks and he kept her on several medications to help her cope.

Here she was, a single parent with a full time job who was trying to get by and now she had to deal with PTSS also. It utterly consumed her and it was all she had in her to take care of her daughter. She felt hopeless and full of dispair. She found herself sitting on her couch one morning after she took her daughter to school crying to God asking him why he turned his back on her and begging him to please not forget her. She believed in Him, read her Bible, went to church every Sunday, but yet somehow she still did not find the comfort and healing she so desperately needed. Then she said it came to her like a light switch that had just been turned on. She was relying on everything except Him,  believing was not enough and she had to take it a step further. So, I asked her 'how do you rely on God?'. This is what she said: "it's a conscious decision that you just have to make and you have to believe in that decision. You have to wake up every single morning and say out loud, okay God, this is what I've been dealt, and I can't do it without you. I'm completely trusting you with my life today and I will not forget what you meant when you said that you would not lay anything on my shoulders that you would not also give me the strength to bare." So, what has it done for her? She doesn't rely on anything else anymore. And, in doing so she has been able to come off most of her medication, she is healthy, she has put on weight, she is able to enjoy her daughter again, she has fallen in love with someone new who she plans to marry, and most importantly has learned to love herself.
 
Now most of us are probably not dealing with things in our lives that are that dramatic. However, each and every one of us is dealing with something. And, it is time to hand it over. Here is a passage that I find useful in my daily walk that I really enjoy:
 
Ephesians 6:10-20
 
10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all of the saints. 19. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20. for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
 
 
~Selena Mcleod