Settle It Sooner

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of those who reach the end of their ability, cry out to God, and He delivers them. It is a pattern in ancient times that is repeated to this very day.

When the Israelites found themselves out in the wilderness with no place to stay and no more natural means to save them, they cried out to God.

Psalm 107:4-7 (NKJV) “They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.”

When the nation of Israel repeatedly found themselves under the rule of a king who did evil in the sight of the Lord, by worshiping idols, they suffered. Ultimately, it would dawn on them that they weren’t doing so well, and they would cry out to God, and He delivered them.

Countless times in the Bible, when people reached the end of all they knew to do, and found themselves helpless and hopeless, they cried out to God. And in his loving kindness, He heard their cries, and was moved to compassion on their behalf.

This pattern of deliverance paints a picture of the character and compassion of God’s love for us, but just how good of a picture is it of our love for Him?

When you think about it, deliverance from a crisis is the result of a life of independent living. Independent of God that is. We are trained that true independence is self sufficiency, and not needing to rely on anybody else to get by. This sounds good on paper, and is even applauded by society as a whole, but what is the end result of this delusion of self sufficiency? Emptiness. Loneliness. Depression. Depletion.

God never intended for us to be alone. Naked and afraid. God created us for a loving two-way relationship. We were made in the image and likeness of God, and He wants to know us and for us to know him on an intimate, honest, trusting level. We were made to need love and to need to give love to those we hold dear. We are home when we are loved and in love and we are truly home when that love is bi-directional with our Heavenly Father.

God is certainly a God that can deliver you out of your troubles. But how much more does He desire a relationship with you, where you are not independent of Him most of the time. A real relationship with Him, rather than only crying out to God when you’re at your wits end?

“They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.” Psalm 107:27-28

God loved David, because David loved Him AND David loved God because God loved Him. That is a picture of what a real, loving relationship is like.

“He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.'” Acts 13:22b

All of the examples in the Bible, and in our personal lives, when we found ourselves without answers, and nowhere to turn… and then we prayed, have one thing in common. We and the Israelites of biblical times, saw God as a last ditch effort. Almost a “well, we’ve tried everything we can do, we might as well pray about it” thinking.

What does it look like to walk with God as a friend, rather than just a heavenly 9-1-1 line? Let’s look at David, when he spoke to King Saul about the ‘Giant Problem’ Israel was facing:

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:34-36)

David sounded, up to this point, like an arrogant young man, who had singlehandedly taken on wild animals and come out victorious. This is where independence from God stops. But there is more. It goes on to say:

“Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:37a)

David, showing that he knew who delivered him from the lion and bear and everything else he faced in the wilderness, gave all the credit and glory to God. He turned out not to be just another arrogant youth, but one who had a relationship with God in his every day walk. Once King Saul saw that David’s source was not merely youthful exuberance, but strength from the one true God,

“And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” – 1 Samuel 17:37b

David was ready for the challenge in the desert, because he had seen the true character of God everyday in the wilderness. David didn’t see a bear attacking or a lion ready to devour him and his flock and stop figure out what he should do. He knew who’s he was and the strength that comes in the unity of a real relationship with God.

We were built for relationship, not independence. God is ALWAYS our Source. He is ALWAYS our strength. He is ALWAYS our best answer to every situation in life.

We need to settle it sooner. Read for yourself the limitless ways that God loves you by reading His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to minister to you as you read, and be open to hearing from Him, as you study His love letter to you, the Bible.