But God (5)

Have you ever felt like giving up? Has physical weakness overwhelmed you? Have those around you failed to give you the support you needed? Has your heart lacked faith for the journey? Sure, we’ve probably all “been there, done that.”

But that shouldn’t be the end of the story. Yes, we get bogged down, but we who know Christ don’t have to dwell in the land of defeat.  The Psalmist said, “My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:28).

“But God” – two words that make all the difference. Consider who God is. “Is” – that’s present tense, right now. “The strength” – the opposite of weakness, which overwhelms me at times. “Of my heart” – the center of my being, where only God can see. “And” – that means there’s even more. “My” – that’s very personal. God is mine, and I am His. “Portion” – an archaic word that means destiny or fortune. “Forever” – that’s a l…o…n…g time. It means there is no end. It stretches throughout all eternity.

To sum it up, I am assured that God is and always will be all that I need. I don’t mean to say that flippantly. Stop and think about what that really means to you. Oh, we don’t always get exactly what we wish for exactly when we want it. But we can trust the Almighty, who is all and knows all, to care for us and provide for us.

Phillip Yancey, one of my favorite authors, wrote a book called Disappointment with God. Do you dare admit such a thing as disappointment with how God does things? Here are some quotes from his honest approach to the subject. “Where there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no opportunity for faith either.” “Even the greatest of miracles do not resolve the problems of this earth: all people who find physical healing eventually die. We need more than miracle. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear.” “One bold message in the Book of Job is that you can say anything to God. Throw at him your grief, your anger, your doubt, your bitterness, your betrayal, your disappointment—he can absorb them all.”

So cry out to God today for whatever you need. His love will sustain you. His strength will lift you. His “grace is sufficient” (II Corinthians 12:9). His mercy forgives you. His hand will guide you. You may fail, but God will not. Is all of His provision real to you right now?

Other blogs in the “But God” series:
But God (1) | But God (2) | But God (3) | But God (4) | But God (5) | But God (6) | But God (7) | But God (8) | But God (9) | But God (10)