Learning to Go to God First
When I have bad days, or when I find myself overwhelmed, I have a tendency to go to certain people in my life for comfort. I believe God gives each of us certain people in our lives that will be there to encourage, share the burden, and offer accountability when needed. As Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We are the body of Christ. God gave us each other to bear one another's burdens and disciple one another in our walk of faith.
However, our relationships with each other are never intended to overshadow our relationship with God. Often when I found myself overwhelmed, I want a quick fix to help me make sense of my situation. The day we met with Dr. Doom, there was no quick fix for that type of raw emotion. I decided it was a good idea to go to a women's prayer night just hours after my appointment. Prayer is always a good thing, especially when 2 or more are gathered together, and it was good to pray for the needs of others even as I was dealing with my own burdens. Yet, when it came time to receive individual prayer for my situation, I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't able to communicate fully what was going on inside of me, and the magnitude of the day. I was surrounded by a group of women with great faith, and sincere love for me who wanted to comfort me and help me in my heartache, but I knew they wouldn't really be able to understand the burden I was dealing with, not like God could. That is why Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
When I think of the Psalms of David, I think of how deeply he grieved and lamented before God throughout his life. If you read enough of them, you start to wonder if David was bipolar! He had so many high's and low's in one psalm! Yet, he was a man after God's own heart. God was David's refuge in every situation he faced. David learned to go to God first and to be real with God about everything; after all, God knew exactly what David was thinking and feeling anyway. David had a raw honesty before God.
In Psalm 61:2 he writes, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to a rock that is higher than I." When we learn to go to God first, He can lift us up out of our own weaknesses and limitations and give us a greater perspective. He can raise us up above our circumstances that will try to drain and overcome us, and give us a Christ perspective. Jesus is our rock on which our entire foundation of faith is built. When we lament to God and allow Him to lift us up, we get a heavenly perspective into our direct situation that only God can understand and apply. Psalm 91:14-16, "Because you love me, I will rescue you. I will protect you because you know my name. When you call to me, I will answer you. I will be with you when you are in trouble. I will save you and honor you. I will satisfy you with a long life. I will show you how I will save you."
Including people in our process is important, but we must realize that it comes after we've heard from the Father first. God can speak through others, and He can use others to encourage us, but when we rely more on man's word than God's Word than the process becomes much more complicated. I left the prayer meeting feeling physically exhausted, mentally drained, and emotionally numb. It wasn't because the power of prayer was ineffective, but because my heart was not in a place to receive it freely. God knows what we need and how we can receive it before we do. And like the psalm says, He promises to show us how He will save us, and that peace that transcends our own understanding is able to guard our hearts and minds.
**This blog was written in October 2012, but chronologically happened in September 2012**
However, our relationships with each other are never intended to overshadow our relationship with God. Often when I found myself overwhelmed, I want a quick fix to help me make sense of my situation. The day we met with Dr. Doom, there was no quick fix for that type of raw emotion. I decided it was a good idea to go to a women's prayer night just hours after my appointment. Prayer is always a good thing, especially when 2 or more are gathered together, and it was good to pray for the needs of others even as I was dealing with my own burdens. Yet, when it came time to receive individual prayer for my situation, I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't able to communicate fully what was going on inside of me, and the magnitude of the day. I was surrounded by a group of women with great faith, and sincere love for me who wanted to comfort me and help me in my heartache, but I knew they wouldn't really be able to understand the burden I was dealing with, not like God could. That is why Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
When I think of the Psalms of David, I think of how deeply he grieved and lamented before God throughout his life. If you read enough of them, you start to wonder if David was bipolar! He had so many high's and low's in one psalm! Yet, he was a man after God's own heart. God was David's refuge in every situation he faced. David learned to go to God first and to be real with God about everything; after all, God knew exactly what David was thinking and feeling anyway. David had a raw honesty before God.
In Psalm 61:2 he writes, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to a rock that is higher than I." When we learn to go to God first, He can lift us up out of our own weaknesses and limitations and give us a greater perspective. He can raise us up above our circumstances that will try to drain and overcome us, and give us a Christ perspective. Jesus is our rock on which our entire foundation of faith is built. When we lament to God and allow Him to lift us up, we get a heavenly perspective into our direct situation that only God can understand and apply. Psalm 91:14-16, "Because you love me, I will rescue you. I will protect you because you know my name. When you call to me, I will answer you. I will be with you when you are in trouble. I will save you and honor you. I will satisfy you with a long life. I will show you how I will save you."
Including people in our process is important, but we must realize that it comes after we've heard from the Father first. God can speak through others, and He can use others to encourage us, but when we rely more on man's word than God's Word than the process becomes much more complicated. I left the prayer meeting feeling physically exhausted, mentally drained, and emotionally numb. It wasn't because the power of prayer was ineffective, but because my heart was not in a place to receive it freely. God knows what we need and how we can receive it before we do. And like the psalm says, He promises to show us how He will save us, and that peace that transcends our own understanding is able to guard our hearts and minds.
**This blog was written in October 2012, but chronologically happened in September 2012**
