When the pressures of the world in which you walk seem to overwhelm, where do you turn? Are there people in whom you find comfort? Are there places where you feel safer than others? Are there foods, smells, sounds, textures, or other external contexts that bring you to a place where you feel more prepared to face the struggles of your life?
As a young child, I had a teddy bear whose name, ever so creatively, was Bear. I took Bear with me everywhere, and I certainly could not go to sleep at night without Bear tucked in beside me. There were times, though, when even this physical object of comfort was not enough to bring me to a place of peace. This was particularly true when I was sleeping away from home at camp or at a friend's house. The physical companionship that Bear provided was overwhelmed by the stresses that mounted against me.
As I grew older, my stresses certainly changed, but my need for comfort in the storm remained the same, and my technique for facing the challenges did not change all that much. When faced with struggles in my career or with illness or with family or with finances, for much of my adult life I turned to things that I thought would give me the strength to endure. Sometimes taking a vacation or spending money or enjoying a fine-dining experience or time with people I loved would be enough to salve the sorrows and give me peace. But when life’s struggles reach the point where our “Bear” – or whatever adult replacement we’ve found for him – simply is not enough, where, then, do we turn?
Recently, I’ve experienced a few months of up-ending as I packed up and moved, alone (albeit with my two cats!), to a new city, in a new position at a new church. It has been challenging, and no matter how much I wish that there was some quick fix to make me feel better, I reached a point where I had to do what I’ve invited others to do throughout my ministry – turn to God for strength.
Throughout the Psalms, the Psalmist speaks to God as the source of strength. In Psalm 145, the Psalmist praises God as worthy of all praise for all that God has provided. And the Psalmist recognizes that God provides strength to those who are in need:
The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:13b-16
God uses so many ways to provide for us, and I’m convinced that God uses many good things to provide us with strength and peace, and comfort. God uses people who love us. God uses the beauty of a sunset or the cooing of a baby or even the comfort of Bear. This amazing universe that God created is filled with the fingerprints of God's creativity, in nature and in people. Every day we are confronted with challenges in our lives and the invitation from God – an invitation revealed most completely when God became incarnate in Christ – is for us to turn to God for our strength and thank God for the strength we have been given.
This is a daily act of submission to God. The word submission often has negative connotations, but in the context of our faith, this word takes on an important meaning. Submitting to God is placing ourselves before God and inviting God’s presence into even those corners of our lives where we feel most distant from God.
Wherever we are in life, God invites us to experience the wonder of Christ by drawing nearer in the way we live our life. It is through this daily act of submission to God, and a recognition of God as our source of strength, that we may be able to more fully understand the mystery of God’s abundant love.
Take time to consider where you’ve found strength in your life. Recognizing that God is present in many of those sources of strength, take time to extend gratitude to God for those positive influences in your life. Consider ways that you can be used by God to be a source of strength to others. Finally, if God has used someone to be a source of strength in your life, consider sharing that with them.
