From No-Way to....GOD-WAY!
/Some of the deepest and most soul-satisfying psalms were written by David in his wilderness journeys. Take a look at this portion of Psalm 63, written while he camped out with God in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, you are my God; earnestly
I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land
where there is not water.
(2) So I have looked upon you in the
sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
(3)Because your steadfast love is better
than life,
my lips will praise you.
(4) So I will bless you as long as I live;
In your name I will lift up my hands.
We may find ourselves in a variety of wilderness experiences throughout our life-time.
That’s the reality of living in a fallen and sin-infested world. In verses 1 &2 we find that David’s seclusion provided the safe place to pour out his confusion to God. His longing to “experience” God became deeper - than both the injustice he endured and the pain of broken relationships.
HE LONGED FOR GOD!
Now, notice the subtle shift.
David’s cries to God, based on his current situation – perhaps even from a complaining heart, turn into praises and thanksgiving in verses 3 & 4.
This model of praying we see here is compelling for the believer in Jesus.
Yes, yes, and yes! We must pour out our hearts of languish to the Lord. Our soul needs to be emptied to The One who can make a difference in our misery.
And then it becomes our choice to make the subtle shift towards praising Him and thanking Him for Who HE is. May our focus not be riveted to what we want from Him – but fastened to the holiness of Who He is.
By praising the Lord in heart-wrenching circumstances our “no-ways” become His “God-way.”
There’s no way I’m going to have a normal life again.
There’s no way I’ll ever get over this.
There’s no way I’ll pay off my debt.
There’s no way this relationship will be healed.
There’s no way I can go on living without my spouse.
There’s no way I can survive without my children loving me.
There’s no way I can have a fulfilled life.
There’s no way _______________________
(fill in the blank)
Do you see it? Can you do it? Can you take those worst moments of life to Your Father who cares for you and understands your agony?
And then, can you pour out your praise and your worship, trusting Him to bring you into that place of soul rest? He WILL do it, and right when you thought it could never happen.
There’s always a GOD WAY for every NO WAY!
Dear Father, I’ve carried this burden way too long on my own. Right now, I choose to release it to You, knowing You are capable of bringing my agitated soul to the place of peace and resolve in YOU. Because Your steadfast love is better than life – just like David, I will lift up my hands and bless You as long as I live. Amen.
