Sunday, August 9, 2009

Layers of Dependence

Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. Psalms 146:3 (NASB) How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Psalms 146:5 (NASB) The entirety of Psalm 146 grabbed me this morning. I had actually flipped to that section of Psalms to read Psalm 145 again, but my eyes kept drifting to 146. So, I read it. I wish I could put into words the fullness of what went on within my heart as I read it. I was encouraged, challenged, and convicted all in one instant while being filled with awe and praise. His Word is so powerful! The conviction and challenge came through these two verses in particular. As I pondered the words, I realized that I frequently say I trust in the Lord without truly living that. The Lord began to reveal to me one situation after another in which I have convinced myself I was trusting in Him, but was really depending on the responses of man. In fact, I looked back over the past week and realized that He has been working on me in this area all week. Reading these two verses brought all of the teaching into focus, helping me realize the exact areas I needed to change. There are such layers of habitual reliance on man existing in my heart. I peel away one layer, but there are so many more beneath. This week I have had to begin to peel away the next layer. How many are left, I do not know. But, I am sure the Lord will continue to reveal them to me. Maybe for the rest of my earthly life. And I am challenge to be faithful to complete peeling, no matter how painful it may be.

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