While we may not openly admit, many of us have prayed, asking the Lord to save us, not from others, but from ourselves. Unsure of what awaits us or what to do, knowing that we are powerless to save ourselves. No matter how many promises, no matter the desperation of our resolve, we find ourselves helpless of escaping the very thing(s) that await us. How great our Savior must be. We often discover that no matter how insurmountable the hinderance, the weight, the obstacle may be, it has less to do with life’s outward influences, but the uneasiness, the ongoing press upon us, as we wrestle within our heart, constantly hidden behind the pleasurable faces we adorn each day. As my sister would tease, “you’re in a jam now.”
I read a quote that suggests the difference, while similar in context, between a trial and temptation; temptation is do this pleasant thing and do not let yourself be hindered by the fact that it is wrong where a trial says do this good and noble thing and do not let yourself be hindered by the fact that it is painful.
As a young Christian, I believed, I was both untouchable and invincible, because that is how I understood of what was preached and the power of God to deliver. I believed that whatever I faced, I could just as easily back away from, praying “Lord just this once …” “Just one more time.” It was not that the word had now become void, or the power thereof had departed, but my still limited understanding of how the power of God’s word works in and through his people. I was not fully prepared to fight against what awaited me. How often have I prayed, “Lord it’s me,” but for the same thing? The power of deliverance and salvation does not rest in mine own might, nor the abilities of my own hands.
