I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)
Yesterday, I wrote about forgiving. But how do you survive in order to forgive? I’ve never endured anything even remotely close to being a reflection of a shadow of a tenth of what Corrie TenBoom endured. I know people who spent part of their lives in an apartment with rats in the walls. I’ve heard of people in Haiti who survive by eating dirt. I’m acquainted with people who have been repeatedly physically, sexually, or emotionally abused. I watched my mother die from cancer and my father from dementia. I know people with Lyme disease, neuralgia, fibromyalgia, and other chronic illnesses. But I have been spared. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like to go through even the things that I’ve witnessed. How does anyone survive?
I haven’t endured those things, but I’ve endured others. They might be piddling little bits of nothing to everyone else in the world, but I’ve crawled into the throne room and whined, “God, I can’t do this.” I know I’ve hit rock bottom when I start mindlessly repeating, “Please, God.” And I’ve picked up my father’s version of that, a mindless “Help me! Help me!”
So, this isn’t theoretical. It’s a real part of the lives of every person who has ever lived. There are times when we’ve reached the end. We can’t figure out how we’re going to survive. The answer for everyone is that we survive by the grace of God. Even the atheist survives by the grace of God. We survive because we are given the strength to do so. And there’s a key to this we need to bear in mind. God doesn’t give us the strength to survive the next week, day, or hour. He gives the strength and the grace to live for the next second. After that, He gives us what we need to survive the next second. We may perceive it in terms of a few minutes, but in a sense, God doesn’t care how we’re going to survive three hours from now. He’s addressing our need for right now. That doesn’t mean He’s not doing anything about what we’ll face in an hour but giving us enough strength to last for an hour isn’t much use to us now. Or, as some people have put it, He gives us enough light for the step we’re on.
And if we believe that, we can be content no matter what our circumstances.
I haven’t endured those things, but I’ve endured others. They might be piddling little bits of nothing to everyone else in the world, but I’ve crawled into the throne room and whined, “God, I can’t do this.” I know I’ve hit rock bottom when I start mindlessly repeating, “Please, God.” And I’ve picked up my father’s version of that, a mindless “Help me! Help me!”
So, this isn’t theoretical. It’s a real part of the lives of every person who has ever lived. There are times when we’ve reached the end. We can’t figure out how we’re going to survive. The answer for everyone is that we survive by the grace of God. Even the atheist survives by the grace of God. We survive because we are given the strength to do so. And there’s a key to this we need to bear in mind. God doesn’t give us the strength to survive the next week, day, or hour. He gives the strength and the grace to live for the next second. After that, He gives us what we need to survive the next second. We may perceive it in terms of a few minutes, but in a sense, God doesn’t care how we’re going to survive three hours from now. He’s addressing our need for right now. That doesn’t mean He’s not doing anything about what we’ll face in an hour but giving us enough strength to last for an hour isn’t much use to us now. Or, as some people have put it, He gives us enough light for the step we’re on.
And if we believe that, we can be content no matter what our circumstances.
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