God Doesn't Need My Help!

It's coming at me from many directions these days -- from the scriptures, from what I'm reading and messages I've been hearing, from songs, from the wisdom of a loved one in the middle of a trauma -- this truth that the Lord is impressing upon my heart. Here it is: God does not need my help, He doesn't need my suggestions. He is absolutely sufficient for all our needs.

So this is what God has been using to remind me that I do not need a back-up plan when He is in charge:

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, when the children of Israel were attacked by a coalition of three nations, Jehoshaphat  cried out to the Lord. He said, "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

"In looking to God for deliverance of any kind, we are prone to try to discover what material He has on hand to work on in coming to our relief. It is so human to look and crave for something in sight that will help the Lord in supplying our needs. In time of desperation, if we can only find a little something for God to begin on, we seem so much better satisfied... To God's child, what is the real situation?... Are there no resources? Yea, thousands millions, billions, trillions! Where are they? Above you, below you, around you. Earth and air are full of wealth untold. Keep your eye on Him. It is not necessary for us to see any help in sight, nor is it really necessary for God to have any relief on hand. He does not need anything to begin on... Trust Him and He will see you through, though He has to make your supplies out of nothing." -- from Streams in the Desert, Volume 2 (August 9 entry)

"Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities: situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where I want you -- the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and Power. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to me! Allow Me to fight for you. Watch Me working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of My Almighty Presence." -- from Jesus Calling (August 18 entry)

"Gracious God our Father, we come to you now realizing that there are many things we cannot control. In spite of our best efforts, things happen in this life that we can neither prevent nor plan for. Grant us peace in the face of such experiences. Grant us hope even when things get more difficult. Speak words of comfort to us in these dark places... We relinquish our desire for control. We surrender to your will, and we offer ourselves as humble servants whose mission is to trust you in all things." -- from Prayer of Relinquishment from Pastor Sam Schaar's message on Exodus 1:8-22, a part of his Fear Factor Series.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed, ere the day is half done,

When we've reached the end of our hoarded resources

Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits; His grace has no measure;

His power has no boundary known unto men,

For out of Hi infinite riches in Jesus,

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

     -- He Giveth More Grace by Annie Johnson Flint

Verse 2 and Refrain

"I believe the Lord is just waiting until we are completely empty, then He will step in." -- a godly woman in my life.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" -- Genesis 18:14

"I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly." -- Isaiah 60:22b