The greatest challenge in living the Christian life is
learning to rely on the strength of the Lord rather than my own, whether it is wisdom,
planning, skills, or anything else required to get things done. I could see the
need for His power in serving Him in ministry, but this also includes ordinary
tasks. No wonder the Bible indicates I should ‘pray about everything’ — I need
Him in everything.
Jesus also had to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. How
else could God the Son live in a human body? That would be more challenging
than stuffing a powerful stallion into the form of an ant. God Almighty in weak
flesh, the Creator of the universes stuck into one tiny corner of it. To do
this, He must rely on power from on high, and He had to do it as a man.
The prophets predicted His coming. They knew He would rule
and they knew He would not rely on human ability . . .
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days . . . And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace . . . .” (Micah 5:2–5, italics mine)
There is both similarity and great contrast in the walk of
a Christian. Jesus is God in human flesh, sinless and totally obedient,
choosing as a man to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. We are sinners,
prone to rebellion and resisting God with a deep desire to ‘do it myself.’
In being a Christian, I am also called to rely on the Holy
Spirit, but in the context of resistance from that old nature, not in the context
of humble obedience like my Savior. He battled evil forces that wanted to ruin
His ministry and destroy His life. I battle the same evil forces and like
Jesus, must rely on the strength of the Lord to do the will of the Lord.
Again I say that this is not only for ‘spiritual’ work but
for every part of life. I cannot do anything apart from the power of Jesus
Christ . . .
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Relying on the Holy Spirit is easy to apply to
fruit-bearing for that comes from Him. It is also easy to apply to speaking,
teaching, and serving as part of the Body of Christ. But what about baking
cookies and driving to work? About answering the telephone and buying
groceries? It is in these things that God is teaching me how much I need Him
and His power as well.
The classroom is daily life. For instance, My literal
heart does not beat in a normal way. Some days it is not a problem, yet many
times and for reasons I don’t understand, I’ve no motivation or strength to do
even the slightest things, like washing dishes, making a sandwich, or brushing
my teeth. Some days I want to sleep all day. Yet if I pray and rely on God with
disregard to those feelings, He gives me the strength to do what needs to be
done.
While this is a health issue (and I will soon have a
pacemaker), it is also a spiritual lesson. God is showing me that relying on
Him for all things means ALL things. He is showing me what it was like for Jesus
to be here on this contrary planet, limited to human flesh and without any
power to act apart from what the Father gave Him through the Holy Spirit.
^^^^^^^^^^
Lord Jesus, expressing this is also challenging. Maybe I’m
the only one who struggles with this lesson and takes such a long time to learn
what it means to pray about everything. If so, grant grace. As for others out
there who do most things in their own power, may You encourage them to ask You
to teach them what it means to be helpless and needing to rely on You. At
times, this is incredibly difficult because I am incredibly independent, but at
the same time, this is a vital step of growth for which I am thankful.
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