Rely on God, Not on Yourself
We are told from very early on to be independent and self-reliant, preferably efficient and successful. That’s what’s expected of us, right? Then comes Christianity and tells us the opposite: depend on God, not on yourself. This can be really confusing and it can be hard to go against the grain. But the Bible does not mean you would not take care of yourself. Instead, it urges us to rely on God, not on ourselves or other people or money or success.
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
(Proverbs 3:4-7, MSG)
Rely on God, not on yourself
Pride or self-reliance is the original sin, it tells us that we don’t need anyone, least of them all God. And we could not be further from the truth. C.S. Lewis points out “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” That’s how dependent on God we truly are. We need God every step of the way and every breath we take. Everything we are, everything we have, is a gift from God.
Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God. (2 Cor. 3:5, AMP)
Dependency on God is a good thing. Not necessarily at the first glance but when you truly learn to rely on God, not on yourself, you learn to live joyfully in grace. And that joy is – according to Mother Theresa – another kind of net, a net of love that catches souls for God.
Thank you for not even expecting us to manage on our own
but welcoming us to you as we are: weak and needy.
Forgive us for our efforts and even desire for self-sufficiency.
We want to rely on you,
we want to surrender to you.
Guide us, Lord.
Fill us with your peace and joy.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Do you rely on God, not on yourself? Is it easy for you? Or do you take it one day at a time? What have you learned from relying on God, not on yourself? Please, do share!
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you rely on God, not on yourself on your faith journey!
Photo by Nicole Harrington on Unsplash.