“Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:2 NIV
When you accept Christ in your heart, the devil cannot keep you captive. No mental health, addiction, thought pattern, or situation has the power over you. Often, large struggles can seem like the end of our story. They can feel so big that there seems to be no possible way we can overcome them. These feelings can lead us into a very dark mindset. God is telling us through this scripture that this doesn’t have to be our reality. Our problems do not have the power to overcome and take us captive. We belong to God now, not our sins. We have to partner with the reality that God is the one who has the power over our lives and allow Him to bring us out of the difficult situations that we face.
Partnering with God when we’re sad can seem difficult or even impossible, but through it we can gain clarity and an even stronger relationship with Him. I’m sure that many of us have experienced what it feels like to deal with the challenges of life by ourselves. It leads to a spiral of emotion and lots of confusion. When we let God into these vulnerable situations, rather than confusion, we are left with clarity and comfort. Several of David’s psalms show this pattern of letting God into painful situations and then overcoming it. He starts one of his psalms by saying,
“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” – Psalms 13:2 NIV.
David pours out his whole heart to God in this passage. He is open about the extreme emotions that he is dealing with and chooses to let God into the unfiltered version of himself. Through this confession, he is able to reflect on the fact that, although he feels hopeless, God has always been faithful to him. He writes,
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” – Psalms 13:5-6 NIV.
Being brutally honest with God and processing through hard situations with Him prevented an emotional spiral and left David with a deeply seated understanding that God is always good. David ended the conversation with God feeling joyful and secure. God always invites us to be completely vulnerable with Him because it is the only way that we can get through the challenges of life.
It is always better to bring things to God because He loves us, takes care of us, and is always more powerful than the obstacles in our lives.
Have a great week,
Grace Keezer