Who Carries You?

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS BLOG: https://youtu.be/BEgBlRviXP4

Who or what carries you when the road of life is long and hard?

Perhaps you’ve heard Christians comment, “I don’t know how non-believers do life without Christ.” Perhaps you’ve said it yourself, as I have. Today is one of those days. What would I do if I wasn’t in the habit of going straight to the Lord to carry me through the rough spots?

Reading the Bible and praying have carried me through a lot of difficult days in my life. It gave me hope and built my faith (Romans 10:17). It taught me “my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). So when my marriage was rocky, and when my son was addicted, and when our bank account was dry, I knew I could turn to the Lord for help and lean on His strength and wisdom. I don’t know what I would have done without Him. But I do know this: God did help. My marriage was saved, my son was healed, and God always provided.

It makes me wonder, what if I hadn’t prayed…and prayed…and prayed?

As a life coach, mentor and friend, I hear stories all the time, even from believers:

• Someone is having problems at work, but hasn’t really prayed about it.
• Another needs God’s direction, but hasn’t been reading their Bible lately.
• Another asked for prayer, but hasn’t been praying herself.

Last week I talked with someone who is having problems in her marriage. She wants out. She is a believer, however, she said she is more distant from God than ever.

The very next day I spoke with someone who also has been having marriage problems. She said she’s been on her knees for months. She is seeing amazing changes in her husband and is open to working things out after almost signing the divorce papers.

I can tell you one of these situations isn’t any worse than the other. So what’s the difference? Why is one believer so committed to God and another lukewarm? Divorced or not, they need the Lord’s help.

Life can feel like a war zone at times (Ephesians 6:12). It’s been said that if you’re not in a battle now, you will be. We do not make it out of this fallen world without some battle scars. The reason the marriage vows say “for better or for worse” is because it can be “worse” at times. That’s just life on this planet, married or not. But there’s hope!

I’ve seen God work mightily through His Word and prayer. He has proven Himself over and over that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think… (Ephesians 3:20).

So I want to encourage you today to stay close to the Lord in His Word and prayer. Make it a habit whether you feel like it or not. Make time for Him. No matter how busy you are, it is the most important thing you can do. And the most important thing you can model for your children.

You may not think you need it today, but it’s like a savings account. When the tires wear thin in your job, or the roof blows off of your marriage, or the washer and dryer of your health starts making odd noises or stops working, you’re going to need everything you stored in your heart. Even if your literal savings account runs dry, your spiritual one won’t.

Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 11:18 NKJV

And so, these three things are what we need in our spiritual “savings account” for a strong and growing faith:

1. Seek earnestly.

You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. Luke 10:27

What would that look like for you and me in this world today?

2. Dwell richly.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… Colossians 3:16

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides [dwells] in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Where are you dwelling? Without Him, we won’t have peace, we won’t have the dividends of peace and strength and so much more.

3. Pray fervently.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

You do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2

If you’re feeling distant from God, who moved?

Just pray. He waits with open arms for you to return —

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18 ESV

Seeking Him earnestly, dwelling in Him richly, and praying to Him fervently will carry us.

There’s a lot to pray about these days. I’ve discovered that even if I stay comfortable at home safe from a virus, trouble finds me. I know I can’t do life without Him.

We all need a little savings to carry us through the rough spots. Jesus will carry us through all our battles in peace, strength and more. I’ll tell you more about His “dividends” next time.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 NKJV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NKJV

How about you? Have you ever lost heart? When have you found God to be a “very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1)? I’d love you to join the conversation in the comments here or on social media. See you next time!

I hope you’ll share this with a friend who might need to hear that God is waiting to pick them up and carry them through their trials. And be sure to subscribe to this blog so you won’t miss when I post next time.

VIDEO VERSION OF BLOG: https://youtu.be/BEgBlRviXP4

And if you’d like to pursue prayer and God’s Word further, please check out my book, Pursuing Prayer – Being Effective in a Busy World, which is ideal for group or personal study, on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

Pursuing Prayer is the first place winner of the 2020 Selah Award, Bible study category.