THE END OF THE ROPE

Most of the time, Christians remember they have a powerful God when they have tried all that they could without results. To such Christians, God is the last option. To them, God wants them to try all that is humanly possible and fail woefully then He would finally come through as their knight in shining armour to rescue them. By the time these Christians find their way to God, they are so battered and embittered that they do not expect much from God: their perception usually is, “If God will do it, let Him. If He doesn’t, I don’t care. I have suffered enough as it is.” Other times, they question the power of the all-powerful God and lose faith. If they happen to succeed in whatever venture they are pursuing, they think of themselves as self-sufficient and not needing any God at all. Where was that God when they were starting to try and kept on failing miserably?

       In this generation, it has become more difficult to see and believe in God because of our perception. Our movies generally show us that God is the last option, the one we go to after the devil has battered us. In our movies, we see the man of God coming through only in the latter part, nearing the end when the witches and demons have had their field day all through the movie. If the movie is in parts, everyone remembers God and the pastor only in the final part, and even in the final part of the movie, God comes in only in the last five or six scenes, where the man of God is seen physically warring with the evil spiritual forces. As soon as the evil force is defeated, they give glory and the movie ends. In such cases, you wonder why they didn’t think of God at the beginning of their crisis when things were just beginning to get out of hand. What is the point in allowing a bad situation to continue until it gets out of hand?

              It is true that sometimes, situations can overwhelm us so much that we are unable to figure out the best solutions. Sometimes, in real life, a situation can beat us down so much, and it takes an outsider (a friend) to bring in a fresh perspective, and a solution is found. But in the life of a true child of God, this should not be the case. God is our Abba, our Father, having given us the right to address Him as such following our redemption by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Now, we are joint heirs with Christ. No well-meaning father would watch his children suffer without any intervention. It is not a test to see how strong we are or how well we can survive our challenges. God Himself knew that we could not handle things on our own, hence the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.

            God should not be the last resort whenever there is a challenge or crisis. He is not an emergency pill. He is not Fire Service. He is not the last option when we are at the end of our rope. He should not be. Come on, what if someone cuts the rope midway? Rather, because of the relationship we have with Him, He should be the first port of call for us. He should be the first one we turn to for guidance and direction. David, the son of Jesse, the second king of Israel, and the first king from Judah is known as a man after God’s own heart because David sought God before making decisions. He consulted God before going to war and involved God in all his activities. Even after he sinned and was rebuked, the first thing he did was to turn to God and ask for forgiveness.

       We serve a living God, a God who sees and hears, a God who knows and identifies with our weaknesses, a God who is ever ready to save us if only we involve Him first. God is a gentleman; He will only come in when He is invited. He will never force Himself in to inconvenience you, even when you are playing the folly.

          Make God your first option. Hold that rope with God. Don’t leave God at the end of the rope and hope that you will make it there. You might not. Shalom.