Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of God our Strength. Aren't you glad that His strength is so much greater than our own?
Lesson #11. Man is weak, frail, and imperfect - unable to obtain victory on his own. Inaccurate philosophies abound in our times. Within counseling foundations and inspirational teachings, the idea is widespread that man is strong and can conquer anything. As society attempts to remove God from the picture, I suppose these types of philosophies have had to emerge in order for man to have any hope.
These philosophies might be worded "dig deep," "think positive," "you're stronger than you realize," "you can do anything you determine to do," "pull yourself up by your bootstraps," "a self-made man," "don't let this situation be stronger than you," "visualize the victory and fight for it," "create your own success," or "women are strong."
There certainly is a place for inspiring speech and for challenges not to give up; the Bible includes some of those, (although in the Bible, God is at the center rather than man). The idea, however, that man can conquer absolutely anything is ludicrous. Our humanity is weak and fallen, and it falters.
Job's friend questioned, "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish forever without any regarding it" (4:17-20).
I'm not sure if Eliphaz's understanding and observations were completely accurate, but his basic premise seems to be correct. Man is fallen and imperfect. God did judge the angels who rebelled. If angels can fall, how much easier for man to fall! In fact, as Eliphaz suggests, man does fall, sometimes under pressures that seem insignificant and in time frames so swift they seem shocking. That is reality about man.
Job himself admits such weakness. "What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?" (6:11-13). In essence, Job is saying that if it is up to his own strength to achieve the victory, he may as well give up right now. He doesn't have enough strength to get through to the end. He is not made of stone and bronze. Any hope of deliverance from within himself has fled.
It is possible to follow this line of thinking so far that one enters into helplessness and despair, and we don't want to go that far. On the other hand, within our trials, there must come a point of helplessness when we recognize that we don't have the ability in ourselves to gain the victory. It's just not in us. We have to cease striving in our own might so that we can turn to the One who actually can gain the victory.
"Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. ... Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is" (Jeremiah 17:5&7).
"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower" (Psalm 18:2).
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Corinthians 12:9-10).
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (II Corinthians 4:7).
"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him" (Psalm 62:5).
"But be not thou far off from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me" (Psalm 22:19).
In trials both large and small, we must be quick to run to God for our supply of strength and as the only possible source of victory. For us in our weakness, the victory is impossible, but for God in His strength, it is not even a challenge. May He strengthen you this week in every challenge.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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