What is it about humans that we think we can do everything on our own? Maybe it’s just me. I struggle with this a lot because I have this idea that I can do everything by myself. I’m super independent and very stubborn. I don’t like to ask for directions. I don’t like to ask for help, whether it’s physically or financially. If I can’t do it myself, then I don’t need to do it.
But we were never intended to go through life like that. If we were supposed to be that independent, God would have only made one human. God could have been satisfied with Adam if He’d thought Adam could do everything by himself, but He didn’t. God made Eve too because Adam needed help.
So many times I avoid asking for help because I don’t want to be thought weak. That’s my biggest personal fear–people thinking I’m weak. And it’s gotten me in more trouble than any other of my own little personal issues. Because it’s nothing but pride.
I’ve talked about how I struggle with pride before, but it’s a real problem for me. And I never stop being amazed at how many forms pride can take in my life. And it gets to the point that I refuse to ask for help when I absolutely need it. And I’ve even gotten to the point where I refuse to ask God for help because I’m so ashamed that I can’t do something on my own.
Do you see how silly that is? Of course, I can’t do everything on my own. God didn’t make anyone to be so independent that they shouldn’t ask people (or Him) for help. That’s pride talking, and that’s Satan whispering lies in our ears through our own pride.
The verse this morning made me think of my proclivity to this specific problem.
Jeremiah 33:2-3
“This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: 3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.
We don’t know everything. Honestly, we don’t know anything. We think we know a lot but I’m convinced that more than half of what we think we know is either misguided or imaginary.
I think I understand my life and my position and my place and my future, but my understanding at this point in my existence is flawed. And me trying to make it on my own through life without ever asking for help is foolish. Because when it gets right down to it, I’m blind on my own. If I don’t ask God for help and guidance, I’ll run into things.
This verse is encouraging us to ask God questions. He wants us to ask Him questions. He wants us to seek Him. He wants to tell us things that we can’t figure out on our own. He wants to reveal truth to us on a level that we can’t find without seeking Him. Remember, this is God. He made everything. He made the universe. He hung the stars in space. He keeps the Earth spinning. He keeps us breathing every day. He holds it all together. And this is Him inviting us openly to ask Him any question we want.
Isn’t that spectacular?
So why don’t we? Why don’t I ask Him questions? Why don’t I seek Him with every breath and with all my heart? Why do I insist on doing things myself?
Probably because I’m stubborn. And stubbornnes can be a good trait when its focused on something worth being stubborn about. But a stubborn fool isn’t good for much.
So my goal for today is to stop being so stubborn about things I think I understand and to run to God with my questions, even when I don’t feel like I deserve to ask them. God wants to reveal things to us. He wants to tell us what He knows, share His wisdom and His heart. But He won’t force anything on us. We just have to ask.
Always Peachy 