Snapshots
Biblical Truth
OF
Just Hanging By A Thread
BIBLE REFERENCES:
Psalm1:1-3 (NIV) “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
Psalm 20:7 (NIV) “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Psalm 25:12-14 (NIV) “Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear hem; he makes his covenant known to them.”
APPLICATION:
No doubt you have heard the expression, “just hanging by a thread”. You may have even used it yourself. There are times in life where we do feel like we are “just hanging by a thread”. Nothing seems to go right. Even our best efforts filled with good intentions and pure motives end up in the dumpster.
As you read through the Bible you find that other people have faced similar situations in their lives. Take for example the prophet Jeremiah. On one particularly low day, Jeremiah voiced this complaint to God (Jeremiah 15:17-18, LivBible).
Jeremiah's Complaint:
“I have not joined the people in their merry feasts. I sit alone beneath the hand of God. I burst with indignation at their sins. Yet you have failed me in my time of need! You have let them keep right on with all their persecutions. Will they never stop hurting me? Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain brook – sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone.”
It is easy to understand where Jeremiah was coming from. Jeremiah had been faithfully carrying out the Lord’s instructions and what did he get out of it? Only increased hostility from the people he ministered to. Jeremiah became tired, discouraged and a bit ticked off at God. He ended up with a full blown case of self pity. Listen to these remarks to Jeremiah from God (Jeremiah 15: 19-21).
God's Response:
“The Lord replied: ’Stop this foolishness and talk some sense! Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman, you are to influence them and not let them influence you! They will fight against you like a besieging army against a high city wall. But they will not conquer you for I am with you to protect and deliver you, says the Lord’”.
Apparently self pity can be linked to not trusting God, it is certainly not a virtue that God is pleased with! As Christians, we need to remind ourselves that we are not in life’s battle alone. We are not “just hanging by a thread”. We have the firm footing of God’s promises and we have God’s love to lean into when times get tough.
A PRAYER:
God, forgive me for those self pity parties I occasionally hold for myself. Help me to maintain my trust in you.
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