Faith-bearing Seed for the Soul
"While the earth remaineth,
Seedtime and harvest
....shall not cease"

Genesis 8:22

I'm at the end of my rope, what now?

The old adage, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on," emphasizes that we should never give up, just hang in there and hope for the best, right? We've all been there, or are there right now. We've done everything we know to do to make things better, and it seems the harder we try, the worse it gets. So what does God expect us to do?

Picture yourself hanging onto a rope over a steep mountain ravine...you are hanging on as tightly as you can, but you  keep slipping, and finally there is NO MORE ROPE. What now? Death seems eminent, your strength has evaporated. You are at rock bottom and there seems to be no place to turn.  

You may have been deeply wounded, suffering from the loss of someone dear to you, sick in your body, rejected or divorced, or you may have lost your home to some perilous fate. Your children may be in jail or bound by addictions, and your pastor or church seem to care less about what is happening to you. You may be crying out, "I'm about to give up and die! Doesn't anyone understand or care about me!?"

Jeremiah 10:19 LB

"Desperate is my wound. My grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it. My home is gone; my children have been taken away and I will never see them again. There is no one left to help me rebuild my home. The shepherds of  my people have lost their senses; they no longer follow God  nor ask his will. Therefore they perish and their flocks are  scattered."

It's good to know that our situations are nothing new to God, isn't it? And it's even better to know that He has it in His hands and is able to take care of us when we are weak and slipping, if we will but trust Him. Paul said that he was  HAPPY about persecutions and difficulties, because...

II Corinthians 12:10 LB

"....when I am weak, then I am strong---the less I have, the more I depend on Him."

He is saying that STRONG people don't depend upon themselves, but they cast their cares upon Him, knowing He cares for them. (I Peter 5:7) Strong people turn their lives over to Him completely, allowing Him to have His way, and they trust Him to care for them. Should they get off course, a strong person turns back to Him for direction.

Jeremiah 10:23 LB

"O Lord, I know it is not within the power of man to map his life and plan his course...so You correct me, Lord, but please be gentle."

God has a plan for each of our lives...He has made us promises and He is there when we are slipping down the rope. He's closely watching it all. The ropes may well represent anything that we are clinging to other than Him. Those things we need to come to the end of relying upon. For example: other people, careers or a paycheck, even ministries, but most of all, our own  ability to keep ourselves. So, here you are, at the end of your rope, what now? Turn loose and trust Him to be faithful! Notice that I didn't say to give up!

II Timothy 2:13 LB

"Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, He remains faithful to us and will help us, for He cannot disown us who are part of Himself, and He will always carry out His promises  to us."

So rather than tying a knot in the end of your rope, you turn  loose, trusting Him instead of the rope and your own strength to keep you. You don't fall to your destruction, but find that  several feet below are His hands, ready to uphold you, willing  to keep you from falling to a fatal death. All the struggling, all the worry, fear, and exhaustion were brought about by your own fear and unbelief...He was there all the time!

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not; for I am with you. Do not be dismayed; I  am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

When He allows things to become desperate, it is usually because He is desperately trying to teach us how much He loves us and how capable He is of keeping us through all the trials of life. When our eyes are focused on where we are falling from in the world, we can't see where He wants us to go...into His capable hands.

Rooted and grounded in the love of Christ Jesus,

Marlene JuHaros,

TexasSower@aol.com

Seed for Thought Devotionals are written as the Lord leads and are sent only if you request a subscription by e-mail.  

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"Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know

which will grow--perhaps it all will."

Eccl. 11:6

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