This week has had different components, Father, but it has still been full and has worn on me physically and mentally. May our time together bear good fruit. Amen.
Acts 17:24-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
Not too awful long ago, when our son was graduating from high school, one of his friends, in a speech at an awards ceremony, spoke of her and her fellow graduates’ newly earned independence. My wife enjoyed ribbing them both for some time afterward because becoming independent may sound like one of the best liberations a young person can experience. It has its pros but in reality, it also has many cons.
Merriam-Webster defines independence as the quality or state of not requiring or relying on something else. It’s freedom but it is also chock full of important decisions about your future.
Dependence can be restraining and confining for again as Merriam-Webster defines dependence, it is the quality or state of being influenced or determined by or subject to another.
It’s one thing to make that transition as a high school graduate – apron strings are cut, but mom and dad are still in the picture as they often should be to help out (or hold back) as young adults learn what it means to be independent.
But what about the spiritual realm of our lives? One of the biggest tug-of-wars is coming to the point where we realize that there is no better place to be than living our lives dependent on our all-loving, all-knowing Father.
Another thing that complicates things is that we often think we have to help God, that in some way He is dependent upon us! We are His hands and feet, right? Yes, God works His will through us but He by no means is dependent upon us to accomplish it!
Paul proclaims in verses 24-25,
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. NLT (emphasis mine)
God is the only entity in all of eternity that is truly independent. In the blink of His eye, if He chose, we could cease to exist, and He would carry on just fine. Because we are precious in His sight, He would never do that but chooses to work through us to bring about His Kingdom on earth.
We on the other hand are totally dependent upon Him. The very air we breathe, the daily mechanics of our bodies, the entirety of creation working together in harmony – it all takes place because…and only because of His mighty hand. …he satisfies every need.
Lord Jesus, all praise to You for Your never-ending love for us. May we find great comfort, and not restriction, in our dependence upon You. Amen.
June 16th, 2022, Thurs, 10:01 pm
