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November 25, 2020

Depending on God Alone

November 25, 2020 by CAROL SCHLORFF RELIANCE Dependence
Depending on God Alone
"Jesus gave them this answer: 'Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'" John 5:19 "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
John 5:30
"Jesus gave them this answer: 'Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'"
John 5:19

How dependent on God are you? As believers and global workers, it’s what we strive for, isn’t it? But could it be that we sometimes pay lip service to this notion, all the while relying on our own strength?


Dependence is the natural human state, although we try to convince ourselves otherwise. As babies, we are completely dependent on our parents. If we live long enough we return to being wholly reliant on others. In between those two periods, we think we are self-sufficient. However, our condition at the beginning and the end of life points to our real condition: we are totally dependent on God.


There are times in life when we are reminded of how much we need God. Moving overseas and learning a new language certainly applies! But I’ve found that when a situation that was so scary at first slowly slips into my comfort zone, I easily return to the habit of relying on myself. Have you noticed the same pattern, too?


Our natural human tendency is to view dependence as a negative. When I did a thesaurus search for "dependent" I came across such words as "vulnerable, inferior, defenseless, humbled." But God doesn't see it that way at all. Let’s see how Jesus viewed the matter.


I’m sure you’ll agree with me that Jesus was the most powerful man to ever walk the earth. Yet He openly and repeatedly talked about His dependence on the Father. He didn't see it as sign of weakness at all. Quite the contrary, He often boasted about it as being the source of His strength. He showed His dependence by continually going to the Father in prayer. If Jesus saw it that way, how much more should we!


Let’s continually seek and embrace our dependence on God. It doesn’t come naturally, no matter how long we’ve been a believer (sorry to say). But when we pursue and acknowledge our dependence on Him, only then can we fully be used by God and experience all the blessings He has in store for us.

Closing Prayer
Lord, I acknowledge my total dependence on you. Show me those areas in my life where I rely on myself instead of turning to you for strength and guidance. Help me to continually be aware of how much I need you. Thank you that you are with me, and that you desire to help me and to give me your strength in each and every situation. Amen.
Resources
Article: Depend on God by Tony Evans
Question for Reflection

When faced with a challenge or difficulty, is your first reaction to pray? Or is it your last resort after you’ve tried everything else?

Comments
Carol Schlorff
November 25, 2020

I’ve come to realize that a good gauge of how much I’m relying on God is my prayer life. If I don’t turn to God first, then the reality is that I’m trusting in my own strength and abilities. I’m ashamed to say that the latter is a pattern of behavior that I must continually fight against. I certainly know in my mind that I can do nothing without Christ. And I want to rely on Him alone. But then I catch myself doing something first, and asking myself later, "Have I prayed about this?" Fortunately, the Lord doesn’t turn His back on me. Instead, He’s waiting, and when I finally come to Him He says, “I thought you’d never ask!”