Our world is filled with problems of corruption, dishonesty, upside-down finances, betrayal and plenty of other factors. If you were to look at it simply with your own eyes, you may wonder, Where is God’s power when I need it most?
There are moments in life that are so devastating there are no words to utter. You see people’s lips moving, but you can’t absorb the words due to the burden that consumes your mind. You try to move forward with a normal routine, but the world seems to move in slow motion as problems persist, paralyzing your best efforts to press on. Life can hurt deeply. It can scar the tender parts of your heart and make you feel like your life is completely drenched in a sea of problems that cannot be remedied.
The truth is, there is a remedy. There is someone who anchors us, and He holds all power to overcome every problem we face. But accessing His power sometimes seems impossible. Living anchored, grounded and full of His power feels out of reach. Life is manageable when bills are paid, kids are healthy, marriage is working, church is delightful, and work is enjoyable. When test results reveal a serious illness or when a marriage is sitting on the edge of disaster, the stability of life lingers with unknown possibilities, and we quickly forget the anchor that once held us securely. Unexpected bills, heartbreaking conversations and a life of heavy burdens unload themselves into a world that seems to be shattering right before our eyes. I know this to be true because just like you, I have a list of desperate moments when I needed much more than the world offers.
No one ever plans it this way, but there are people all around us holding shattered pieces of life, wanting desperately to put the pieces together again. We convince ourselves that if our problems would go away, we could get on with our lives and live a powerful life of fulfillment. But problems continue, and we can’t seem to get out of the cycle of each current pulling us deeper and deeper into the problems we would rather avoid. Sometimes it feels as if the anchor of our soul has been ripped from the deepest depth of our hearts, and our ship of life is lost at sea. The waters rise, and the trials, troubles and struggles take center stage, filling us with a void of power.
What is a desperate, hurting soul to do when life is filled to the brim with problems? Cling to the power and presence of God. If you know Him, He’s already with you. Right there, in the midst of the unpredictable, He knows every single detail of your life. He is an anchor that does not budge. When everything in life is in disarray, God’s presence is constant, firm, secure.
“But you shall cling to the Lord your God, just as you have done to this day.” (Joshua 23:8, ESV)
Our deepest moments of life are often the ones that draw us into the presence of God more authentically than ever before, or they push us so far away that we cannot see, hear or remember what it feels like to be close to Him. When it seems like God is far away and the winds of life continue to billow overhead, it’s normal to try to achieve nearness to God by doing more for Him or by striving to ignite the inner strength we know we hold. The problem is that power is not something we can muster up when we think we need a fresh dose of the Holy Spirit. It goes much deeper than a prayer of crisis at the moment of an emergency. We must know that God’s power is present every moment of our life.
The Holy Spirit does not blow in like the north wind on a fall day, shaking every leaf of our lives to the ground as we wonder whether we will be able to withstand the storm. He indwells every believer at the moment we choose to accept Jesus Christ into our lives and consistently remains present and accessible no matter what our lives look or feel like. When the wind of life rushes in and we are shaken, we have what it takes within our own bodies to stand firm and be grounded, anchored, and tethered to the greatest power ever known. The biggest problem we face is not a lack of God’s power; it’s realizing where real power comes from. It doesn’t come from you, and it doesn’t come from me. It comes from the Holy Spirit of God within each and every believer.
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11)
Until we fully and completely accept that real power comes from God and God alone, we will never really experience it. The power we desperately desire is distinctly divine. Sometimes we get glimpses of it from a book, a sermon or a song, but if we want to experience it every day, there is only one way.
God’s power is present in people who pursue it. {eoa}
Micah Maddox is a women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, writer and blogger. She can now add “author” to her résumé with the release of Anchored In: Experience a Power-Full Life in a Problem-Filled World. Maddox is passionate about helping women discover purpose, peace and calm in our chaotic world. Learn more at www.micahmaddox.com. She is also active on Facebook (@micahmaddoxencouragement), Twitter (@MrsMicahMaddox) and Instagram (@mrsmicah).
This article was adapted from Anchored In, © 2017 Abingdon Press.
