When was the last time you felt helpless? Maybe you started a new job and are not sure how to navigate the new position. Maybe the terrible twos have arrived and you’re just not sure how you’re going to get through this phase with your kids. Or perhaps you’re getting older, and some things don’t come as easy as they used to. Whatever it might be, whenever something is beyond our control, things tend to get a bit uncomfortable.
Sin has kind of hardwired us this way. We have this desperate need to be self-reliant. We want to believe that we can do all things on our own, but we can’t. Recognizing our own helplessness is what leads us to the hope of Christ.
We see this reality woven into the verses of Psalms 116. This is one of my favorite chapters in Psalms because it paints this picture of complete reliance on the Lord, and that apart from Him we are capable of doing nothing. It gives us a glimpse of a desperate man in need of God’s grace, someone who is longing for peace but realizes that he is inadequate to provide it for himself. He needs the Lord. The psalmist fears death and affliction. He is physically, emotionally, and spiritually empty and at the end of himself. But in God’s presence, he finds hope. Psalms 116: 3-6 (CSB) reads,
3 “The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
And the torments of Sheol overcame me, I encountered trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called out to the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous,
Our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced:
I was helpless and he saved me.”
When I read this, I feel so wrapped in the Fathers love because this is the character of the Lord. He is compassionate, His forgiveness spans the width of eternity, His grace covers us, and He saves the helpless. There is no way that we can earn it. Our Heavenly Father is just that good.
Reread Psalms 116, and I hope that you see it. The praise that we see within the Psalm is tied to his weakness, his utter need to depend on God. Our weakness makes God’s grace such great news.
We see this all throughout scripture. People who are in desperate need of God's grace then acknowledge their own weakness and trust in the Lord’s unfailing strength. It’s a tough task to accept that we can’t do things on our own but it's a beautiful picture of our need for the Lord. We need him on our greatest days just as much as we need him on our weakest ones.
Being weak is our greatest strength when it leads to desperate dependence on God. Being helpless is not hopeless when it leads us closer to the Lord. So whatever burdens are heavy on your heart this week, lay them at the feet of Jesus because when we are weak, He is strong.