Reaching the Boiling Point
Café Menu for Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Today’s Special is:When Life Feels Too Big To Battle
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Sharie King
Main Ingredient:
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:20 NIV
Entrée:
My stomach churned with frustration as I made dinner alone for the third night in a row. Since my husband and I both travel in ministry, we made a deal to not be apart for more than three days. But, we’d made an exception, which meant I had the boys alone for two more days.
The temperature in the pot rose as I boiled noodles for mac 'n’ cheese. My impatience was also rising with each fight or scream. I strained the noodles, added cheese mix and daydreamed about my great escape.
When Clayton walked through that door, I would simultaneously grab my keys, get in the car and travel to a land far away. Ok, realistically, I was only headed to the coffee shop down the road, but a break is a break.
My humanity was erupting, but a familiar calm was also creeping into my soul. It beckoned me to let go of my anger, but my flesh was clinching the “right” to pout about my “unfair situation.” And then the Holy Spirit whispered,
Don’t forget you are Clayton’s Ezer.
I was humbled.
In Genesis 2:18,
God recognized it was not good for Adam to be alone, so he made a suitable helper for him.
Ezer is the Hebrew word for “strong helper" in this passage. Ezer can mean to rescue, to save, strength, or indispensable pillar.
Jesus was calling me to rise above my flesh, to live by His power in me. But, my flesh was taunting me to console myself in bitterness. How could Jesus expect me to be an indispensable pillar for my family when I was at the end of my rope?
Ezer is also used to describe God’s role in our lives. Psalm 33:29 says,
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
When I’m at the end of my strength, I can only be a “strong helper” for my family if I rely on God to “rescue me, save me, give me strength, and be my indispensable pillar.”
Jesus is my Ezer when Clayton is gone. He will protect me from resenting Clayton for his absence, my children for being overly energetic and myself for feeling like a failure. This does not mean my husband and I cannot depend on each other, but our primary source of strength has to be in Jesus. We cannot do it alone.
Take Out:
Is it hard for you to believe in Jesus as your source of strength? Take time to discover what has hindered your trust and then confess your weakness and doubt to Him. Finally, ask Him to prove His faithfulness to you.
Dessert:
Dear Lord Jesus, it’s hard to trust when we can’t physically see or tangibly touch You. Please meet us in our weakness. Be our strong pillar to carry us through the situations we feel like are impossible. Give us faith for our doubt.
For more encouragement, visit Sharie’s blog where normal people can find encouragement and hope in their daily life struggles.
© 2015 by Sharie King. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Tuesday, 06 January 2015.
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