Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.

There are times when it seems like God is not there. Days that stretch into weeks of wondering why He doesn’t seem to be fixing it. Making it better. I struggle in the helplessness I feel when facing a problem that is obviously too big. Too complicated. Too hard. I forget that I’m not the one who’s supposed to conquer my troubles.

Today it hit me that I frequently treat God like an unopened present beneath my tree. He’s there. But at a distance. Packaged and glinting with the promise of excitement and joy. But still removed from being of any real usefulness in my life. Until you open a gift, it isn’t really yours. Certainly not any benefit to your life.  Keeping God trapped beneath ribbons and bows safely at an arm’s length is saying I’m not sure I need His help. Not truly confident that He can do a better job than me. It makes sense to me at the time to do things myself, but really it’s like comparing a wooden spoon to new kitchen aid mixer.  Can I make cookies with a wooden spoon and a bowl? Sure. Is it hard? Yes. Way more difficult than it needs to be given the right equipment.

Peace. Contentment. True Joy.  These are things that the Lord offers to us. If only we would just accept them. Fighting to fix things myself is like snapping a spoon in a cookie batter that’s too thick. To get through the hard things of life, we need something stronger than ourselves.  There’s an ease that comes in releasing my struggles to Jesus.  Of letting Him work and being open to whatever He wants to do with me. That kind of peace only comes when I let go. After all, if my arms are weighed down and full of my burdens, how will I have space to receive God’s gifts? The Lord is not a useless package beneath a tree. Full of promises, but not of any real value.  He is real and useful. Our refuge and our strength. He is ever-present. Which is better than any present.