Accepting the Challenge - Day 4

I often stare at a task list on Monday and convince myself, "There is no possible way for me to get all this done." I put my nose to the grind and I get to work. As the week rolls on, I finally confess, "I think I might be able to do this."
Perhaps it was because the list was not all that bad. Maybe there were some things on the list that didn't need to be there. Or more often than not, I just needed to chill out and take it one day at a time.
So here we are near the end of the week. Maybe you have knocked off some important tasks. Maybe you had something unexpected show up. Do you still have eyes to see? Have you protected the margin in your life necessary for you to have time to be still and listen?
Well there is no better time to start than today. Make a commitment to seek God with all your heart knowing that unless He is involved, it is not worth doing.
(PS I would love to hear stories of your week that have surprised you or encouraged you. Stories of how God gave you strength to endure a difficult circumstance. If it is something that honors God, I have a place in my sermon on Sunday to share your story. Please email them to todd@meloniepark.org)

Psalm 73
I continue to be struck by the witness of the sovereignty of God in the Psalms. I have not seen an example of the writer praying for God to give him strength so that he can defeat his enemy. Instead, the prayer is that God Himself would defeat the enemy. The implication being that unless God does it, it cannot be done, no matter what the strength of man. Even understanding is from God. Psalm 73 describes logical thoughts of Asaph, but his confession is that “when I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me”. Only when he entered the sanctuary of God did he understand the final destiny of his enemies. He later confesses his utter dependence on God when he says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” I pray that I might also come to the end of myself. A place where my only hope is in God, my one desire, my strength and my portion forever.