Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Why are those words so hard to believe? So often, I don’t think of God like the psalmist describes in those verses. He’s not the only thing I’m desiring in heaven or on earth. In fact, so often all the other things I’m desiring get in the way of me seeing God as who He is—as “the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He is infinitely more valuable than anything this world has to offer. In the moments when I do take time to pray through Psalms like this, my soul is stirred. When I think about the goodness of God in my life, I can clearly see He’s the only thing that never changes, is always consistent, and is always good. It is so refreshing to my heart and mind when I recognize and reflect on how He is the only satisfying desire out there.
In my last newsletter I discussed how hard change can be at times, and I pointed to God’s patience and grace as comforts for us in the middle of those difficult transitions. However, while the process of going through change is often challenging, sometimes it feels even harder when we come out on the other side. I believe that is because our hearts are desiring things other than God. Maybe we didn’t want the change to happen, or maybe what came after the change wasn’t what we were hoping for or expected at all. Sometimes when things change, we grieve what we’ve left behind or what was lost. Now we just want to get back to the way things used to be! We desire to keep living in the “good ol’ days,” for things to stay the same forever, rather than learning how to trust God where we are now (though we rarely admit that so easily).
For me personally, I look forward to some new seasons of life. But while I may get excited about certain changes, I still struggle with letting go of things that I like or am used to. I struggle with wanting to say goodbye to old habits or routines, familiar comforts or pleasures. For example, I am thoroughly looking forward to what God will teach me through becoming a foster parent. I know it will be very difficult (probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done), but I earnestly look forward to whatever plans God has in store. I really do want to see how He will grow and stretch me. BUT I also struggle with knowing that a lot of the patterns of my current lifestyle will have to change or stop completely. The way I view my schedule, free time, social interactions—all of that will need to change, be modified, or let go of. And even though it hasn’t happened yet, I sometimes get sad knowing that those things won’t be the same anymore very soon.
So why do I struggle with letting go, moving on, embracing the new? Well, it’s because I’m not truly believing that God is really best—that He’s all I truly need. I try to rely on my own strength, rather than on His. I want to secure my own portion, my own lot in life, rather than to see Him as my perfect portion. When I’m sad about changes that are happening, I have to admit to what I’m truly desiring other than God in order to grow through that sadness and change.
Now, of course it's natural to be sad when we lose something or someone. Loss, or grief, is a real and powerful emotion. While our misplaced desires definitely affect why we struggle to move on or let go, it is still natural to be grieved over loss. The hope and truth I want to focus on today is that in our mourning what has been lost or changed, we can and should rest in the strength of our amazing God. As we think about how to do this, I want us to go through Habakkuk 3:17-19 together:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
Just like the passage from Lamentations in my last post, these verses in Habakkuk come in the middle of some darker, heavier prophecy regarding the pending judgment that Israel (and the world) would experience for turning away from the One True God. In the beginning verses of chapter 3, Habakkuk uses intense imagery to tell of what the Lord’s judgment will be like. In the verses we just read, 17-18, he depicts what has been lost because of that judgement—the produce and livestock of the land, the people’s livelihood. I’m sure anyone living through the Babylonian captivity or the destruction of Jerusalem wished they could regain what was lost, to un-do this terrible change. It would seem natural to mourn and grieve over how different things had become, to yearn to go back to the way things used to be.
In verse 19, though, we see how Habakkuk points to God as being the only reason left to hope and rejoice in. Even in the midst of his current suffering and God’s judgment, Habakkuk says “the Lord is my strength.” Just like in our opening verses of Psalm 73, the prophet believes that because the Lord remains, there is hope. His strength is the only thing able to preserve and save us, the only thing that enables us “to tread on the heights.” This chapter of prophecy gives a beautiful preview of our strong God as our Lord, the Messiah, who saves us.
Our Savior is the only One who is strong enough to help us as we grieve the loss of past seasons. We are not called to “let go and let God”—instead we are to cry out to our Mighty Fortress, our Savior and Redeemer, our Anchor in the storm. He is our strength, able to help us in difficult change and when we really miss what used to be.
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
When everything around us seems to have changed for the worst, our God stands ready to save and sustain. He is our ever-present help in the good and the bad times. Like Psalm 46 describes, no matter if our world comes crashing down around us, He is our refuge and strength.
If you’re struggling with where you are now, reach out to the Lord for His strength. Ask for Him to ground you in His unshakeable presence. Ask others to help you see His goodness where you are. Trust Him to use your now for your good, even when it doesn’t feel good. Just because we have to say goodbye to seasons that we like or are used to, that doesn’t mean the next season will be bad. When we rely on God’s perfect and never failing strength to get us through and help us to adjust, we are able to grieve what has changed without losing hope. I’m praying that I remember this grounding truth as life starts to change for myself, and I’m praying you do too, wherever the Lord has you.
In my next post, I plan on discussing how to anticipate the joy of what’s new, even when our first response to change isn’t always naturally one of joy. For today, I want to leave you with a link to the song I always think of when focusing on the strength of God: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Heartsong. Give it a listen when you have the chance, and I hope it moves you to worship as you reflect on His great power.
Thank you for listening to or reading Speaking Truth. I appreciate you taking the time to look at some of the principles of God’s Word that He’s been teaching me about, and I hope it encourages you to talk about what God is doing in your life with others too.
Our Anchor in Change