Vulnerability and the Willingness to Submit

 

Psalm 18:27-29 (NLT)
 “27 You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. 28 You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. 29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”

Psalm 18:27-29 answers any questions we might have about the incredible strength and power of God. It also speaks to His ability and willingness to help us triumph over any obstacle. Yes, we can go through some doozies in life, issues that seem insurmountable to us. These are the fiery darts of satan, sent to attack our faith, cause doubt in our hearts, and injure our relationship with God. It shouldn’t be lost on us that our weakest vulnerabilities often come under fire. When this happens, our Heavenly Father comes to our rescue, but we must also recognize that He requires something of us as well. He expects we’ll get busy confronting those weaknesses and strengthening them by studying and practicing the truth of His Word. We must be teachable, humbling ourselves before God through His Holy Spirit and understanding that His strength is always available to us. While we lean on His strength, He invites us to actively engage in the process of growing stronger in Him.

1 Peter 5:6 (NLT) tells us, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” When we cry out to God for His help, we often want Him to fix what’s wrong, and then we go back to doing things our way, remaining unchanged. While our Heavenly Father doesn’t cause the difficulties we face, He won’t let the lessons they bring go to waste. He uses those challenges to draw us into a deeper relationship with Him—one where we learn more about Christ and grow in spiritual maturity.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us that God is close to the brokenhearted. There is nothing we go through in life that He doesn’t know about. Jesus tells us in Luke 12:7 that even the hairs on our heads are numbered and we’re very precious to our Heavenly Father. He is not distant from us, and He does not turn away while we are suffering. He wants us to submit to Him so that we are transformed through our trials and tribulations. He wants us to come out stronger, with a deeper understanding of His love, grace, and power. 

Submitting to God requires us to read, study, and meditate on the scriptures; they speak healing to our souls and bring correction to our hearts and minds. When we go to His Word, it means we’re deliberately tuning into what the Father says. We’re humbling ourselves before Him, acknowledging that we can’t handle life’s struggles on our own, but we know that He can. He has a Word for us. It’s just the Word we need to allow Him to step into our situations, not just to 

change our circumstances, but to change us. This process of refinement is beautifully described in James 1:2-4 (NLT): “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James 4:10 (NLT) tells us “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” God wants us to be as humble as little children. Why? Because humility fosters surrender, and when we submit to God’s Will, we align ourselves with His victory. When you’re unsure of what to do in a tough situation, call on Him – He will come to your aid. Humility doesn’t mean having a low status; rather, it means acknowledging that we can’t do it alone. We all need God’s help, and He has a special place in His heart for those who are tender and pliable towards Him.

Sometimes, deep within us is a stubbornness that doesn’t completely yield to God’s transformative power. We hold a little piece of ourselves back, convinced that something or someone else can offer us more than our Heavenly Father. We’re not fully convinced of His joy, at least not to the point that we allow it to replace our hunger for fleeting pleasures. Romans 12:1 (NLT) tells us, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” When we surrender ourselves completely to God, we open the door to a joy and peace far greater than anything the world can offer. It's in this act of surrender, the willingness to trust Him fully, that we experience His true, life-changing presence.

When it comes to truly trusting God and submitting to His Will, it’s not just about what we say, but most importantly reflected in what we do. It's a deeply personal commitment that shows through our actions, our decisions, and our way of life. It's easy to say that we trust God but truly trusting Him means that we’re praying more, increasing our quality time with Him, and committing ourselves to study and meditate upon His Word more. It’s about living in a way that reflects His teachings, even when it's difficult or when we don't understand the full picture.

We have to let go and let God, and this fully surrendered life may look very different from what we’ve imagined. And that’s okay. The bottom line is that we must relinquish control, understanding that trusting God means being patient and resting in His promises. Troubling circumstances can rock us to our core, revealing our vulnerabilities and leaving us feeling undone. Yet, in those moments, we must hold onto God and recognize that through it all, He’s transforming us. We’re never alone. He’s always with us, and our faith in Him will shape us into the person He wants us to be and help us to receive the abundance He has prepared for our lives.■ 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Vulnerability and the Willingness to Submit” written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.