When You're Barely Hanging On

Sometimes life can leave us feeling like we're barely holding on. One event or a series of events occurs and we don't know if we can keep going. We feel lost, alone, tired, scared, or maybe we don't feel anything at all.

That's when God can begin to seem far away - like He doesn't here our cries. We can begin to doubt His goodness and His love for us.

Sometimes in our frantic struggle to keep hanging on we're actually missing out on God being right there with us in the middle of our struggle. We get so focused on trying to do what we need to do that we miss God right there. He will catch us if we just stop fighting, if we just let go of what we're trying so hard to hold onto.

Psalm 139 reminds us that we can never escape from God's presence:

Where can I go from your Spirit?
     Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
     if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
     if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
     your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me,
     and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
     the night will shine like the day,
     for darkness is as light to you." (verses 7-12)

If there's no where we can go to escape from God's presence, then even in those moments where life has left us feeling like we're barely holding on, He is still there. We don't have to try to frantically do the right things to get a better grip.

When life has left us feeling like we're barely holding on, our best choice is usually to let go. And when we let go, we find ourselves held in God's arms - exactly the place we need to be.