"Straight"
How do I keep it all straight?
When things are confusing,
And long is the wait.
For what I am praying,
And what I should do,
When I’m riding depression,
And it breaks in two.
How do I keep it all straight?
When people don’t care,
And seem full of hate.
For those I am serving,
And trying to lift,
When I’m fighting the devil,
And he does his sift.
How do I keep it all straight?
When I’m counting on others,
And they make me wait.
For the dream I am dreaming,
And think within reach,
But dealing with spoilers,
Who sustain the breech.
How do I keep it all straight?
When I get so tired,
And always feel late.
For what God is saying,
His calling for me,
Keep shooting and missing,
And struggling you see.
How do I keep it all straight?
When I know I’m loved,
And Jesus the gate.
To all God is planning,
And all of His will,
He whispers and beckons,
To me to be still.
And know that He’s leading,
Know that He’s there,
Know that He saves me,
And takes every care.
Know I’m His offspring,
An adopted son,
Know the deep witness,
The Spirit says done.
Know I’m forgiven,
The pardon complete,
Know by His wounds healed,
His hands and His feet.
Know God’s my Father,
And I have access,
Into the throne room,
With Jesus the best.
Know that no trouble,
Is ever too great,
To lessen His mercy,
Or His love separate.
How do I know it,
I hear you ask,
I’m willing to say it,
And take on the task.
But all I can tell you,
He helps me to know,
Down deep in my knower,
His Spirit to show.
It goes past my reading,
Of God’s Word so true,
To something inside me,
That helps me to to do,
What I have read there,
Based on one thing,
That He is inside me,
The blessing to bring.
So that’s how I do it, to keep it all straight,
Trust in the Spirit to lift every weight.
“This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves…” (2 Cor 4:7, NLT)
There’s just no way to do it all through human effort. Yes, we are called to be intentional, proactive and obedient. But our greatest attempts to deal with the challenges of life fall woefully short. So, how do we keep it all straight, as the poem asks. It is by becoming aware of and growing dependent upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us. There is a great “self-empowerment” movement in our culture that is based upon the lie that we have within ourselves all that we need to be our best selves. Not true. This belief falls under the umbrella of “new age” teaching. But it’s really based on old lies. We need something outside ourselves to come in, save us, and live through us. And that something is a Someone, the Spirit of Jesus. He is a real, divine person, and will indwell and empower us if we are willing to surrender to Him. He will fill us to overflowing and help us to die to every false, selfish identity that competes with God’s highest and best. By being filled with the Spirit, we find the most abundant life possible.
Lord, help us to realize that our great power is not from ourselves but from You, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Don Weller, donweller.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.