Where Can I Go But To The Lord?
There is an awesome song we have sung over the years which pleads the question, “Where can I go? Oh where can I go? Where can I go but to the Lord?” These words strike the soul. They hammer their way into the heart, pounding relentlessly as if they were screaming for attention. “Where can I go but to the Lord?”
Our society is moving rapidly into a selfish and self-contained mode. We are taught to “work it out” when a problem arises. And, rightly so, we do have a responsibility to act, but, never alone. God calls us to remember Him in all things. God is not a God of trouble. He is a God of life. Life has it’s laughter and it has it’s tears. God is there, happy or sad. It is not in us to “handle” everything that comes our way. It is handled by His strength, not ours. There is absolutely nowhere we can go but to the Lord for real healing of the heart.
People in this country pay huge amounts of money to have someone tell them how to get their lives corrected. And, often times, the correction creates other issues. “It is not in man to direct his own footsteps”, so the writers of old said. There is nothing wrong with seeking outside help from other humans, as long as the answer is not just human. We can help one another. “As steel sharpens steel, so one man sharpens another”. But, when we are sharpened by other humans and God is left out of the equation, we will still be hopelessly dull.
God is our strength. He is our rock, our salvation and our deliverer. There is no other! There is no human on this earth with His power or wisdom. There is nowhere else to turn than to the Lord. Nations have stood under the judgments of God through the centuries because they would not trust Him. The iniquity of a people grows when God is absent in their hearts. The “do it myself” mentality brings about a society of evil doers. People grow despondent because there is no way out and evil rises to new heights. One has only to look back through history to see the pattern.
Where can I go but to the Lord? There is no other refuge that is restful and delivering. There is no other banner which represents more strength than His. There is no other stream which offers a cool, refreshing drink to a thirsty soul than Him. His confidence is our confidence. His strength is our strength. His mind is our mind. His ways are our ways. His power is our power. There is none other.
We all struggle from time to time with issues in this life. In every nation, every city, every church, every family, there are struggles. Some are more intense than others, but when you are going through it, it seems as if there could be nothing worse. Where can you go? Where can you turn? Or, to put it into a Biblical question, “To whom shall we go?”
In our struggles, it is imperative that we do not dismiss or fail to recognize the awesome power within us, as God dwells in us and empowers us through this life. If we are weak, His strength will make us strong. If we are failing, His success can turn our failures into success. If we are afraid, His fearlessness can overshadow our fear.
No matter what we face in this life, God will get us through it. If it is loneliness, He is a friend who is always there. If it is sadness, His joy in us can make us glad. If it is loss, His treasure can make us rich. If it is weakness, His strength can make us strong.
What is even more exciting is that fact that God replicates Himself in every believer. If I stand beside you or you stand beside me in a crisis, God is there. If we help one another through the pitfalls of life, God fully shows Himself and His presence will calm the soul.
There are many who are struggling right now in this church and in homes and neighborhoods all around us. God never promised to take away the problems, but He has always promised to carry us through them. Once on the other side, we will be stronger because of our trust in Him, not because of the problem. We will have something real to offer others. It will not be management methods but a word of faithful trust to those struggling.
We can turn our difficulties into triumphal joy simply by trust. Pain is pain and we will still feel it. But, we will never have to feel it alone.
Now, Where could I go but to the Lord?