He Can Take It

Psalm 55:16-17, 22 (The Message)

“I call to God;

    God will help me.

At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh

        deep sighs—he hears, he rescues. Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders—

    he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.”

In this generation of having it all together, vulnerability is seen as weakness. It is not so easy to pour out our guilt, shame, weaknesses, and insecurities to the  people closest to us, talk less to God whose standards are so high they’re hitting the roof.

We usually don’t take our fears, hurts and scars to God and even when we do, we sugar-coat and tailor-fit it so much that the real pain and message is lost. We put up a perfect performance in our relationship with Him.

Vulnerability calls for intimacy. When we let go of the façade and emotional shield, we are calling out to God, baring ourselves to him. We are telling Him we trust Him enough not to hurt us with our most sensitive information. It is okay to pour it all out before God. It is okay to go before God weak and helpless and ashamed. Get it off your chest. Raw. Uncut. God can handle it. He can take it.

We are not supposed to be grumbling, sniffling and depressed people. But life presents us with unexpected curves. We feel like throwing in the towel and giving up. The closest people don’t understand our trials. People leave our lives and some betray us. I’ve been in situations where I could not verbally articulate what I was going through. Tears were the order of the day.

Colossians 2:13-15 (The Message) is so precious to me:

“God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.”

If God has disarmed, beaten, booed, jeered and publicly paraded every principality and power raging against me; every sickness, family issue, failing grades, heartbreak and depression, why am I the one bearing the shame?

Why is the thief being paraded on the street and you, child of God, blood-bought and blood-justified, run to hide, cowering with your head between your knees?  Jesus died for you and every weakness, every past, every scar, every mental torment, every sickness, every sin, every inability, every contrary principality against you. He stripped them of their power and made a public show of them!

Sometimes, we honestly don’t feel that way. Life gets too hard. Hebrews 4:15 (HCSB) lets us know:

“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at a proper time.”

One liberating and satisfying truth is that Jesus understands. He really does. The last thing He desires of us at any low point in our life is to hide from Him. When Peter was sinking, he called out to Jesus. This is very unlike most people today. We hide and pretend when we are sinking. We wet our pillows at night and plaster a smile on our faces at dawn.

I love King David. He wasn't perfect; he sure had his own issues. but man, God loved David! There was intimacy between him and God. There was no pretense, no hiding, no shame in his relationship with God.

I scribbled this across my Bible where Psalm 55:16-17, 22 is located: it’s okay to jibby jabber to God! That scripture also assures me that when I call out to God, He will rescue me. But I need to tell Him exactly how I feel, exactly what I need. David cried to God morning, afternoon, and evening. In distress and depression, God kept hearing him.

Your burdens whether physical, emotional, financial, family-wise, career-wise, health, academics should be taken to God’s “throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at a proper time.” He can stomach it. Bonus: He has promised to take care of you! He will not permit you to slip or fall. God has got you!

About the Author: Ayotola Tehingbola

A lover of everything words and fine paper, Ayotola is pursuing Jesus in education, youth ministry, women empowerment, and public speaking. Her life's message is centered around breathtaking lifelong intimacy with God, refinement of individual character and finding and fulfilling God's plan for one's life. You can find her at her personal blog: ayotola.wordpress.com