No Harm In Admitting Weakness

“Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.” (Ps 59:9 AV)

The ‘his’ is the adversary described in this psalm.  For David, the adversary was a human one.  Some suppose David is referring to Absalom and Ahithophel.  However, the adversaries of the saint are not limited to human ones.  We have the devil and the flesh as well.  David states,  “Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.” (Ps 56:1 AV)  This would suggest these battles are not few and far between.  Rather, these battles are a daily occurrence.  Whether we like it or not, our troubles are daily.  If the world does not attack, the devil is not too far off.  And the flesh never leaves us alone.  If we were to read David’s complaint from psalm 56 to 59, we would think him a weak man.  I would never accuse him of such.  He is not weak.  He is merely humble and realistic.  David’s statement above is an honest one.  We fail because we are not honest regarding the strength of the enemy.  When we are not honest, we do not rely on God.  When we fail to lean on God, then we fall.

Getting to the point where we are willing to ask for help can be a difficult thing.  Especially for men.  We are taught that we are supposed to handle everything that comes our way.  We are supposed to go through whatever it is that we face.  I have had several MRIs.  One for my shoulder prior to surgery.  Then I have had several on my head.  One on my entire bone structure.  For the most part, they are no big deal.  But the last one was not so easy.  When the scheduler calls to set up a date, there is an offer for a tranquilizer.  I had always declined.  But this last time, something told me I had better take the offer just in case.  It was a good thing I did.  Enclosed spaces are not all that big a deal for me.  But add the pounding of the machine on top of it, and I am glad I had taken something.  Even with the medication, I just about hit the abort button.  The first scan was without contrast.  A thirty-five to forty-minute scan with my head encased and unable to move.  The rapid movements of the machine and the loud sound it made just about drove me insane.  Then they stopped and told me another was required.  They had to add contrast.  There was no way I was going through another 35 minutes of this.  They told me ten.  By the grace of God, we made it through.  But not without a little help.

It is foolish to think we can handle life all on our own.  We simply cannot.  If a man like David can admit to the obvious, why cannot we?  Again, to accuse David of being a weakling is wrongheaded.  David is known as a warrior’s king.  He faced down Goliath.  He killed ten-thousand Philistines.  If we think him a weakling, we are more the one fry short of a happy meal.  What made David such a great man was his ability to admit to his limitations and rest upon the LORD for all that he needed.  His humility and faith are that which overcame great adversity.  If we are to live for the pleasure of God, we must come to terms with who and what we are.  And what we are not.  There is no harm in saying an MRI that lasts more than forty-five minutes is something we cannot endure.  It is not a shame to admit life has bumps we cannot handle on our own.  It is then we rest in who and what God is to overcome that which we cannot do in our own strength.