We All Need Someone to Lean On
by Sandy Ohlman
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you. Isa 35:4
As a leader, have you ever felt that pressure to think, "I should be better than this by now; smarter, kinder, wiser or whatever."? Grace to you!
An odd confession maybe, but sometimes I need to remind myself that God gave me the Savior because He knew I needed one. Elementary statement? Stick with me... Beyond the event of my conversion to the faith, God knew I would daily need my Savior. He is not disappointed with my need for Him; He anticipated that need and sent Christ.
God is not surprised, disappointed or put off by our need for Him. His mercy is new every morning because He knows we need it. His grace abounds to meet our need for grace. It's okay to need Him, even as a leader. Often the role of leadership brings with it the unrealistic notion that dependency is equal to weakness. If we take on this attitude we may find ourselves uncomfortable admitting our constant need for God. Our need is the connection point between us and God. He has designed us to always be dependent on Him.
Don't let the enemy suggest that perpetually leaning on God is a sign of your inadequacy as a leader. Jesus said, apart from Me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5) He even spoke of His own position and said that He couldn't work independently either. (John 5:19) If this was the reality for Christ, well then it's only logical that we need to surrender to this dependency as well.
Give yourself a fresh dose of His grace by reminding your heart of His Word. His Name is "Faithful and True" (Rev 19:11) He is good and full of mercy; a loving Father watching over His children. He will show Himself strong in your life. Don't be frustrated or afraid. If necessary, preach to yourself. "Say... Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you."
(c) 2007 Sandy Ohlman
