After you've done all you can... you just Stand.

The title reminds me of a song sung by Donnie McClurkin. It's a song that contains strong biblical truths for contemporary application. The lyrics express an innate inclination for a frustrated individual to "throw in the towel" after they've exhausted all their options for overcoming an obstacle. But Donnie encourages in his beautiful, operatic voice to not give up- no matter what. Growing up (and I'm still growing), I used to hear this song all the time but as an adult, it's interpretation is a lot more meaningful, especially because it matches up with the lesson that the Lord is teaching me right now. Different people react differently to the pressures of life and I know that we are all human, but how do I deal with life as a child of God? Do I lose my integrity when things get tough or don't go my way?

I believe that the answer to this question has everything to do with foundation: What is my foundation? If I'm standing on the carnal things of this world, then I must ask myself: What do I do when those carnal things fail me? If I make my car my foundation but it breaks down, so does my foundation. If I make my family my foundation but they're falling apart, there goes my foundation. If my job or having a job is my foundation and if I get fired from that job or can't find one, then my foundation has failed me again.

Jesus talks about this in Matthew 7:24-27 in which he warns about making anything else a foundation in your life besides the Word of God. Throughout the bible, God makes many promises, most of which requires the individual to trust him at his word. Why should we trust the Word of God? My answer to that is relationship: I'm more likely to take the word of a friend over the word of a stranger because of our relationship. But what if the Lord, my friend, promises me prosperity but my world is anything but prosperous- even after much prayer, fasting, doing ministry, asking family and other friends for help, etc., should I give up and start believing that the Word of the Lord is not true? Or have faith and trust in the Word of God by speaking in the things that I want to see happen in my life. It's not to say that just because I'm Christian and believe in the Word of God that my life is going to be nothing less than rainbows and roses, because that is a lie. It means that despite what happens to me and how it makes me feel, it is in my best interest to not let the hurt, pain or disappointment keep me from receiving what the Lord has promised me and I don't want to disappoint Him either.