Lean on Him

    Scott had been out hiking when he was bitten by a venomous snake. He made an effort to call for help but there was no cell service. He began making his way out as he felt the effects of the venom in his body. He finally collapsed about four miles from where he had parked his truck. 
    His wife, Nan, had become overwhelmed with a feeling of dread and had gone to meet him at their cabin. She found his trail map and was able to locate his truck but of course there was no sign of her husband. She was able to get help and rescuers began searching the area for him. While she waited, she trusted God and prayed. She also asked family and Christian neighbours to pray.
    While Scott lay on the trail, he prayed and felt God’s presence. He was confident that God was going to be with him throughout his ordeal. After many hours on the trail struggling to hold on to life, he finally chose to surrender to death. That night, rescuers finally found him. He was barely alive. He was taken to the hospital where he received twelve shots of anti-venom and spent three days in the ICU. Days later he awoke and knew that God was with him. Today, he has fully recovered and has no lasting effects from the snake bite. One of the things God showed him is that he is not always in control of every situation but that God is. Scott had to learn to lean on Him and lean into Him to make it out. Thankfully, he did just that and allowed God to lead the way.
    What initially caught my attention with this testimony was the reality of that venom going through his body and slowly killing him. This can be what it feels like when we are going through challenges. While we wait, it seems as if the challenge is sucking the very life out of us. We keep wondering, “God how long?” We may even feel as if we are not going to make it and we may give up in discouragement many times along the way. Like Scott, the pain, the weight of what we are going through may feel unbearable. Yet, it is at those times, that God wants us to lean heavily on Him because after all, He is in control, we are not. He wants us to trust that against all odds, He will bring us through. 
    We may wonder why God took so long to send help Scott’s way. However, if He had, Scott would not have experienced the intimacy and dependance on God that he did. He reached the point where he did not even fear death because he knew his life was in God’s hands. At the end of the day, we may hate the terrible situation we are in. We may hate how long it is taking for God to bring us through. But, God may not bring that situation to an end until we have learned all that He wants the situation to teach us.
    I once again turn to the story of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48). She spent twelve years with her condition. She initially put her trust in doctors and physicians to the point where she spent all her money trying to get help from them. By the time her resources were used up, her hope was also gone. By that time too, Jesus came on the scene and she heard about the miracles He was performing. Like Scott, she chose to depend on Jesus. He was now her only hope and He did not disappoint her. Had she been healed earlier, God would not have gotten the glory and she would not have connected the way she did with Jesus. In short, she would not have had the intimate experience with Jesus that she did.
    None of us like going through difficult seasons for any length of time. Yet, our timing and God’s timing are usually not the same. While we just want the situation to end, God is concerned about the valuable lessons to be learned. He desires that intimacy with us, that He knows may only come about during those challenging seasons. So, trust Him. He knows exactly what He is doing.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God sees, knows and understands what you are going through. Yet, He cares enough to use even those difficult challenges to draw you closer to Him and to bring about what He knows is best for you.

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