Fight Devotional For MenParaugs

Despair Repair

Have you ever played so hard that you physically had nothing left in the tank?

Sometimes you collapse on the bench press of your life: weakened, worn out, completely exhausted. But even if you’re already maxed out, there’s no guarantee more stress isn’t still coming. Do you ever feel like that? Like that constant weight of responsibility is always there? That you always have to be there for your family and your friends? Believe me, I know just how that feels.

You don’t want to let anybody down. Month after month, there are always going to be more bills that need to get paid. You want to be a good provider. You want to make your parents proud. You want to be strong for everybody. Do you ever feel like you’re the glue holding everyone else’s lives together? Then is it really any wonder you’re so exhausted?

Of course, if you’re like most guys, you’ll never ask for help. You just keep adding more and more weight to that bar, again and again. You keep lifting it, too, but you’re sore. It hurts, but you don’t tell anybody. Sometimes you even wonder why you’re carrying all this weight for all these other people. It’s easy to start slipping into a negative mindset. Do you ever feel alone? Depressed? Defeated?

We’ll see all of these things in the desperation in Samson’s voice today. He took pride in being self-sufficient and never needing anyone’s help. He didn’t want to reveal his weaknesses to others, which made it hard for him to admit to himself that he actually really needed God.

Many of us slip into that same mode when we start feeling overwhelmed. We may not say it out loud, but what our actions are communicating to others is: “I’m not letting you in. I won’t share what’s going on with me. Besides, even if I tried, you wouldn’t understand.”

That’s why we refuse to ask for directions! We don’t want to have to tell anyone we need help! I’m convinced the reason we do this is that most of us want to be the hero, the main character, the center of the story that we’re telling about ourselves. We want to make everything about us…instead of about God.

But here’s a truth you can grab hold of today: If you’ll let your need drive you to God, God will meet your deepest needs. His Spirit will always lead us to confession, to changing direction, to realigning with his Word, to a fresh start, to grace. Admit it. You need him. Tell him so. You may be surprised how he responds.