Pride & Surrender

Psalm 70

¹ Hasten, O God, to save me;
    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

² May those who want to take my life
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.
³ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
    turn back because of their shame.
⁴ But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”

⁵ But as for me, I am poor and needy;
    come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    Lord, do not delay. 

I must admit that, like most people I know, I feel more comfortable relying on myself than I do on anyone else. 

Maybe it has to do with the cultural idea of what a man is, maybe it's pride... odds are it's a mix of the two. It's not fun for me to rely on other people; I feel weak and needy. 

A few months ago, I was getting gas in Tustin when a man came up to me and asked for some money. He claimed it was for bus fare. I gave him a few bucks and then offered to take him inside and get him some food. He gratefully accepted, and I went in to get some food for him; when I came back outside, he had tears in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry man, I can't lie to a man of God." (I had told him I was in youth ministry.)

"What do you mean?"

He proceeded to tell me that he really needed the money to get to his wife and kids. They had been living in a hotel room, all five of them, and his wife had decided to take the three kids and stay with her mother. He had gotten prideful and spent every single cent he had to stay in that hotel room out of spite; now he had nowhere to live and was trying to get in contact with his family. He was clearly hurting internally. 

What had landed him in this situation? Pride.

David, ever the example of both massive mistakes and ultimate humility, shows us how relying on God is not a sign of weakness, but one of joyful surrender. Recognizing our own limitations is necessary for a healthy walk with God. 

When we surrender ourselves to God and fall at his feet by asking for his help, he is glorified. 

So the next time you feel like you can't ask for help, stop and ask yourself: "Why?" If the answer is pride, then put it to death and go before God and ask.