Feeble efforts

God covers for my lack of abilities.

The Marines might be looking for a few “good men” but not God. He says there is only one who is good! God! Mark 10:18 So he is just looking for imperfect humans, like me, to accept his love and, love him back.

When a healthy parent teaches a child to do anything, they delight in the effort and do not focus on the perfect performance but rather on the genuine attempt. Have you never, (being evil Luke 11:13) looked at a child’s attempt at drawing a picture and frankly wondered what it was? Still, you said, “that is a great picture” and then proudly put it up on the wall for all to see. Well, God is a better parent than you or I will ever be, so I can picture him delighting in my feeble efforts and running around heaven boasting, ” See my boy’s effort, isn’t it great!” Of course, he, like any healthy parent, wants to see me grow and progress, but he delights in each step and leads me to the next.

I remember being worried about a new evaluator coming to evaluate my daughter’s piano playing. I did not want her criticized. I did not need to worry. The new teacher pointed out what she had done well and then suggested the next step in her development. Don’t you think that God must be like that? So often I project onto God my own self-contempt and suppose that he must agree with me. My reaction to God must suggest to others that he is an unfit parent. Remember Moses whining about not being able to talk well enough to do God’s work? God said, “Who made your mouth? If I can make it I can surely give you the words.” Exodus 4:11 The Spirit helps my feeble efforts when I do not know what to pray, he prays for me with groanings I could never say. Romans 8:26

I once played volleyball after church in the evening. We were meeting in a school building and the gym was right there. We had a wonderful older lady who played the keyboard in church despite her advanced arthritis and crooked fingers. She would also join us for volleyball. We let her serve standing near the net. Now, I used to be a great volleyball player, so when she would manage to hit it over, I would do my very best to save the point. Then I could turn to her and say, “You earned us a point, way to go!” God just loves to do that but he waits till we step out of the boat in the storm before he makes us walk on the water.

One of the saddest verses is, “He sought for a man to stand in the gap and found none, so the city fell.” Ezekiel 22:30. God does not use many strong or wise people, no he uses me and you or anyone who will say with Isaiah, “Here am I send me even though I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among a people of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6: 5-8

I have often been in situations where I do not know what to say but I cry out to God and do what I can. Later, the other person reports a beneficial understanding that I do not remember sharing. See, the Lord makes my feeble efforts worthwhile.

Lord, help me to jump in with delight, with enthusiasm, sticking my foot in my mouth from time to time and then learning how not to. Help me to let go of always evaluating my efforts as good enough or not good enough. No effort is good enough to fix anything by itself, and any genuine act of obedience is enough for God to work with to produce his good. It is the effort that counts and God, you are so faithful to add your wisdom, power, and support to them. Thanks!