You Cannot Do It Alone

"You cannot do it alone." Exodus 18:18

In this passage, we read about Jethro (father-in-law to Moses) telling Moses that he is doing too much. Moses has told Jethro that he sits and listens to the people as they inquire about God. Moses in turn judges between "a man and his neighbour and makes known the statutes of God and His laws." (vs. 16) Jethro tells Moses that he is doing too much, and proceeds to explain how Moses needs to delegate, that he (Moses) cannot do it alone!

So often in our own lives we take on a great deal of responsibility and attempt to go at it alone. For some reason we think that we need to prove something to others - that we can do all that we take on. This is not true. When we take on too much, we find there just isn't enough time in the day to accomplish all of our tasks. We, too, need to learn to delegate things in our lives. We need to learn to say 'no' in some areas and not take on more than we can handle. We also need to realize that we need God to be in control of every situation in our lives.

We cannot do anything alone. We need God's help. He is the one who can (and does) give us the strength to get through the stressful times. He is the one who can nudge us along in the right direction, and can give us the courage to say no when we are already over-burdened. I, myself, am learning that when I try to accomplish anything on my own, it never works out well. I get too stressed, too worried...I can't seem to accomplish on my own all that I need to. Though at times it may seem that I am doing things well on my own pwer, that feeling never lasts long. God always manages to tap me on the shoulder and say, "Psst...don't forget about Me."

It is hard to include Him in everything. It is hard to make sure that I don't venture out on my own into unknown territory (or even known territory). But, I believe it is a conscious decision that each and every person must make. I am finding that I need to make the time for God. I need to spend more time in prayer. These things help draw us closer to Him and we will learn to depend and trust Him.

Society tells us that we are weak if we need to ask for help or if we can not do something on our own. It tells us there is weakness in being dependent - especially if we are dependent upon God. This is one of Satan's big lies. He wants us to be totally independent and not rely on God at all. He is wrong! Only when we learn to depend on God and allow Him to help us, do we become strong. We need God. We cannot do it alone!