I’ve found that when I am at my highest, I am also the most connected with God. When I’m happiest, I’m connected with God. At my best, I am connected and spending time with him. This is where I am the most kind. The most patient. The most loving and gentle. It is also where I’m the least fearful and anxious, and where I’m the least upset. In this time of being at my best, spending time with God and being connect with him, I am completely dependent on him.
When a child is growing up, they don’t often need to worry about food, and taking care of bills. They aren’t typically concerned about rent or if they are going to have enough sleep, time, or money for what they need. That is because they are dependent on their parents for their every need. They depend on them for food, shelter, protection and more.
God wants to do the same for us. As his children and his people, he wants to provide for our every need. He wants to provide our food and protection, our shelter and enjoyment, even for our peace, joy, and all the little needs that affect our day to day. But many of us don’t walk in that. We depend on our own strength, and not on God for our every need.
Scripture teaches us a better way, and through the life and words of Jesus, we know that even the strongest people need to depend on God for their every need.
A Dependent King
Jesus exhibited greatness on many occasions and performed many miracles. Throughout his entire recorded life, and as understand, his unrecorded life as well, Jesus never had a weak point. He never sinned, never lashed out in anger, never dealt with fear. Jesus was perfect in his character, and in his actions. He is the great king of kings, and lord of lords, which is what makes his life even more surprising.
In John 5, Jesus delivers a powerful statement.
“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”” (John 5:19).
As Jesus is preaching and performing miracles, he tells the people that he can in fact do nothing on his own. He can only do what he has already seen the Father doing. The Son can only do that which the Father does, which implies that there is a connected relationship. Even more so, this suggests that there Jesus is dependent upon the Father.
We know that there is a trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We also believe that they are all co-equal parts of the same Godhead. They are simply three different and distinct persons of the same God. To believe that Jesus is dependent upon the Father in the sense that we understand would signify that not all three persons are co-equal.
The only conclusion we could come to then, is that Jesus is dependent in the sense that he is connected to God, and that connection is one that cannot be broken. Through that connection, Jesus receives all that he needs and experiences life.
A Connected People
As followers of Christ, we can come to know God in a very deep and personal way. In fact, it was for personal relationship that Jesus came in the first place (John 10:10). But what the church doesn’t often teach us, is that we too are connected to God, and thus can be dependent on him, similarly to Jesus. Take a look at Romans 6.
“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:8-11).
Through this great passage, we know that those that are born again in Christ, are alive together with him. This means that we are not only given a pass to Heaven, but that we are formed with Christ, born with him, connected to him.
In Christian terms, death and life, can be more closely defined as separation and connection. In Christ, we are no longer dead and separated from God, but we are joined and connected with him, and thus should depend on him, just as Jesus did in his own life.
We are dependent on God, as a branch is to the tree (Romans 11). The branch receives its life and support from the tree trunk and it has to be connected to the trunk in order to live. Similarly, we, without connection and dependency upon Jesus, will fail to recieve all that we need to survive. We need to be connected and dependent upon the Lord.
How to be Dependent
How we are to be dependent ought to be the next question that we ask ourselves. We are not perfect human beings just as Jesus was. In our spirit, we are, but that has yet to be brought to the surface in our lives. Therefore, being dependent upon the Lord doesn’t necessarily come naturally to us. We have to make the decision to be dependent on him, and in order to do that, we have to understand how we are to be dependent upon him.
We know that this happens through connection with him, but we must understand and practice a few things in order for the connection to mean much of anything to our lives.
Consider It So
Romans 6:11 tells us that we must “consider” ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. This method of considering something is something that is not spoken of enough in the Christian world.
The Bible has many promises for God’s people. For instance, Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. This promise wasn’t just a truth given for no purpose, but a truth given for the purpose of encouragement and peace. If I never believe this truth, that the Lord will never leave me, does it make it any less true? The promise is truth, whether I believe it or not. The Lord will truly never leave me, nor will he forsake me. But I must consider it the truth, in order for it to be a major blessing to me, or for the promise to fulfill the purpose that it was given for, to encourage.
All the truths and promises of the Bible act in this way. Jesus did die for the sins of all creation, but that truth is only a blessing and a saving grace for those that consider it to be the truth.
If we never believe and consider ourselves dead to sin, alive to God, and connected and dependent on him, it will have no effect on us. As Christians, we are dependent on him, and can do nothing on our own. But in order for us to do anything of worth at all and depend on God, we must consider ourselves connected and dependent on him.
Walk with Him
Jesus walked with God. We even saw him disappear at times to go pray. He stayed connected with him and in communion with him. Likewise, that is what we should do as well!
You would never expect to stay connected with someone that you never spent time with. Those that you are most connected with, and most dependent on, are often those that you spend the most time with and have the best experiences with. Your family and friends, maybe a significant other or kids. These are people that you most likely have the most connection with, while spending the most time with them.
Spending time with the Lord, whether it’s through reading his word, worshipping, or just talking with him in pray has become one of the greatest joys of my life. With it, I feel the most connected with God and without it, I feel withdrawn and apart from him.
We must spend time with God in order to be connected to him, thus we must spend time with him and walk with him daily, going back to our time with him and our secret place with him, in order for us to be truly dependent on him.
Final Thoughts
Depending on the Lord is very important to the Christian walk. You often see people give up endeavors, struggle in their circumstances, and fail to experience life due to not depending on God, and instead, depending on their own strength.
This is not the way that the Lord designed things to be. He made us in such a way that we would depend on him. This is shown through the life of Jesus, as he depended on the Lord for everything. He shows us another definition of dependency, as he exemplifies that he is connected to the Father and dependent on the Lord in that respect.
We too can be connected to the Lord, when we believe what the scriptures say about us, and we have relationship with Christ. While relationship with Christ tends to look some sort of way, we can all do it differently. A few things that we can do to have relationship and connection with God are prayer, worship, and Bible reading. These help us to spend time with God and get to know him better and better every day.
As you go throughout your week, spend time with God, and spend time believing and considering his promises and truths. Make yourself dependent no longer on yourself, but on him, as we can do nothing on our own (John 15:5).
Have a great week!
