The End of a Short Rope

 

From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:1-8 ESV).

 

I have often heard people tell me they were at the end of their rope; however, when the rope seems to get shorter, that’s when the panic sets in. And, if you have lived any length of time at all you have experienced coming to the end of a short rope. I’ve also heard many people glibly respond to such a panic with “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Well, if you have enough rope to tie a knot at the end, you’re not really at the end of it, are you? There is a better mean of conquering your circumstance. Our reading gives us the key when we get to the end of our rope, with no help in sight.

 

The writer of this old psalm begins with this incredible declaration, “From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 1). I like the old King James Version in this instance. Here the translation is “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where my help comes.” The gist of the meaning is that the Lord holds the superior strategic position (the “hills”); and, since He has this position of power and strength, He is the One who will come to our rescue. His emphasis is even stronger as he reminds us that it is the Lord who “made heaven and earth.” If He is that strong, is there really anything too difficult for Him to handle!

 

Typically our problem is that we seem to suffer along in our own strength way too long. It is almost as if we are holding to a belief of self sufficiency in spite of the reality of our inability to overcome our pain and difficulty. Part of that is rooted in the pioneer spirit of our culture. We have developed this attitude of “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.” Even when we have failed over and over again with this attempt, we still go there first. We subscribe to the If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Of course, we should develop a strong sense of perseverance; however, perseverance does not necessitate facing our trials alone. Jesus’ invitation to join Him in His yoke is loudly calling out to us (cf. Matthew 11:28). We simply refuse to call out to Him. So, if you are at the end of your rope, with nothing left to tie a knot in, Look to the Lord!