I Can’t Do This on My Own

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’ ... So he got up and went to his father.” (Luke 15:17, 20)

There are some things we simply cannot fix on our own.

That can be difficult to admit. We like to believe that if we try harder, make better decisions, or give ourselves enough time, we can get things back under control. Even when we realize we have wandered from God, we may try to clean ourselves up before we return to Him.

The younger son in Luke 15 tried that too. When his money was gone and his circumstances became desperate, he did not immediately return to his father. He tried to find his own way out. Only when he came to the end of himself did he finally recognize that he needed to go home.

Sometimes shame keeps us from doing the same. We know the choices we have made. We remember how we have ignored God or chosen our own way, and we wonder how we can possibly ask Him for help now.

Pride can keep us away too. Pride is not always thinking highly of ourselves. Sometimes it looks like self-sufficiency, believing we should be able to handle life without God. We keep trying to solve the problem ourselves instead of admitting that we need our Father.

Something finally changed for the son when he remembered what his father was like.

He remembered that even his father’s servants had food to spare. His confidence was not in his own worthiness. He simply remembered that his father was generous and good. That was enough to get him out of the pigsty and moving toward home.

The same is true for us.

We do not return to God because we have finally made ourselves worthy of His help. We return because we believe He is good. We trust His character more than our failures, and we trust His grace more than our ability to fix ourselves.

We may not know exactly what will happen when we surrender control. The son did not know what was waiting for him when he reached home. He simply got up and started walking. Faith does not always know what comes next. Sometimes faith is simply willing to move toward the Father and trust Him with what happens next.

Maybe there is something you have been trying to carry on your own. Maybe you have been waiting to come back to God until you feel more faithful, more prepared, or more deserving.

You do not have to fix yourself first.

Your next step may simply be to pray, “God, I need help. I believe You are good, and I trust You with what comes next.”

Reflect

• Where are you trying to handle something on your own instead of asking God for help?

• Is there any fear, shame, or pride that has made it difficult for you to move toward God?

• What has God shown you about His character that helps you trust that He is good?

• What would it look like to surrender control and take one step toward Him today?

Prayer

Father, I need Your help. Forgive me for the ways I have tried to live as though I can handle everything on my own. When fear, shame, or pride keeps me from You, remind me of Your goodness. Help me trust Your character more than my own ability to fix things. Give me the faith to surrender control and take my next step toward You, even when I do not know what comes next. Amen.