Sometimes We Just Need an Adjustment

Sometimes We Just Need an Adjustment

I saw a video of a dad watching his little girl trying to lift something, and the caption said, “Don't take hard things from your kids.”

His daughter was struggling to lift something over a bar, and he said, “It's not that she can't lift it; she just needs adjustments.”

Once he helped her adjust her hands, she was able to lift it over the bar a little more easily.

Isn't that some good imagery right there?

We struggle, and sometimes we're barely making it through, wondering why, when we've prayed, God hasn't just taken the struggle away from us.

Maybe it's because He knows there are things we need to learn through the struggle. He also knows that with Him beside us, helping us make adjustments, we can make it through.

Sometimes those adjustments are within us — our hearts and our perspectives. Sometimes they're physical, and maybe they're so small that we don't even notice them, but they're still happening.

Let's talk about Job.

Life hit him hard. He lost so much, and even his wife urged him to turn against God. His friends insisted that he must have done something wrong to deserve what was happening.

This happens when we struggle. People want to give their opinions and offer solutions. Some may be good, and some may not be. In fact, some might make things worse.

But Job knew.

He knew that God saw his heart and knew who he really was. Even though this was a harsh season for him, he continued turning to the Lord.

Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”

Job knew that even though things looked grim, his help would come from the Lord.

I have to think that Job's faith had been growing long before these trials came. We aren't given all the details of what he experienced before this, but we do read that he was a man who feared God and turned away from evil.

His relationship with God didn't begin when the struggle did.

The rest of Psalm 121:3-8 says, “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

We go through different seasons in life. Some are harsher than others, and sometimes we can feel like we've been left behind.

But when we remember that God is with us and will help us through those seasons, we can walk through them with greater confidence.

Not because the struggle is easy, but because of who God is.

I think about the disciples in the boat during a storm when suddenly Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.

In Mark's account, we're told that Jesus intended to pass by them, but when they saw Him, they were terrified, and He spoke to them.

In Matthew's account, Peter stepped out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus. But when he noticed the wind and became afraid, he started to sink.

And what did Jesus do?

He reached out and caught him.

Peter was struggling, but Jesus was right there.

Sometimes I wonder how often we're so focused on the struggle that we forget to recognize God's presence in the middle of it.

The adjustments may be taking place, but we have to be willing to notice what God is doing.

When we do, we may begin to recognize where His hand has been all along.

We can find peace, comfort, and confidence to endure, even when the circumstances haven't changed.

Like the dad who stood there watching his daughter struggle to lift that weight, knowing she could do it with a little help and some adjustments.

God is right there.

He knows us. He knows our strengths, our weaknesses, and what we need.

And sometimes what we need isn't for Him to take the weight away, but to help us adjust how we're carrying it.

There are so many Scriptures that remind us we can endure difficult things, not because we're strong enough on our own, but because God is with us.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 – “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

We may be pressed on every side, but we're not abandoned.

We may be knocked down, but we're not destroyed.

That doesn't mean we won't experience pain, loss, or circumstances that feel completely overwhelming. It means that even in those moments, God has not left us.

And this Scripture gives us strength:

Isaiah 41:10 – “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

God tells us not to be afraid because He is with us.

He will strengthen us.

He will help us.

He will hold us up.

What a reminder!

Sometimes we pray for God to remove the struggle, and sometimes He does. But other times, He walks us through it, teaching us, strengthening us, and making adjustments along the way.

And maybe those adjustments are doing something in us that we wouldn't have recognized otherwise.

So, when things get difficult and we wonder why God hasn't taken the struggle away, let's remember that His presence doesn't depend on our circumstances changing.

He's there in the middle of it.

Just like that dad who saw what his daughter needed, God sees us.

He knows what we're facing, and He knows how to help us through it.

If God has given us so many reminders of His faithfulness, why do we so easily question whether He is with us?

We may not always understand why the struggle remains, but we can trust the One who is walking through it with us.