Learning to receive from others without losing sight of our Source.
There are times when life is difficult, anxiety is loud, and we need someone to stand with us. Thank God for the people who are there for us during those times.
Most of us have people we naturally turn to.
They always seem to have just the right thing to say, and they say it in such a reassuring way that somehow we know things are going to be okay. Maybe they pray in a way that settles our heart. Perhaps they understand our quirks and they know our history.
There is nothing wrong with reaching out to those people. We are the Body of Christ, and we need one another.
But what happens when our favourite go-to person isn’t available? What happens when they point us toward someone else who they feel would be better suited to help? Or worse yet, what happens when nobody seems to have the right words or the solution we’re looking for?
That’s often the crossroads where we discover we’ve been placing our dependence.
We can become so accustomed to receiving reassurance from a particular person that no one else seems able to meet our need or understand our problem quite as well. When that person isn’t available, we can even feel panicked, isolated, or rejected.
But the good news is, the God who cares sees you and is waiting for you.
He cares too much to allow us to fall into the deception that only certain people, ministries, worship experiences, preachers, or prophetic voices hold the power to usher in His presence or give us what we need.
There may be many people we can approach for prayer, and we should. But maybe, just maybe, God is inviting us to come directly to Him first.
The author of deception knows how to play with our emotions. He will do anything he can to plant seeds of distrust in our hearts. He will try to assassinate God’s character and divert our attention from our real source of peace.
If I begin to believe that only a specific person who prays in a particular way can help me connect with God’s care, something has gone wrong. If I believe only those holding a particular rank of leadership can pray with authority, something has gone wrong there too.
And sometimes, in His severe mercy, God will interrupt that cycle of unhealthy dependence.
It can be painful, but it can also be necessary for everyone involved.
The hard truth is this: God will allow no one to take His place. He does not tolerate ‘idol worship’ of any type. He knows He is our purest and most reliable source.
Paul confronted something similar in the Corinthian church. People had begun identifying themselves with particular leaders. Some followed Paul. Others preferred Apollos.
Paul’s response is gloriously blunt in 1 Cor 3 and I encourage you to read it on your own. But here is the gist of what he was trying to convey to those who were ‘fan girling’ on their favourite ministry leader.
Who were Paul and Apollos anyway? They were simply God’s servants doing what God asked them to do. One planted (Paul). Another watered (Apollos).
But God made it grow.
That’s the part I don’t want to miss.
People matter. Prayer matters even more. And of course, encouragement from our Christian community matters. God uses people to plant and water things in our lives. Sometimes we need others to stand with us through a difficult season. There is nothing wrong with asking for prayer more than once.
But an ethical and safe christian counselor, prayer warrior, pastor or leader should always point us to dependency on God and away from dependency on them.
Sometimes one of the most loving things a mature believer can do is pray with us and then point us back toward God. Not because they don’t care. Not because they’re tired of us. But because they know they don’t have what we ultimately need.
They can plant, they can water but God makes things grow.
So continue to reach out to others. Ask for prayer. Let people stand with you. Give your favourite go-to people tonnes of grace. They don’t have all the answers, and they were never supposed to.
And don’t be surprised if sometimes they gently point you toward the banqueting table God has spread out for you. Feast on His presence.
How do we do that?
I can only offer what works for me.
Worship opens my heart and helps me become transparent with God. I also reach for the Psalms and read until I find one that hits my heart. Then I stay there for a while. There is tremendous comfort in the honest vulnerability of the psalmists and in God’s gracious response to them.
I still ask others to pray. I still need the Body of Christ.
But I don’t want God to be the last place I go when everyone else has run out of answers.
I want Him to be my first
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6
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Until Next Week,
©2026 Katherine Walden
