In recent weeks, many believers have cried out about the serious challenges they are going through. Their desperate cry has been from across the nation, and reminds me of the saying that, “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”
Man’s extremity is when life’s pressure becomes unbearable; that is when the pressures of life come crashing on you, one after the other. At times, God allows us to get to our wits’ end before he shows up for us. Charles Spurgeon says: “Your extremity is God’s opportunity…for when a man gets to the end of himself, he has reached the beginning of God’s working…” So, to all who are at their wit’s end, expect to see God in action in your situation.
When the unbeliever and the believer go through afflictions, their end is different. For the non-believer, his trials may be God’s punishment, but for the believer, the end has a redemptive purpose. The experience of Jonah is a typical example.
As Spurgeon further said: “…Ungodly men are brought low by affliction or poverty, for sinners have no immunity from suffering. Saints also are led into trying circumstances, for the utmost holiness will not preserve any man from trial. But what a difference there is between the downfall of the prosperous sinner and of the man whom God loves!”
Many scriptural examples show how God intervenes when a man comes to his wits’ end. Psalm 107:24-32, describes those who go down to the sea in ships and come to their wits’ end, when they cried to the Lord, He brought them out of their distresses.
In Genesis 21:8-21, when Abraham sent out, Hagar, and her son, Ishmael with only a jar of water and little bread into the wilderness of Beersheba, they found themselves in a desperate situation. When the water was finished, she left her son, Ishmael alone under a tree to die. She could not bear the agony of seeing him die. It was in their point of desperation God showed up to open her eyes to see where she could get water.
Peter came to his wits’ end at least twice. By the Lake of Gennesaret, he toiled all night and caught nothing. It was then Jesus stepped into his life. He launched out and caught many fish (Luke 5:1-10). The experience of God’s intervention so overwhelmed him that he fell at the feet of Jesus and pleaded with Jesus to depart from him that he was a miserable sinner (Luke 5:8). In Matthew 14:30 when Peter walked upon the water, he began to sink after some time and cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out to him and saved him. Peter was an experienced fisherman who knew how to swim, but this time for some reason, his experience failed him.
In Mk.4:38, the disciples asked the Lord: “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus had earlier commanded them to, “let us cross over to the other side.” They were wondering why Jesus was fast asleep in the boat when water was filling their boat. They came to the end of the road while they were at the sea. Then in verse 39, Jesus arose and rebuked the wind.
From the above examples we conclude that God appears when we get to our wits’ end not knowing what to do. In case you are there now, expect God to intervene in your situation. God does not remain indifferent and silent in our extremity. He would always respond to our cry for help.
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