How are you doing — really? For the sake of social courtesy we usually answer “fine” or “good” or even “tired, but otherwise I’m good”. Let’s take an inventory. Do you have trouble sleeping because your mind is so preoccupied with your task list, the bills, or the next goal you’re trying to accomplish? Are you struggling to consistently read and study The Word of God? Are you irritable and in a habit of sinning in anger (raising your voice, saying unkind words, etc)? Do you look at that pile of dishes in the sink and feel a well of tears start up in your eyes because for some reason you’re feeling overwhelmed because the dirty dishes seem to be mocking the fact that you are not in control? Dear One, it is very possible you are in a spiritual desert. If you are not in a spiritual desert now you will be at some point because the Christian walk is ever an progressing road of ups and down, but always moving forward, as we grow more in the likeness of Christ. Jesus did not promise that the Christian life will be comfortable and lovely all of the time. In fact, Jesus said that Christians will suffer; that we must endure in faith for all our earthly lifetime. If our hope is rooted in the things of this world we are bound to the misery and angst of this world, but if our hope stays in Christ, the embodiment of Hope who overcame the world, and is our ticket to the eternal glory to come. Keeping this perspective, our soul will be anchored in the joy, peace, and confidence that comes from knowing we can one day enjoy the full presence of God and not His full wrath when our physical bodies perish.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
But what do we do if our hearts are weighed down by the world? Do we pull ourselves up by our bra straps and tell ourselves that we have to do better? Yes, you do need to do that to some extent, but if you’re anything like me, you can’t go through a spiritual slump and take yourself out of it by merely modifying your behavior and doing all the “right things” — it just eventually leads to frustration, guilt and maybe even a feeling of being paralyzed as a result of the guilt. In my experience, before any change in behavior and habits happen, it starts in the heart. Ask God to search your heart for any sin that needs to be confessed and dealt with. It could be feelings of anxiety or dread (that’s rooted in unbelief, fear) or bitterness (rooted in pride, entitlement). If the thought of one more pound of pressure sends you into fight, flight, or freeze mode then it is time to rest in Christ and The Gospel. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to sit around and do nothing, although sometimes that does help. You can gauge for yourself what you need. It means deciding to fix your thoughts on what Jesus did for you on The Cross and what you were saved from. And because of the miracle that is your salvation, all of the promises of God are for you by faith, including…
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Elisabeth Eliot once said “We will never understand suffering unless we truly understand the love of God”. Of all the things Jesus could have revealed to us about His heart, He said “I am gentle (meek, peaceful) and lowly (humblest of humble) in heart”. When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is not referring to emotions but of the essence where which our thoughts are defined and our actions flows from. The word “lowly” points us not to humility as a virtue, but to the destitution of our life circumstances. In other words, Jesus described Himself as empathetic and accessible. God/Jesus is Holy, and because He is Holy, He perfectly encapsulates and is the essence of all that is good and just and righteous, including empathy, which is a characteristic of His great love. Jesus is not only sovereign over your circumstances but He is down in the trenches of anxiety and despair with you. He cares for you.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
To truly grasp Jesus’s wonderous love, we must first internalize the reality that He is Holy. If you were asked to use a word that encapsulates everything God is, what would it be? Love? Power? Creative? Wisdom? Justice? Eternal? Yes, all of these words describe God because He in His very essence IS all of these things. But there is more to it. All of the words we would use to describe the glorious essence, the perfect and intense display of God’s attributes flows out of the fact that He and He alone is HOLY. It is because He is Holy that He loves perfectly the way He does, executes perfect justice, is omniscient, and so on. Perfection doesn’t describe His Holiness, He is perfect because He IS Holy. He is the Great I Am — existing in all of eternity past, present, and future; completely self-sufficient without contingiency of anything outside of The Trinity — because He is Holy. There is no one and nothing like Father, Son, Holy Spirit in all the universe throughout all of time. 1 Samuel 2:2 says,
“There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
Isaiah 40:25, “‘To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal?’ says the Holy One.”
When Luke 15:10 tells us that angels rejoice when a sinner repents and is saved, what are they rejoicing over? Are they happy for us personally? Perhaps, but I just don’t see evidence of that being hard fact in the Bible. It makes far more sense to conclude that angels are rejoicing over an additional soul being gathered up to be a people, a Body, The Bride, of Christ. Everything is for Him. Angels were created to do God’s will and to be perfect in holiness (yet still creaturely) being solely devoted to worshipping The Lord. Why do they worship? He is Holy, Holy Holy; all things were created by and for Him (see Isaiah 6:2-3, Revelation 4:8, Colossians 1:16). Once we realize and internalize the sheer Holiness of God, then we can begin to more deeply grasp His wonderous love and thus, be ever-more amazed at the miracle of salvation and The Gospel. (Also consider these verses Jeremiah 23:3, Matt 24:31, John 11:52)
Questions to ask yourself:
- What would you like to tell Jesus about your heart today?
- What are some promises of God that reminds you of His “gentle and lowly heart”? If you don’t know, do a search on your browser for “Jesus promises for comfort”.
Prayer:
Desperately, we need you, O Lord — to quench the thirst of our souls, nothing and no one else will do. My heart is like a desert in this season; I feel beaten down by my circumstances, all the things I have to do with seemingly so little time to do them. I repent, because I know that this anxiety is due to unbelief and pride. Lord help me to remember that I can hand over all my troubles to you and because you are the mighty and all-wise One True God that cares for me. Help me to remember that I cannot do anything without you. You are my sustainer. Jesus, I turn away from my sin and back to you. I marvel at who you are and the miracle of my salvation. May I never take The Gospel for granted. In your precious name, Jesus, amen.