Devastated. Discouraged. Overwhelmed. Broken. Exhausted. This could describe many people in our congregation right now. There seems to be such heavy burdens for many in our church family right now: depression/anxiety; kids who are far from the Lord; death/grief; divorce; precarious job situations; betrayal of friends, family, or other believers; serious medical diagnoses; victims of gossip and backbiting; abuse; infertility; parents aging in painful ways; broken relationships; missionaries forced to leave the country they love and serve; and so much more.
The weight that so many of us are carrying can begin to feel like too much to bear. My heart feels it and longs for heaven when we can be in perfect unity, sin no longer plagues us, and there is no more disease, death, or crying. But God has been teaching me even more depth of who He is and His provision for us during such difficulty. I am grateful that I was challenged to memorize Psalm 27 in college because God has been surfacing the truths of this cry of David. While the whole thing is wonderful, here are some key excerpts:
“1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?...3 Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. 4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple…13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”
Most of us don’t have quite the same experience as David who had someone out to kill him, but often our painful circumstances can feel similarly overwhelming and defeating. However, David does not ask primarily for salvation. He asks to seek God in His temple and to see His beauty. I hope I am not the only one, but I tend to either want to bury my head in the sand or I want to panic and run away when life feels that scary. Yet David knows that the one thing that can bring peace and hope and joy in the midst of even the worst circumstances is the ever-steady nature of God. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. No matter what storm is swirling around us, we can look up and fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:1-3) who is a sure anchor of hope for us (Heb 6:19). I was reminded of this when I went out last night to try to see some of the meteor shower. No matter what craziness is ensuing, I can take a minute to look up and remember the greatness and the beautiful, loving character of my God, and I can find that peace that passes all understanding. I can find a reason to delight even when my heart aches.
It is not a pat, easy answer to take away the pain or the reality of our difficult circumstances, but despite the circumstances, we find reason to hope because our sovereign God is in control, and He loves us with the most amazing love. If you feel overwhelmed by your difficulties, turn your eyes upon Jesus and gaze on His beauty until you can see how much bigger He is than the problems surrounding you. If you are having a hard time getting there by yourself, God gave us the body of Christ to encourage us when we cannot find the strength or see the truth. I have been so blessed lately by many of my sisters and brothers expressing their encouragement and helping me see the beauty of my God when the circumstances have seemed too big for me.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
Take heart, dear sisters, and fix your eyes on Him!
Judith Graham
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