For When Your Soul is Downcast
This past year has held more challenges and change than I think I've ever had to deal with; at least in such a short period of time. My heavenly Father has seen fit to refine me in ways that seem impossible to deal with, in every shape and size. Once I read the book of Job and thought "Oh, you poor, poor man. Just hold onto God". Now I know that is much easier said than done, but it if there's anything that I want to emphasize in this blog it's that Christ is King, and He has never, ever left you. To steal the quote I saw moments ago from Charles Spurgeon: "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.". Now, Spurgeon was certainly a much wiser and mature person than I am, but it rings true. No matter what grief this life can bring you, there is always hope in Jesus, and it always has a purpose.
When we read the cherished Romans 8:28, we so often forget about verse 29, that explains to us the purpose of why everything will work together for our good. It reads like this "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." In short, this world is hard. It seems unbearable at times; that's the cost of sin in this life. But God's purpose in all these things is to "refine us as silver is refined". It makes us become more like Christ. If your soul is downcast (a more Old Testament-y word for depressed), I urge you to hold onto the promise of Hebrews 6:19-20 and the note I added: "This hope [the hope we have in Jesus Christ, through Him, for eternal life] as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Know that you are undoubtedly not the only person in the world that has ever hurt. Don't think that no one can relate to your trials. Let's check out Job and Psalm 88.
In Psalm 88, the author is begging God to relieve him of his grief. There are hardly any exclamations of joy or hope except for a couple times that it mentions he calls daily upon God for relief. If that's all you have the strength to do, then do it. Cry out to the Almighty who foreknew that you would be going through this. Now, Job is an interesting book to study. God permits Satan to mess with Job quite a bit. Job looses everything, including his health. He hates that he was even born. Even his friends accuse him of wrongdoing and try to impose an incorrect view of God on him. I'm sure some of you all can resonate with one, if not several of these things during difficult periods of life. But that's not the root of this historical story. After many chapters of agony, Job begins to complain, particularly about how unjust life seems to be. At this point, God decides to speak, and shows Job something important that he was missing: God's sovereignty and glory. God asks him a long list of rhetorical questions which basically amounts to "Excuse Me, are you in control here, Job?" Promptly in 40:4-5, he responds with something akin to "Uhh...You right. I'm going to shut up now."
More than likely we will not suffer quite as severely ask Job did in his life. There will be suffering though. The thing that we don't want to forget, like Job did, was that God is the Almighty. He laid the foundations of the earth, and knows everyone's life. He is entirely holy, and anything He does is going to be for His own glory. (There was no reason for God to allow Satan to test Job, if He thought Satan was actually capable of being a threat!) No matter how much something hurts, hold on. It may never be better in this lifetime, but we have hope of a painless eternity, with our perfect Father.
I leave you all with a little bit of "Heaven Desired" from The Valley of Vision:
"Oh my Lord,
May I arrive where means of grace cease
and I need no more to fast, pray, weep, watch, be tempted,
attend preaching and sacrament;
where nothing defiles,
where is no grief, sorrow, sin, death, separation, tears,
pale face, languid body, aching joints, feeble infancy,
decrepit age, peccant humours, pining sickness,
griping fears, consuming cares;
where is personal completeness;
the more perfect the sight, the more beautiful the object,
the more musical the ear, the more pleasant the melody,
the more complete the soul, the more happy its joys,
where is full knowledge of thee."
Until next time.
When we read the cherished Romans 8:28, we so often forget about verse 29, that explains to us the purpose of why everything will work together for our good. It reads like this "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." In short, this world is hard. It seems unbearable at times; that's the cost of sin in this life. But God's purpose in all these things is to "refine us as silver is refined". It makes us become more like Christ. If your soul is downcast (a more Old Testament-y word for depressed), I urge you to hold onto the promise of Hebrews 6:19-20 and the note I added: "This hope [the hope we have in Jesus Christ, through Him, for eternal life] as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Know that you are undoubtedly not the only person in the world that has ever hurt. Don't think that no one can relate to your trials. Let's check out Job and Psalm 88.
In Psalm 88, the author is begging God to relieve him of his grief. There are hardly any exclamations of joy or hope except for a couple times that it mentions he calls daily upon God for relief. If that's all you have the strength to do, then do it. Cry out to the Almighty who foreknew that you would be going through this. Now, Job is an interesting book to study. God permits Satan to mess with Job quite a bit. Job looses everything, including his health. He hates that he was even born. Even his friends accuse him of wrongdoing and try to impose an incorrect view of God on him. I'm sure some of you all can resonate with one, if not several of these things during difficult periods of life. But that's not the root of this historical story. After many chapters of agony, Job begins to complain, particularly about how unjust life seems to be. At this point, God decides to speak, and shows Job something important that he was missing: God's sovereignty and glory. God asks him a long list of rhetorical questions which basically amounts to "Excuse Me, are you in control here, Job?" Promptly in 40:4-5, he responds with something akin to "Uhh...You right. I'm going to shut up now."
More than likely we will not suffer quite as severely ask Job did in his life. There will be suffering though. The thing that we don't want to forget, like Job did, was that God is the Almighty. He laid the foundations of the earth, and knows everyone's life. He is entirely holy, and anything He does is going to be for His own glory. (There was no reason for God to allow Satan to test Job, if He thought Satan was actually capable of being a threat!) No matter how much something hurts, hold on. It may never be better in this lifetime, but we have hope of a painless eternity, with our perfect Father.
I leave you all with a little bit of "Heaven Desired" from The Valley of Vision:
"Oh my Lord,
May I arrive where means of grace cease
and I need no more to fast, pray, weep, watch, be tempted,
attend preaching and sacrament;
where nothing defiles,
where is no grief, sorrow, sin, death, separation, tears,
pale face, languid body, aching joints, feeble infancy,
decrepit age, peccant humours, pining sickness,
griping fears, consuming cares;
where is personal completeness;
the more perfect the sight, the more beautiful the object,
the more musical the ear, the more pleasant the melody,
the more complete the soul, the more happy its joys,
where is full knowledge of thee."
Until next time.
Comments
Post a Comment