Saturday 9 January 2021

Where are you Jesus?

A common issue with all true believers is seasons of feeling abandoned. This is common for everyone who has been called out to walk the Christian walk.  There are tough times that can lead to despair and many tears.  We know, somehow, that the Lord is near but we need that tangible sense of His presence... 'anything... just give me even a rebuke to know you are there.'  The reason this occurs is to draw us back to a place where deep cries out unto deep and we approach our Lord with renewed passion.  It is an act of love towards us who are so easily distracted and drawn away towards idols.

Still, its not an easy time. One thing I have done in times past is earnestly strive to connect with the Lord.  It's like an instinct.  "I have a lack.  Now do all you can to solve it!"  Seems logical to increase prayer times or read more scripture to somehow please the Lord into stepping out from behind the curtain.   It never seems to work.  After all a child doesn't have to perform to get Fathers attention.  So what do we do when the lights turn off and Jesus seems far far away?

The Lord's perceived absence is actually a form of discipline.   While this idea can send us into a tailspin, it is actually the best thing to underline our sonship.  The Lord disciplines the one he loves (Heb 12:6).  So as we press forward to strive, we would be better to sit back, rest and understand.  Us Westerners often think that giving us stuff is what a good parent does, but actually providing boundaries and discipline is good parenting.   The Lord is far more concerned for us then to spare us our feelings.

Is it tough?  It will be for a while.  But here is the true joy of our lives:   We are chosen out of this world as Sons.  The verification of this is feeling any emotion about God at all.  That we care is blessing! Those who are not Sons care little about what God is doing.  But our suffering underlines sonship and this can bring tears of joy where there are tears of sorrow.  Where are you Jesus?  He is where He always is:  Risen and Glorified on His Fathers throne working our lives out and fixing the bugs!

Gary Ward