We spend our lives leaning on props rather than God. We’re hiding from the truth, of course, but as long as our props are in place, we don’t worry about our alienation. Deep down, our hearts are a lonely void, but we’re too busy to think about it.
Even if we allow Christ to bring us into a redeemed earthly relationship with God, our connections in this world will only be a foretaste of the fellowship that waits for us later. Yet this hope is the single thing in life most worthy of our pursuit.
Our foolishness has worn us out. But God has made possible our return to Him, and it’s only in such a return that the prospect of real joy can spring to life. Here is where our homesick hearts should rest. Here is where we find a perfect Friend.
Real faith has no need to pretend or run away from difficulty. Faith embraces doubt with honesty, recognizing that troubling questions are inevitable in a world where our sins have hidden God’s face from us. Doubts are what make faith, faith.
Our response both to fear and to our ignorance should be simple reverence — reverence that is determined and decisive. Whatever may happen or not happen, whatever we may know or not know, we must always say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.”
If we desire a truthful connection to God and to our surroundings, there will be for us a quite comfortable sense of genuine greatness: the pleasure of filling precisely the role God had in mind for us, within the larger scheme of His great creation.
It is enough that God gives us the help we need today; today’s storehouse doesn’t have to be stocked with everything we might need tomorrow. Tomorrow’s needs will be provided when the time comes, and faith is willing to leave that in God’s hands.
Nothing will keep us away from God more than failing to forgive those who have wronged us. Jesus said, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” It is only the merciful who will receive mercy.
Even when we see the importance of seeking God, we often don’t see the importance of our motives in seeking Him. Yet this must be carefully considered. Why do we seek God? God’s blessings must be seen as furthering His purposes, not our own agenda.
Just as hardship builds character, it is also true that hardship demonstrates character that has already been built. And one of life’s most refreshing experiences is to see someone show unexpected dignity and strength in the face of pain.
