|
FINDING IT
"Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year,
another the next, rumors of violence in the land and ruler against ruler." (Jeremiah 51:46, NIV)
Yesterday's devotion,
like a ball that's heading for the hole but then disappears over a small ridge on the green, left at least one question begging. That question was this: if God truly loves us, why does He allow for our
discouragement?
No worries in asking such a question. Some questions in life require us not to lose heart in the face
of their resistant nature. And some answers in life require a bit more finding than others.
Doubtless you know that in spite of Adam's sin and the consequences we live with from that sin each
day, God could intervene so that we don't have to live with feelings of separation from Him. That is what a miracle is, after all—a moment when God suspends what is normal in favor of His glory. Couldn't
He do that with something so simple as discouragement?
In answering this question, we would do well to consider a discipline we usually decry but which we
find in both the Old and New Testaments: fasting.
It seems odd that the God who truly loves us would ask to give up what our body craves most, and to
do so for His sake. If I said to my wife, who loves me, "Please kick me in the shins," she would do no such thing. She would respond, "I love you. Why would I want to hurt you?" God's
direction that we fast does not look like love. It looks like pain.
But God knows this about us: we are a craving people. We desire physical things, from the medium well
steak we let fill our stomachs, to the ultra soft (or extra firm, as the case may be) pillow on which we rest our weary head, to the nifty new cell phone that keeps track of all that we cannot. And in
craving these things—and making room in our lives for what is necessary to attain them—we push God out. This is why some of His most urgent warnings to ancient Israel were that they not forget Him when
all is healthy and wealthy among them.
God has us fast for at least three splendid reasons. First, a fast rekindles our passion for the
right kinds of food. When our bodies have been deprived of all food, the food they first yearn for is almost always hearty and healthy. Second, a fast resets our understanding of God's provisionary
position over us; He is the One who supplies our needs. Third, a fast sharpens our spiritual senses, reminding us that relationship with our Creator supersedes all earthly things.
Now, let us liken this to a season of discouragement (or any other form of emotional or physical
pain). When God allows us to pass through a valley in life, it refires our passion for the mountains of His glory; it reminds us that His joy is our strength and His grace is sufficient for all things;
and it, in reprise, sharpens our spiritual senses, reminding us that relationship with our Creator supersedes all earthly passages.
You see, a loving God is no more always an indulgent God than a loving parent is always an indulgent
parent. Believe me, through Christ our indulgence is coming. The New Heaven and the New Earth await us, and we will never experience discouragement there. But for now we are in training, and we must
allow the trainer to do His wisest and best work in us. Sometimes we find Him best in our hours of discouragement.
--
Jeff Hopper
May 8, 2008
Copyright 2008 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
|
