Where am I to go
When the heavens are as brass
Words, from my lips
Fall to the ground
Unheard it seems
Unheeded
Where am I to go?
Where am I to go
When all seems dark and lonely
When troubles rush
Upon my weary soul
Reaching into the darkness
Do You see my hand?
Do not let me fall
Nor let my heart wander
When questions remain unanswered
When the distance seems tangible
And the promises are distant memories
How can I go on?
Yet where am I to go?
For it is true
That even in the darkest night of the soul
That there remains a hope
Of a life beyond, exceeding and eternal
Where faith becomes sight
And promise becomes reality
Questions answered, distance bridged
Face to face
A day of glory
This promise awaits
Those who endure
I close my eyes and hold on tight
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8
The gospel of Jesus Christ, while it is glorious good news, is not as appealing to many as you would think it would be. While the reasons people will give for not responding to the gospel might be varied, for most I would suspect that we would find this thought lurking somewhere in their minds – I don’t want a religion that requires anything of me.
Multitudes are happy to settle for a meeting once a week where they are told how to tame their flesh and make it act more like a Christian. The heart of this message is “Try harder to be a good person”. This is empty deceit, not the gospel. But to those who want a religion that makes them feel good without requiring anything, this is good enough news.
Does Jesus Christ make any requirements of us? Absolutely. Mark 8:34-35 says “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “Christ bids a man to come and die.” Thinking that in death we lose all freedom and happiness, many refuse this requirement of the gospel as being unreasonable and find a more palatable message, complete with stories of how truly good humans can be – stories that inspire them to be good as well. And for them, this is good enough.
But how good would I have to be, to be good enough? Better than a serial killer? Better than my co-worker? Better than you? How would I ever know when I am good enough? The correct answer would be – Never.
The apostle Paul tells us plainly that “in my flesh nothing good dwells” and that “the flesh profits nothing.” Anyone who has seriously attempted to live by “good person religion” has found that no matter how sincere our efforts or diligent our attempts, there is never any assurance that we are finally good enough. We cheat ourselves and sentence ourselves to a life of frustration when we try to reform the flesh instead of putting it to death by the Spirit. The abundant life that Christ offers is truly glorious, but it will never be earned by our own good works. There is only one work that can ever make us righteous, and Jesus did it 2,000 years ago.
Don’t be cheated. Don’t be deceived. Don’t settle for worldly religion when Christ offers joy unspeakable and full of glory. Refuse to look to your own works, and look instead to the One who “is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.”
“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them – those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are in the body also.” Hebrews 13:3
Lately I’ve read books and articles about the persecuted church. I’m always shocked when I read these things, because Christianity in America is so easy. It’s difficult to conceive of our brothers and sisters being treated so cruelly in other places in the world. The concept is foreign to our existence. For now anyway.
Everytime I read of someone persecuted for faith in Christ, it grips my heart, because I know that I have not remembered the persecuted church faithfully in prayer as I should. It’s not that I don’t care. I just don’t remember.
But what if I was imprisoned with them? What if I was tortured with them? Then this issue of the persecuted church would be in the very forefront of my mind at all times, because of my involvement in it.
The reality is, that because I am part of the body of Christ, I am involved in the persecuted church. They are my brothers and sisters, beloved ones of God. So I am asking God to help me remember them, as if chained with them, that I may offer prayers to God on their behalf.
We must remember that the goal of prayer is the ear of God. Unless that is gained, the prayer has utterly failed. The uttering of it may have kindled devotional feeling in our minds, the hearing of it may have comforted and strengthened the hearts of those with whom we have prayed, but if the prayer has not gained the heart of God, it has failed in its essential purpose.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at things which are seen but at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
In this chapter Paul is talking about the suffering he has endured in spreading the gospel. He has faced many hardships, even death. But for Paul, the perspective of suffering was:
• In the scope of eternity and the plan of God, our suffering is a light and momentary thing. Although it seems horrible while we are going through it, when seen through the eyes of God and endured with the grace of God it becomes a light, not a heavy burden.
• Our suffering is working for us. So many times our hardships can seem like they are our master, controlling our lives. But they are our servants, meant to work for us. And as believers in Christ, the work they are to do for us is to transform us into His image, a work we cannot do ourselves.
• The work that our suffering accomplishes produces eternal results than far exceed the difficulty of the suffering.
The condition: we must stay focused on the eternal. Life and suffering are temporary things, but the glory of Christ in us is our hope and it is eternal. When we learn to see our afflictions through the eyes of God, even in the midst of them we are renewed day by day.
If you are suffering today, do not lose heart. Rather, let us rejoice that God is doing a beautiful work in us through our difficulties.
I woke up this morning with a heavy heart. I was glad it was Sunday, happy to be able to go to church. I cried through most of the early morning prayer service, and a few times in Sunday school. I knew that I desperately needed to hear from God, and He did not disappoint.
When my pastor got up to speak, his text was 2 Corinthians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” I was able to receive a more God honoring perspective of my suffering and was greatly encouraged. During the altar time after the message, we sang a song with a simple yet powerful message. I’m sure you know it:
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
God is faithful and I have been sweetly comforted.
There are times when life becomes painful, seemingly beyond what you can bear. Circumstances beyond your control insinuate themselves into your life and as your mind is reeling over your inability to fix things and your heart is churning with emotions that threaten to overwhelm, you wonder how you will make it through this.
This is a description of my life today.
I don’t think I have ever felt myself to be in such a helpless position as I am right now. At times I have felt like all I can do it sit and stare at the wall. Incapable of acting, incapable of thinking and often incapable of praying. Sometimes there just aren’t words.
The tendency of my personality is to get lost in my own thoughts, a futile replaying of events, which always leads to despair. I have felt myself drifting that way and I know I cannot go there. I must be able to pray. I must be able to get the ear of God. But how? How can I reach so high when I am so low? So weak? So helpless?
“Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly” Psalm 138:6
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” Psalm 34:18
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.” Psalm 33:18
What a comfort this is to me! What a source of hope! I may be helpless, but I am not hopeless. My God has not promised to make everything in my life the way I would like it to be, but He has promised that throughout the duration of it, He will be with Me.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Right now I am utterly and completely weak. But He is always infinitely and eternally strong. This is truth that brings rest to a weary soul.
“But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them, because they trust in Him.” Psalm 37:39-40
The pain remains great, but His word brings hope that it will not always be like this.
Several years ago during a time of prayer the Lord revealed an area of sin in my life. This wasn’t one of those outward sins that anyone else could see. It was an issue of the heart that only He could see. Today I can’t even remember exactly what is was, but I do remember that the first reaction I experienced was deep grief at the revelation of it. But within a matter of moments that emotion gave way to absolute horror as I realized that this was something that had been in my heart every time I had gone before the Lord in prayer or worship. Each time I had brought it with me and unknowingly presented it before Him. Him….the Holy God. At that moment I understood the desperation of Isaiah’s cry – Woe is me! I am undone!
My only recourse was to stand before my Lord and my God with a deeper understanding of my own wretchedness and dependence upon His mercy. The initial guilt and shame of the revelation of my sin was replaced by a deep thankfulness for the cleansing blood of Christ.
PRAYER: Who is a God like You who forgives the sins of His people and remembers them no more? Your purifying work in our lives is a sure sign of Your love for us. May we live in continuous remembrance of the greatness of Your mercy towards us.
He is my Delight 