Do you ever have those times in your life when the Lord feels so present, so real, so active in your life that you wish it would never end? In what circumstances of life do you feel closest to the Lord? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can almost guarantee that its in the times of heartache, disappointment, and overwhelming emotion that Jesus often shows up in the most powerful of ways. It's in the times of struggles, when we fall face first before the Lord that we sense His overwhelming, powerful presence speak to our hearts - almost guiding every step we take. It's His love that embraces us, His strength that carries our burdens, and His grace that gets us back on the path of life.
But what happens when you come out of the valley's of life - when things seem to get better, easier in a way? More often than not it seems as though there is a sudden, almost instantaneous silence between us and the Lord. The voice that once spoke so clearly, is suddenly muffled by the excitements of life. It's at this time of transition that it's as if Jesus feels distant... unreachable - to the point that we wonder if He ever really was there in the first place. We no longer hear the still small voice in the distance. Sadly, it's been replaced with the hum of the everyday - the screams for attention that the world so often throw our way.
Unknowingly, the noise of everyday life slowly makes us deaf to the calling of the Lord. It's in this place that our passions become distant memories, our callings become seemingly impossible to achieve, and the one thing in life that kept us solely focused on the eternal is suddenly replaced with "options".
The terrible part of all of this is that it's in this space - in this time - that the voice of the world overpowers the voice of God. And we have a choice to make - will we once again succomb to the pressures of the world (which leads to guaranteed failure and disappointment) or do we choose the road less traveled - the path of constant rededication to the calling of the Lord. Obviously the easy option is to choose the world - to choose what we can see, feel, taste, hear. It's the self sacrificing, daily taking up our cross, dying to self option that is choosing Life and choosing Christ. Then why is it so hard to keep on the track of the everlasting instead of the track of instant gratification?
As I was reading further in the book of Luke this morning (specifically chapter 18), Jesus describes what not to do when it comes to getting closer to Him - in the midst of the silence of life. In verse 10 Jesus begins to describe a certain Pharisee who prayed a prayer of thanksgiving that he was not like the "sinners" of the world (tax collectors, evildoers, robbers, etc) and that he was a "good" Pharisee and gave a 10th of all he had. This man shows exactly what NOT to do when it comes to following Christ sacrificially. For even though the Pharisee lived his "perfect" sinless life, in his "perfect" little world - he was actually sinning - cutting others down so he would be glorified.
The story continues with a tax collector coming before the throne of God and saying the simple phrase, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner". What faith this man has! What humbleness! He sees his faults before him, he sees himself slipping into the snares of the world, and he repents - asking Christ to have mercy on him and guide him in the path in which he should go. Out of these two men, the tax collector is the one Christ admires - the one Jesus teaches, grows, and sends out to change lives for him.
So again I ask, how do we stay on track with God in the midst of a screaming world? By admitting our faults- our sins - and begging for mercy as we walk this road of life. Earnestly seeking Jesus 1st and foremost in every circumstance, and trusting that His way - although difficult, rugged, and less traveled - is the only way to a life eternally fulfilled. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment