There has been one big thing God has been teaching me lately and that is this: how I feel does not change who God is. It doesn’t matter whether I am having the best day or the worst day, God is still God. And God is still good. I’ve shared this verse before but I’ll share it again because it speaks right to this. The verse is Hebrews 13:8 which says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Who God is does not depend on our circumstance. Who God is does not depend on our perspective of him.
I’ve been in a season of my life where I am longing to see God working. I just want to see Him in my life, but honestly I haven’t. I have experienced disappointment when my expectations haven’t been met. I’ve experienced loneliness when I felt like I wasn’t seen or known. I’ve experienced feelings of worthlessness when lies in my head told me that I will never be good enough. It’s been a dry season. I haven’t felt the blessings of God in my life. So if it were up to the world standards, I would shut down and jump to the conclusion that God has forgotten me. The world would tell me that if I feel like God isn’t there, then He must not be. But that just isn’t the truth. If I feel sad, that doesn’t mean God isn’t still joy. If I feel unloved, that doesn’t mean God loves me any less. If I feel tired, God is still strong. If I feel unequipped, God is still sufficient. If I feel ashamed, God is still merciful. The list could go on and on…
I heard a sermon by Judah Smith a couple months ago and it advised us not to follow our heart because many times our heart leads us astray. At first, I didn’t understand this, but I see now. The world would tell me to “follow my heart” in this season of life. They would tell me that how I feel should determine what I do. The “inspirational” quote “Follow Your Heart” seems great, but don’t let that be the phrase in which you live by, because our hearts are dangerous things. It is a dangerous thing because it is a corrupted thing. My heart desires things it should not desire, and sometimes it believes in things that are not real truth.
If it were up to my heart, I would spend this season feeling distant from God. But I refuse to believe God has forgotten me, because it just isn’t the truth. I’m not following my heart this time, instead I’m following what God tells me. He tells me that I am fully seen, fully known, and fully loved by Him. He tells me that He is close to the broken hearted. I may not feel happy every day, but I still choose to embrace the joy that comes through knowing Jesus Christ as my savior.
Don’t follow your heart. Just follow God, and listen to the truth He speaks to you. Your heart can lead you astray and down a path that you may never return from. But God will keep you headed towards the path of righteousness. Even if the path you’re on now seems dark, just hold on because light is coming.
