I'm currently writing this in the midst of a week where I am studying for two tests, two projects, and three papers. During a study break, I was in my car driving to do some errands when All Sons and Daughters came on the radio. The lyrics were:
“Matchless is your love, peace like a river floods over us
Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you
This is where my hope lies
I will always find my rest in you"
I was convicted of my lack of abiding in the Lord during this busy week. In the midst of this stressful time, where school seemed like it was taking over my life. However, graciously, the Lord directed my thoughts to a conversation I had with a friend earlier in the day. My friend was saying how it was a struggle for him to put the Lord first in his life when he has a busy week. As Christians, we know that Jesus belongs at the center and chaotic weeks should not be an excuse for not spending time with the Lord. However, it is hard and that was what I had been doing without even noticing it. Instead, I should have used my work as worship to the Lord. Often times I think of singing in church or at a youth group to be the only form of worship, but actually, everything we do should be worship to the Lord.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.1 Corinthians 10:31
That’s what worship is, giving God the glory He deserves.
The irony is that in the midst of this chaotic week, we can find rest, when the Lord is at the center of it. As Christians, we can find rest in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. This applies to all areas of our life, including our homework. It’s easy to get caught up your classes, extra-curricular activities, and building your college resume for the future; however, I took this time in the car to take a step back and let the Lord direct my sight to things of eternal value. Emma, “how many times have you shared the Gospel this week?” “Have you loved your classmates and friends well?” Yes, homework and classes are important and we should do them well as worship to the Lord, but we cannot forget about our purpose on earth as Jesus says in Luke 10:27, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" And the Great commission-Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:17-19. These are Jesus’ last words as He ascends to Heaven, so they’re pretty important.
I took a quick, hour study break to go to RUF Thursday night, expecting to be refreshed by the sermon as usual. However, before our campus pastor read the scripture he was preaching about that night, he told us that it was going to be a heavy topic. He was talking about suffering, from the book of Job. At first, I was a little disappointed because my week had been busy enough and I selfishly wanted a light-hearted topic before I had to dive back into studying for a test, writing a paper, and preparing for a project all due the next morning. However, I am thankful for our campus pastor to not shy away from difficult topics and preaching the Gospel.
As his sermon continued, I took my eyes off of myself to realize that my chaotic week of schoolwork barely compares to the pain and suffering in the world right this moment. A few days ago, there was a school shooting at an elementary school thirty minutes from my college. There’s currently an innocent six-year-old boy who is in intensive care at a hospital and hurting parents who are angry that their child is suffering from such a cruel act of violence. My heart aches for these people that I don’t even know. However, what I have learned from my almost twenty years on earth is that as a follower of Christ, we are going to experience suffering. The more intimately we walk with Jesus, the more we are going to suffer. We shouldn’t even be surprised anymore when something evil occurs in this world because we know this isn’t our home. Our home is in Heaven. This world is so broken due to the Fall and the real question isn’t “Will I suffer? But “Where do I go to find comfort when I suffer?”
This broken world will tell you relationships, money, alcohol, and other things of this world, but here’s thing, these are only temporary things. They don’t last, and they surely don’t permanently satisfy our needs and desires. So where do we go when there is nowhere else to go?
Well, we go to our perfect Savior who knew no sin, but became sin so that we could be righteous in God’s eyes. The Gospel hope is that we have a God who not only knows what it is like to suffer on this earth, but also suffered more than any of us will ever imagine. He was beaten, bruised, and innocently nailed to cross to bare our sins, the sins He didn’t do, and died while being mocked.
There’s nothing He cannot identify with…
If you have been betrayed by a friend; Jesus was too. (Pslam 41:9, Matthew 26:21-23)
If you have lost a loved one, so has Jesus. (John 11:35)
If you were falsely excused, Jesus was falsely excused as well. He innocently suffered. (Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:12,54).
Jesus not only suffered on earth, but He also experienced emotions. When his friend died, he cried. Jesus mourned and even asked His Father if He could not die on the cross if it was possible. Therefore, it is okay to not be okay. I think, our culture really emphasizes how we have to have it all together all the time; however, what Jesus is depicting here is that it is okay to not be okay.
It is okay to not be okay.
However, it is how we handle our situations next that matters. Something I have been learning recently is the freedom of vulnerability. Vulnerability was something I used to be afraid of, however, this summer I learned to love being open to people and letting them into my life more. I learned the joy and freedom of this. You see, vulnerability leads to more vulnerability, which leads to breakthrough. However, what I didn’t realize was how I was holding back some of my feelings and frustrations from the Lord. He already knows what we are going through. He knew before He laid the foundations of the earth that you and I would be right where we are right now, doing whatever we are doing. It is no surprise to Him what we are going though. What He asks of us is that we talk to Him and let Him into every aspect of our life. He’s our best friend; don’t we tell our best friends everything?? We get to be best friends with the perfect God who created the Universe. Let’s step into that role, my friends! There is abundant life there (see last week’s blog post).
God doesn’t ask us to understand the mess that is going on in our life and the world. He knows we can’t understand it anyway. He only asks for us to have faith that He is in control and to hold on to the promise that one day all is going to be made new in the world when Jesus comes back and we see Him face-to-face and there is no more mourning nor tears. As we wait for this day, let’s wait with hope, resting in His perfect love where there is no fear.
When Jesus died on the cross, God, His father, turned away from Jesus because as a perfect God, He cannot look at sin. Here’s the good news for us: We don’t have to suffer alone. Today, we have a God who knows what it is like to be in our circumstances. He doesn’t want us to be in that place. He mourns with us. Sin hurts His heart, even more than it does to our heart. What He wants is us to find rest in Him. So whether it is a chaotic week of school or an innocent family member dying, we have a high priest who identifies with our weakness and tells us to give Him our burdens. We don’t have to carry what we are going through anymore. We can take up His yoke and find true, permanent comfort and rest in the midst of our circumstances. Happiness depends on our circumstances, but joy is the deep settled confidence that Jesus is in control of our circumstances.
Jesus suffered much so that we don’t one day have to suffer apart from Him eternally. Rejoice in that truth, my friend!
He is lifting up our eyes to Him saying, “My daughter/son, I got this. Trust me. Find rest in me and me alone.”
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
