Who We Are In Christ

     As I wake up each day and remind myself who I am in Christ, God is giving me great joy and much needed grace to get through a difficult season of being separated by a vast ocean from our daughters. He’s encouraging me to find my life in him and who he says I am rather than in my circumstances. 

     The foundation of God's redeeming love guarantees that we won't drown in sorrows and reminds us that we’re loved with an everlasting love, even when we can't see it, sense it or feel it (Jer 31:3). We’re not alone. Christ is in us, with us, he’s gone before us and he’s endured every temptation so that he's able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). We can go to him in our pain, ask him for help, and cry our eyes out if we need to. He knows what it feels like to be abandoned and lonely on this earth and he understands. He hears all our cries and sees our tears (2 Kgs 20:5).

     If we’re Christians, we are children of the King (2 Cor 6:18) – we’re valuable, cherished, deeply loved, significant, gifted, created with a purpose. We’re completely forgiven of our past, present and future sins; we’re declared righteous (Col 2:14). He’s given us a new heart (Eze 36:26) and a new purpose and has established plans for our life that no one can destroy (Jer 29:11). We can’t be removed from his presence by any situation or circumstance (Rom 8:38-39). Our future with him is secure. NO ONE can snatch us out of his hands (Jn 10:28). We’re forever loved, forever forgiven, forever saved. We can rejoice in these wonderful truths in the midst of our sorrows (2 Cor 6:10). We're in a fallen world that's bound to disappoint. But we belong to a faithful God who will never fail us or forsake us (Heb 13:5). And to that we can shout hallelujah!

Your Will Be Done: Not Just a Generic Prayer

    “Just pray that God’s will be done,” someone once advised me as I was struggling about how to voice my prayers to God over a pressing issue. Though I'd read through the Lord’s Prayer many times and memorized it as a child, the thought struck me afresh that day. It was a wonderful relief to put away all of my concerns, hang them under the banner of this new prayer and move on to something less stressful.

   But, as I traveled through the weeks ahead I sensed a build up of frustration over uncommunicated thoughts and ideas.  I went before the Lord, brought up this issue and without much thought just said, “And may your will be done,” like it was of no real concern to me. The problem was that internally I had my own ideas of how I hoped things would turn out.  I also had an equal set of fears over what might happen if God didn’t answer like I thought he should. Instead of dealing with these nagging concerns, I determined that God was calling me to be more spiritual about my struggles, quit talking about them and move on. That is when the Lord began to show me that I needed to continue communicating my heart with him, along with praying that his will be done.

    I began to wonder: Why does God want us to ask him for specific needs and desires? Since he already knows everything, he certainly doesn’t need us to inform him. And, if his will is going to prevail anyway what is the point of stretching my brain over prayers that may indeed run contrary to what he has determined. As I wrestled with these questions, God began to show me that he delights in his children talking with him, asking him questions and even missing the mark in their prayers if it means they are seeking his face in the process.

   God often waits until we ask him for specific needs before he answers. Remember the Canaanite woman who asked for healing for her demonized daughter? Jesus tested her rather doggedly to see if she would boldly persist in looking to him for help.  In fact, most of Jesus’ healings were in response to specific requests. Of course he didn’t need them to ask in order to heal them – he already knew their heart’s cry.  He allowed them to ask, even plead, so that in their desperation they would recognize him as the source of not only physical healing but of true salvation.

    The same is true for us. If our prayer only consists of the plea --your will be done -- we are not sharing the deepest dreams and longings of our hearts. Certainly it is good and right to desire God’s will be done. But, God is interested in the condition of our hearts. If deep inside we feel resentful, fearful or angry about how he might handle our situation and we try to hide that by reciting a generic prayer, he is certainly not pleased. He doesn’t need our sacrifices; he wants our hearts (2 Cor. 8:5). If the very Son of God felt the pull of his own heart from the path of suffering, though sanctioned by his own Father, how much more will we struggle. It is sin to pretend that we don’t have conflicting desires and to appear resolute before others to accept whatever God issues in life if we haven’t first wrestled in prayer and yielded our hearts to him.

   We do desire God’s will in our innermost being if we have his Holy Spirit indwelling us (Phil. 2:12). Scripture says that if we have the Spirit of God we are a new creation, and old things have passed away.  Paul reminds us in Colossians that we have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). But our flesh, which has been crucified with him, still tries to rule our hearts. Unless we walk in the Spirit, we will yield to its desires (Gal. 5:16). Additionally, we are but dust. In our humanity we are prone to weakness and fear which often keeps us from fully trusting in God’s unseen promises for the future.

   Wrestling in prayer with God is not just normal, it’s essential to having a healthy relationship with him. I’m not talking about the kind of wrestling Jacob did, though at times I have done that too. No, I’m talking about the kind of praying where we put aside all pretensions and pour our hearts out like water before him, holding nothing back. It’s the gut-wrenching, emotion-gripping prayer that enables us to come to a place of release before God so that we can with a yielded, trusting heart cry, “Your will be done.”

    David prayed this way in the Psalms when he was worn down from being pursued by his enemies and needed God’s help desperately. Abraham pleaded with God on behalf of the people of Sodom Gomorrah and especially for his nephew Lot. Job poured out his heart to God when his life was torn apart and God seemed to have disappeared. Hannah went into the temple to plead for an open womb and was so overcome with emotion the priest mistook her for a drunken fool. Elijah held nothing back when he communicated with God his despair over Jezebel’s pursuit of him. Jonah didn’t try to gloss over the ugliness of his heart condition when fully admitting to God in prayer that he simply didn’t like the Ninevites and was angry that God intended to save them. Jehosaphat went unreservedly before God when told of the advancing armies coming to destroy them. He pleaded with God for deliverance, reminded him of their obedience to him in the past and of God’s promise to take care of them.

    We see each of these men and women (not super saints, just regular people like you and me) responding to the trials and crises of life with passionate, heart-rending prayer. They loved God and were called by him in service. And it was precisely because of this love that they were able to pour their hearts out to the Father.

    To pray the prayer “your will be done” is certainly the right prayer to offer up to God. It’s just not complete without the giving of the heart. As we share our hearts, we go to God’s Word asking for him to shine light on our situation.  His Spirit then penetrates our hearts enabling us to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, giving us grace and strength to walk by faith and to submit to his perfect will.

    The apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. We don’t know over what period of time these petitions evolved. We only know that after the third request he received an answer from the Lord and was able to embrace his will for him. Jesus, when in the Garden of Gethsemanie, offered up three sets of petitions to the Father praying each time, “…if it is possible may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

   Habakkuk was perplexed over God’s seeming injustice in allowing wickedness to prevail among the Israelites, and he told him so. The Lord graciously answered him, but Habakkuk was still in a stupor over God’s providence and uttered a second complaint. Again, the Lord replied with more details of how he planned to deal with the rebellious people. Upon hearing God’s wisdom, Habakkuk was humbled and came to a place of acceptance and full submission to God’s plan. He said, “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones and my legs trembled (he was terrified over God’s impending justice). Yet, I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nations invading us. …yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.” This amazing response came from the same man who three chapters earlier was complaining against God’s seemingly skewed providence. Though he was horrified of what God had said would take place, a major change has occurred in his heart.

     David struggled in prayer to accept God’s will for his life. He received news from the prophet Nathan that because of his adultery his son would die. Yet when his son became ill, “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground…and he would not eat any food.” This went on for six days. David could have responded with vain resignation upon hearing of his impending discipline, but his heart was filled with sorrow and longing that he had to communicate with God. When he learned from his servants that the boy had died, he was able to submit to God’s will. This acceptance was demonstrated by his actions as he got up from mourning, washed and changed his clothes and went to the temple to worship God.

    I don’t know about you, but I am challenged by his boldness and trust in God. And I’m convinced that whatever hurt or disappointment or loss we are holding on to that God is calling us to freedom as we take our burdens to him. There is no quick, easy formula for releasing those burdens to him. But, the joy that awaits us on the other side as we yield our hearts to his perfect will far outweighs the struggle.

Persevering When You're Out of Strength

Some trials are fast and furious, occurring with lightening speed and ending before we know it. Other trials happen quickly, linger for a season, and resolve themselves gradually over time so that with each day we experience less difficulty. Still other trails come in with a bang and seem just as weighty over the days, months and even years ahead. The long-lived, painful trials that seem unending are the ones that threaten to undo us. Like weary sojourners in the wilderness we awaken each day to the same dust, diet and depleted strength. A remnant of hope remains as we peer over the horizon each morning awaiting deliverance. But, at the close of the day we find ourselves alone with God's sustaining grace and no miracle of deliverance in sight. This might go on for years with a rebellious child, a troubled marriage, financial problems, health issues, depression or loneliness

Why does God allow these prolonged, intense seasons of suffering when all along we're pleading for relief? We all know the answer, of course. Lingering trials have a way of bringing us to the end of ourselves and weaning us off the idols of this world. When we face extreme difficulties and hardships we become more aware of our desperate need for God’s grace in order to survive each day.

 Before going through them, we have a tendency to compartmentalize our spirituality and live a good portion of our lives in our own strength and wisdom. When hardships come we cry out earnestly to God for deliverance. And our faith is strengthened when he answers. But, it’s all too easy to move forward into the next day’s challenges with our own agenda and a fleshly joy. All is well, or so we think, as long as God comes through for us, our bank account looks good, and other areas of our lives are under control.

When the trials come that are not easily resolved and our prayers seem to go unanswered for long seasons, we weary in our flesh and become tempted to despair. Depending upon our maturity and temperament, this may last anywhere from a few weeks to several years. The spiritually dangerous transition occurs when we've prayed long and hard, persevered all we think we can and there's still no relief in sight. At this point we usually make one of two choices, whether conscious or not. We either press into God in greater dependence and trust, or we determine to resolve the trial ourselves with our own wisdom and devices.

            If we decide to deal with hardships in our own strength, we cease abiding in the vine and thriving according to Jesus in John 15. Our prayer time becomes tedious as our heavy hearts dread dealing with unanswered requests. As a result, we go before God and quickly read a passage or devotional, then pray some half-hearted prayers. Getting through this time becomes the new goal rather than experiencing God’s presence and power. Before long, if we’re not careful, we'll stop praying all together and find ourselves so busy with the tyranny of the urgent that we barely even think about praying. The more disciplined person might continue to pray, but his or her prayers become less personal and void of any sense of power.

            How can we avoid these pitfalls and remain close to the Lord in the midst of intense suffering? God promises that his grace is sufficient and that he will keep us in perfect peace as we fix our thoughts on him. Why does it often feel like there is not nearly enough grace, even when we cry out for it? And why is peace such an elusive goal for many of us just struggling to survive?

            Scripture teaches that there’s only one way through the fiery trial that guarantees continued intimacy with God, growth in grace, fruitfulness, and the ability to live a life that glorifies his name.  This way is one of faith and trust (Heb. 11:6). Though I've resisted it on many occasions, God continues to remind me that in order to persevere under suffering my life must be filled with praise and thanksgiving. They form the rails that keep me walking by faith and trust even when I'm completely out of strength.

            Praise – This word elicits both joyful and painful thoughts. As I recount all that God has done in Scripture and in my own life, I’m filled with hope. He’s proven himself over thousands of years to be the God who dwells with his people. And his creation alone shouts praise to his goodness, creativity, generosity and love. Yet, pain comes to mind as I recount the cost of it. Choosing by faith to praise him in the middle of my hard circumstances means I give up the right to my own perceived happiness and declare that whatever he chooses for me is my ultimate good. Try telling a toddler that the cupcake he’s screaming for at bedtime isn’t good for him and that he’d really rather savor a juicy apple instead. We’re much the same as adults. We want what we want, when we want it, and incidentally we want it now! When God says “no” over an extended period of time through trials we have to release our demands and our own definition of what's best for us – if, in fact, we are going to praise him. Though this is a painful process, it's a liberating one.

           If we wait until I feel like it we will never praise God. That’s because praise is a death threat to our flesh and a stench to Satan. We can't live in the flesh and worship God at the same time, just as we can’t wallow in the mud and claim to be clean simultaneously. In our sinful nature we want what's contrary to what God desires for us in his Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Oftentimes, when we’re bitter or angry about our circumstances the only way to freedom is through praise, which involves a leap of faith. It’s hard; there’s no denying it. And it requires sacrifice – it costs us our pride and our right to be our own god. But, as we praise God for his greatness and love, the iciness of our hearts melts away, allowing the Sprit to warm us to the Father’s love through his Son. Like springtime, God’s word once again blooms. The gray clouds of winter clear, and we see with greater clarity God’s good intentions for our lives.

             Thanksgiving – Being thankful does not come naturally for us either – though for some it’s harder than for others. Thanking God is quite different from praising him in that it focuses more on his blessings and provision. While praise gets our eyes off ourselves and onto God, declaring him to be the rightful ruler of our lives, thanksgiving reminds our restless hearts of his abundant provision in our lives. The more we thank him, the more thankful we become as the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the myriad of blessings we have in Christ.

            An Attitude of Trust – When we praise and thank God, the Holy Spirit imparts to us a growing attitude of trust. It's our responsibility, by faith, to guard our hearts by daily putting on the armor of God. Refusing to be passive ensures that we will fight off the enemy as he tempts us toward bitterness, discouragement and despair. Part of suiting up includes praying and spending time in God's word. As we walk in the Spirit, resisting the pull of the flesh toward despair, we’ll experience God’s grace and peace to persevere.

   God’s provision of grace is moment by moment, rather than something we store up for the future. And as we abide in him, refusing to be anxious about tomorrow, he reveals his super-abounding love through the things we once considered mundane. An evening sunset comes to life as the handiwork of God, while daily food and provision are seen as gracious gifts from heaven. Renewed strength to accomplish a task is no longer attributed to self-motivation, but to God’s righteous hand upholding us. A much needed phone call or visit or letter from a friend can't pass as mere coincidence but rather the Father’s tender response to our lonely cries.

   Those things we once ignored or took for granted become God's instruments of grace that he uses to strengthen our faith. The trial we endure is still painful, and at times we’ll be tempted to give up. But as we walk in trust we discover an ever-increasing knowledge of God’s intimate love for us. Knowing this love that surpasses knowledge is sufficient to sustain even the weariest sojourner.

"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. " Ps. 69:30