Growth

The Company in the Wilderness

Fair warning – this is one of those blogs that will cause my mom concern. No need to worry, Mom, I’m just fine. Just being philosophical or theoretical or something that sounds intelligent). 🙂

One of the great mysteries of the Christian walk are the times when God feels far away. Oftentimes, this follows moments of great happiness and joy. We ride the high of grateful exuberance and when the allure of the new blessing has faded away, we wonder where God is. We had confused pleasure with His presence and then we lost our sense of Him in the distraction of the days. We can feel like Dorothy seeking the Emerald City with nary a friendly face in sight.

These times, these moments of feeling like God’s lost when we want to be lost in God, are not for the faint of heart. There can be moments of anguish as we search for what we thought we once knew. We strive towards God, hoping that we can somehow conjure that feeling of completeness that we thought we had obtained when times were good. We struggle, hoping to overcome the temptations that blight our path. And we persevere knowing that the faithfulness of God far exceeds our momentary feelings of betrayal.

The desperation drives us to our knees. And that’s when we find what we’ve been seeking.

Its the moments in the wilderness that causes us to recognize the comforts that abound in God’s presence. If we turn to Him in these moments, it’s easy to see that the promises that He holds for us far outweigh the temporal joys of this life. When all else fails, He is faithful. When all else breaks, He holds firms. When all else is compromised, He remains true. No aroma is sweeter, no arms more satisfying than that which we experience when we find ourselves with Him. It is with Him that we find rest.

The wilderness can be a scary place to be unless you know the way. Or if you are with the One who created it. Then it becomes a great adventure.

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Hope

The Arrival

It’s Christmas – a time when families and friends gather together to celebrate. Hopefully, the occasions are marked with remembrances of Christ’s birth. However, even the most secular amongst us often view this time as an opportunity to join with those that they love dear. They might not recognize the reason for the celebrations, but celebrate they do just the same.

I think its appropriate that as when remember Christ’s first arrival on this Earth that we remember that our anticipation should be for His return. I was struck recently by one of the most common passages in Scripture, John 3:16. This verse tells of the coming of the Heavenly Son, sent as a babe to visit His Creation The subsequent verse tell us the purpose of this visit. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him”. (v. 17). Christ’s arrival was a visit prompted by love seeking reconciliation.

I think its a motive we can all relate to. How many of us have arrived at our holiday celebrations longing to see again those that we love? How many have arrived seeking restoration? We know what its like to be separated; the holidays remind us of what it is to be together.

The noteworthy thing is that this was the purpose of Christ’s first visit. The purpose of His second is much different. The Son’s initial arrival was a demonstration of His love, upon His return Christ will be here to judge. His first visit was not about condemnation, but in the second all will be acknowledged before Him. “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:
” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.” – Romans 14:10b-11

As we celebrate His first arrival, let us not neglect to anticipate His second. And to make sure that our response to each is the same.

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