Heavy

Christmas – family, love, peace, snow, presents. Isn’t Christmas such a joyful time? Isn’t this a time to be cheery, happy, and loving? Let’s be honest, some of us are not feeling all that joyful – rather, a heaviness of heart and despair are looming. Despite all the warm feelings often associated with Christmas, some of us are trying to nurse wounds that extend deep into our hearts. What are we to do in such circumstances? Should we put on a happy face and cover the grief inside in order to please those around us, or do we mope about in gloom and sorrow?

This dichotomy of joy and sorrow is an ever-present reality for Christians who will be honest with themselves. Do not be discouraged by this apparent paradox of affections. The Christian himself is paradoxical in that though he is fallen, he is eternally saved by grace. Though born a son of wrath and disobedience, he is adopted as a fellow heir with Christ, clothed in His righteousness. It is not out-of-the-ordinary for the Christian’s affections to be both joyful and sorrowful.

C.H. Spurgeon likened this seeming contradiction to the ocean. In a volume of water, it is possible to have furious surface currents flowing in one direction while forceful, steady deep-water currents flow in the opposite direction. So is the Christian: the dark, dangerous waves of despair crash at the surface while the steady, powerful under-current of joy carries in the opposite direction.

This intermingling of joy and sorrow is seen explicitly in Peter’s first epistle:

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.”
1 Peter 1:6

The original word for distressed is λυπέω which means to make sorrowful; affect with sadness. This is what the verse is addressing. Yes, there is a necessity (a reason for) “various trials;” however, this verse is not dealing with that. Rather, it is dealing with the necessity of λυπέω, the sorrow and sadness involved in the trials.

Have you thought about this before? We seem to be quite good at rationalizing our troubles into submission, but have you wondered if there is a purpose, a reason for the grief itself? Why is it that we must endure such terrible sadness? Is it some twisted, cruel joke?

Man is not that important. This, however, is not reflected in much of our daily thoughts, actions, deeds, or words. When we get a high view of ourselves, we tend to think we are not deserving of hardship or trial. We become bloated with pride and reliant on ourselves rather than God. Grief is sometimes used as a means to empty us of ourselves, a way to strip us of our pride. Spurgeon said it like this:

“Lest we should be satisfied from ourselves, and forget that all our own springs must be in him, the Lord sometimes seems to sap the springs of life, to drain the heart of all its spirits, and to leave us without soul or strength for mirth, so that the noise of tabret [tambourine] and of viol [stringed instrument] would be unto us as but the funeral dirge, without joy or gladness. Then it is that we discover what we are made of, and out of the depths we cry unto God, humbled by our adversities.”
C. H. Spurgeon

We need to unlearn this idea of the supremacy of man and his supposed self-sufficiency, and learn the supremacy of Christ above all things. John the Baptist gave us quite the example when he said “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). We must see ourselves as less significant, and Jesus and increasingly precious and valuable.

One other plausible reason for heaviness of heart is to teach us to better love others. Pain and misery are common in our world. How are we to truly connect with these people if we have not endured such things ourselves? “There are none so tender as those who have been skinned themselves. Those who have been in the chamber of affliction know how to comfort those who are there” (Spurgeon). If we are to become encouragers, we must know what affliction is like.

If these are reasons for the experience of grief, what reason have we to rejoice? What reasons indeed! First, we must realize that we are the elect, the chosen of God! Not only did He know us before we were born, but He poured out His gracious and merciful love on us before the foundation of the world! Isaiah 46:4 delivers a promise the God’s elect:

“And even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you."
Isaiah 46:4

Oh, child of God, know that your Father is never changing. His love for you is unfailing and unfading. He has promised to carry you throughout your life. He will lift you up and take your burdens upon Himself. He has made you, He will lift you up, He will carry you and carry your burdens, and He will deliver you! Know that this life is not about you and your performance, but about Him accomplishing His purposes in your life (46:10).

Why else should we rejoice? We are saved! According to 1 Peter 1:2, God’s elect are justified by the blood of Christ and are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. What a comforting thought to know that no matter the despair you find yourself in, if you are a child of the King, you are forever justified before God. The shame of your sins is wiped away and you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ! Rejoice! Not only are His children justified, but they are changed (sanctified). They are made increasingly holy, increasingly like Christ. Do not be dismayed, grief is part of our existence. Even Christ experienced it! In the garden of Gethsemane, He was so tormented, He began to sweat blood.

Is there anything else that we might rejoice in? Yes! Peter proclaims in verse 4 that God’s children have an “inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” that awaits them in heaven. No matter the suffering you endure now, know that it is but momentary, light affliction in comparison to the weight of glory you will experience in heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17). Be assured that awaiting you in heaven is an “inheritance incorruptible” (Spurgeon).

Finally, know that if you belong to God you are, “protected by the power of God through faith…” (1 Peter 1:5). You are kept by the hand of the sovereign God of the universe! Who could possibly snatch you away from Him? Who could rip you from His omnipotent hand? Those who are truly His, and truly His forever! No matter how desperate your situation, know that God Almighty has you in His loving, gracious, and merciful hands.

Sorrow is a very real affection in the lives of Christians. It has a purpose. It causes us to run to God and brings us to our knees in humility. Grief also gives us a ministry to those who are also hurting. It allows us to be sympathetic and love others to an extent not otherwise possible. But in the midst of grief, take heart that you can, and must, rejoice. It is not a mere empty intellectualization of your circumstances, but it is a true affection of the soul. Rejoice in God because He chose you before the foundation of the world, and not based on your merit (as we have none), but out of His sovereign grace. Rejoice because you are justified by Jesus’ death and are sanctified by the Spirit. Rejoice because you have an eternal, unfading inheritance awaiting you in heaven. Rejoice, child of God, because your Father keeps you. No person, thing, or circumstance can ever pluck you from His hand. You will never be separated from His love.

All of this must be said with a word of warning. All of this applies only to those who have received Jesus Christ. Hope is only found in Him; apart from Christ there is only infinite, eternal despair. The afflictions and sufferings of this life are only but a taste of the torment that is awaiting those who reject Christ. But for those who have fallen on their faces before Him, for those who have faith in the Son of God, there is reason to rejoice in the midst of grief.

Run!

[I apologize for the tardiness of this post. We discussed this December 2, 2008]

“My soul followeth hard after Thee, Thy right hand upholdeth me.”
Psalm 63:8

Often times Scripture uses the word “walk” to describe our relationship with the Lord. This word merely means to “live;” it by no means intends to convey the message that “living” with Jesus Christ is a stroll in the park. On the contrary, it is described here as following hard after God. This then begs the question, what does it mean to follow hard after God?

The original text for “followeth hard” is דבק (dabaq) which means to “pursue with the intent to catch.” The imagery used here is far from a casual walk – we are to run hard after God, as hard as if we were trying to catch Him!

This concept was brought to life for me this summer while working at IGA Quality Foods. We were experiencing a dramatic increase in shoplifting, so the management recruited one of the stockers to act as “security.” If ever there was a shoplifter that was trying to run off with goods, this man was to chase them down, tackle them, and bring them back to the store. It was his job to pursue people and catch them. If in the midst of his pursuit an obstacle arose, he hurdled it. If he stumbled and fell, he’d rise and continue the pursuit even harder. No person or obstacle would deter him from chasing this person down. In the same way, when we are in “pursuit to catch” God, we must not allow obstacles to slow us down! We must not allow our attention to wander and stray lest we trip and fall, or become enticed to run after something else. And even if we do stumble, we must not resign ourselves to defeat, rather we must pick ourselves up and continue to run! “Living” with God is not a mere stroll in the park, it is an all-out sprint!

One problem quickly arises. If in our analogy, the stocker was chasing after someone, but did not really care about his job, would he run with all his might? If he did not care about the good of the store, would he sprint as hard as he could? Pursuit to catch for an extended period of time is really only possible if you truly treasure the object which you are running after. If you do not see it as precious and valuable, if you do not delight in it, will you run as hard as you can after it? And so I remind us once more that the “object” which we are in pursuit of is God. We are to be sprinting after Him. Thus, we must treasure Him, we must see Him as infinitely valuable lest we suddenly decide the pursuit is not worth our while.

You might say, “Well, I’m with you so far, Barry. Indeed, I see that my relationship with Christ is one of vigor and fervor. However, do you truly expect me to sprint after God for my entire life? I cannot sprint for 80 years!” It is remarkable that God always seems to ask of us the impossible. Why? So that we might trust Him to do it. We are able to pursue God “as if to catch” because of the second half of Psalm 63:8. “Thy right hand upholdeth me.” Indeed, if we were left to our own strength, we would quickly falter, we are not capable of running at a dead-sprint for very long. However, it is the very strength of God which maintains those who would sprint after Him.

Paul affirms this in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 when he states:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

This is amazing when we consider the life Paul lived. He had people mocking and scorning him, he was beaten, bruised, stoned, shipwrecked, and thrown in jail. Paul’s ministry was physically killing him. Day by day, nearly each choice he made to follow hard after God resulted in his physical body being beaten and broken. Yet in the midst of this, he says that he does “not lose heart. Though [his] outer self is wasting away, [his] inner self is being renewed day by day.” Though he underwent this harsh persecution, though his body was being slowly broken, he says his “inner self is being renewed day by day.” How is this possible? Paul realized that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” His focus was not on the pain of this world, but on the massive inheritance awaiting him in heaven. The suffering we undergo now is truly only for a brief time, and it fades in comparison to the enormity of the everlasting glory awaiting us.

So, run hard after God. Pursue as if to catch. Let no obstacle hinder you. If you fall, get up and keep running. Keep your eyes focused on the Lord of glory and run!