Saturday, April 30, 2011

He is Not Going Away

And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” (Hebrews 01:10-12, NKJV).

I do not know how many times I have heard some one say recently, "I just wish he/she/it would go away."

Different people at different times use this as an imagined antidote to discouragement, and it appears that, lately, discouragement is on the rise.

That's understandable. That's pretty much been always understandable throughout history. If you are not occasionally discouraged, you are either insane, not paying attention, or divine.

Discouragement is a venerable human tradition brought about by our innate animal courage being overwhelmed by exhausting circumstances. It is not cowardice, but it acts like it, robbing us of motivation, distorting our judgment, and undermining meaningful response. And by animal courage, I mean that thing that energizes an infant to emerge from the womb, makes a man struggle to breathe, and fights against physical death tooth and nail. 

Discouragement is the precursor to depression. It is a scheme of the Enemy that makes us focus on an imaginary unending negative future, while disregarding the only actual intersection we have with reality: the moment. It's a diabolically effective weapon, and there is only one real defense - Jesus and His teaching.

Everything that discourages is ephemeral and temporary to a Christian. What lasts is Christ and His promises. He is the one who laid the foundation of the earth. He is the everlasting Artist who stretched out the heavens in a glorious tapestry across the face of the Universe, fashioning the fabric of time and space in a brilliant declaration of His glory.

But these will perish, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak [He] will fold them up, And they will be changed. Yet He will remain, unchanging, steadfast. His years will not fail.

There is much comfort in this, if you will allow it to seep like a soothing heart-balm into your soul.

Christ in you, the hope of glory, is the only lasting antidote to discouragement.

His unmatched teaching provides the basis for all the experiences of life in this Fallen world, and at its practical foundation is taking one day at a time.

Give us this day our daily bread. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:11, 34, NKJV).
This makes perfect sense, because we do not know what the future holds. And that in itself is His mercy and kindness toward us.

And His promises and Person are the bedrock upon which we, as His children by faith, must stand, else we will fall.

This One whom the entire Book of Hebrews extolls as superior to everyone and everything is our soul's Anchor.

By focusing on Him rather than our circumstances, we can withstand the rains, winds, and floods of this life that are sure to come. By relying on Him to walk us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we need fear no evil, for He is with us.

He continually offers Himself to us as a refuge, a strong tower, a mighty fortress, an everlasting hedge of protection.

Look, it comes down to one question: who is at the center of your life?

By default, it is ourselves.

But by His grace and mercy, and our faith, we can cease being the malfeasant, inept, usurper on the throne of our life, and allow Him to take His rightful place there.

When we do, He assures us that all things will work together for good.
He guarantees that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.

In all three synoptic gospels he says these words verbatim: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  (Mt 24:35; Mr 13:31; Lu 21:33)

And in Revelation, as in many other Scriptures, He declares: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8, NKJV).

He is not going away.