Originally published on the Hebrew for Christians website Dec, 2021
Our most serious struggles are inward, matters of heart, as we wrestle with dark emotions like fear, anger, disappointment, and guilt. We often despair over the contradiction between our ideals and our realities; we deny reality and then feel lost and unlovable in the hardness of unspoken shame…
On the deepest level, however, the presence of despair may be a sign of real hope, since it may express a holy “protest” over what the heart knows is wrong in its yearning for deliverance from its own wretchedness. The desperate heart knows it must find God or die. This sort of despair laments because it believes, and it believes in the midst of its lament.
As Yeshua said, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit – the needy, the bankrupt, the powerless – for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). The hidden life of the seed is not released until it first is broken and dies (John 12:24).
The fact that God knows the number of hairs on your head means that he knows you better than you know yourself… Your heavenly Father “sees in secret,” and that also means that he can and will save you from whatever is hidden within you that still resists his love and touch… We have to trust in God’s power to heal us, even when it seems that healing is not forthcoming, even when we still find ourselves divided, troubled, and anxious. We have to believe that God’s help is always present. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope for the LORD” (Psalm 31:24).
God sees what He does within us, His “it-is-finished” work, the effect of His great salvation within our hearts, even if at this present hour this may be hidden from our eyes… There is appearance, and there is reality; and only God sees what is ultimately real. We have to trust in His promise to be transformed into the divine nature, even if today we find ourselves sinful, needy, and in disrepair… By God’s grace we are what we are. So don’t give up. We are saved by hope (ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν, Rom. 8:24), a hope for you today.
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Note: Some of what I share here is intended for those who are hurting, struggling, etc., so if you are not dealing with those issues, then ignore the post…. I am trying to reach out to many people in many different places in their lives. Unlike the idea that there is some “one-size fits all” medicine for everybody irrespective of their unique biochemistry, etc., in matters of the spirit every person is an individual with unique heart needs. Thank you for your understanding.