Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39 ESV)
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39 ESV)
This has been an exasperating month for many in our family. Another marriage has fallen to sin, a heart has literally broken and at the same time we have news of great blessings by way of an expected child for us and a new job for our brother.
As I drove back home from visiting my dad in the hospital this week, my heart and mind - still tempted to sin - came up with many ideas for escape from the chaos of the roller coaster of life. Even momentary escape.
Thankfully, I found a wonderful refuge in the familiar words above from the gospels of Matthew and John. These are words that we would be wise to cling to at all times, in the good times and the bad, when we need comfort and when we are in a position to comfort others.
You see, we will have days when the weight of this life will grind us down to the dust. We will have days when we are spiritually thirsty and desperate for relief. This will be true for all of us so long as we wait for Jesus to come back.
The bad news will come. One hard phone call -from a doctor, from a friend, or an employer can change our world forever.
The great and exciting news will come too. Soon, after those times there will also be a time of "coming down" from the emotional high and back into regular life.
The point of this rambling is that I am concerned that we (myself included) too often run to other things for refuge, for escape, to unwind, or to blow off steam.
Jesus is clear and loving enough to let us know that He is the refuge.
The only reason that I have run to Him this month, when the world was in a point of major upheaval, is because I had developed a pattern of running to Him in the quiet times of my life when life was pretty "normal".
By God's grace, we can develop a sort of REFLEX in which we go to God with our worries and our joys, with our complaints and our thanks as a regular part of our life. It can - and should - become as natural as breathing or eating as a Christian matures.
I've certainly NOT done so perfectly.
In my own life, I can find morally neutral or even "upright" ways of reacting that still fall short of Gods' plan. For example, I often times dig into my studies, as though God is more pleased with my studying work ethic, than my willingness to cry out to him in times of pain.
I become the one who has his eyes on the wrong thing. Instead of being like Martha who was busy with lots of activity for God, I (we all) should be like Mary who takes every opportunity to simply rest at the feet of Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42)
I have also spent some time "vegging out" in front of the television in order to get away.
We all do this. We all look for and go to other things instead of Jesus as we continue to battle with our old nature. So what's the answer?
A reflexive turning to God is not natural for us. It is a reflex that is developed by practice. In the same way that a mucisian has to develop a sort of muscle memory in order to play their instrument, we need to develop a heart level muscle memory in which we turn to God for all things.
When we need to unwind, when we need to vent, when we need to escape, when we need to be encouraged, when we need wisdom - in ALL things - we are called to go to Jesus.
Go to Him in Prayer - Go to His Word - Go to His people, The Church (when those people will remind us of His promises and not just join in gossip, or misery mongering).
And remember, that to do any of this we will need His help. That's why the passage from John points to the work of the Holy Spirit:
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive...
Remember that if you are in Christ, you are never alone. God is supremely glorified when you turn to Him in the big trails and in the day to day routine. The Spirit will help you. Turn to God today.
At the same time, begin killing the old reflexes that the world around us tells you to turn to.
When you need to vent or blow off steam, turn to prayer and the Word, before social media or gossip groups...
When you need to escape the chaos, Kill the reflex of turning to more destructive escapes like alcohol, drugs or sexual immorality (all of which destroy many, many people in the church).
Kill the reflex of vegging out in front of the television, the video games, the internet or fantasy football, etc. (all of which waste the potential and effectiveness on many, many in the church).
Instead, turn to a Christian brother or sister and unwind in a way that builds you up instead of wasting your mind or time.
Push through.
Hold me accountable in love and I will encourage you as well.
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