Have you noticed things aren’t going well?
Our country? Super divided, dealing with a pandemic. Families? Many parents have lost their jobs and several kids are growing up in a fear-saturated culture. Your personal life? Well, if it’s anything like mine, you might be finding that the stress reveals a lot of things in your character that you really wish weren’t there. And if we’re tempted to forget our situations, the 24 hour news cycle (or social media) is always happy to remind us . . . and stress us out even more without giving us any real solutions other than blame—but I digress.
What do we do?
If you’re a follower of Jesus, maybe something you’re tempted towards is a good helping of Christian denial. You know, repeating cliches like, “Everything’s ok because God’s in control,” or “This too shall pass.” I’m not saying there’s not any truth in this, but to the average person I think this sounds a lot more like wishful thinking than reality (to put it politely). And I think that even when these things come out of our mouths, there’s a part of us that really doesn’t believe it anyway.
So for this week’s reflection, we’re going to (try) to avoid the cliches, and allow God, through the ancient King David, to teach us what to do in times like these.
Brutal Facts
Psalm 13 ESV
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
In the first two verses, David confronts what author Jim Collins calls the “brutal facts” about his situation, and how he’s feeling. He admits, “I’m alone, I’m depressed, and I’m defeated by my enemy. To make matters worse, You Lord have forgotten me and hidden your face from me.” Have you been there?
David does not turn to cliches to give him comfort, nor does he choose to numb the pain by not talking about his situation at all (for more on this read HOW pt. 3 at https://www.canyoncreekproject.com/praxis). Rather, he decides to reckon with his situation.
What are the brutal facts about what you’re facing right now?
Need
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
David doesn’t only confront the reality of his situation, he brings it before God in prayer. He asks God for help. He’s desperate for God and he admits his need.
How long does it take us to finally take our struggles, our pain before God? Not just shout up some quick “hail mary,” half-hoping prayers in the morning or the evening, but to get to the point that we realize that if God doesn’t help us, we’re done for. In my life, I find that it’s usually only after I’ve tried everything else, or tried to convince myself that the issue is not that big of a deal (our old friend, denial), or have really hit bottom emotionally that I finally seek God with all my heart. What about you?
Trust
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Then, suddenly, something unexpected happens Psalm 13. Nothing indicates that his situation has improved, yet all of a sudden we see a shift in David’s spirit. Despite the fact that his circumstances haven’t changed, being in the presence of God has reminded him of something important: God’s character (who God is as a Person). God loves him, God is for him, God will save him—David knows this, and chooses to trust this, even though he can’t see it yet. In fact, a few verses after David sounds like he’s lamenting on his deathbed, he says he’s going to sing! Why? Because God “has dealt bountifully with him.” What?!
You see, this wouldn’t make any sense to me . . . unless I had experienced it. Maybe you have too. There’s something about God’s person and his presence. Whenever I intentionally choose to be with him, I never leave the same. Sure, it takes some practice and some consistency, and I certainly have my share of “prayer naps,” but as theologian Dallas Willard puts it, “Undoubtedly [God] is the most joyous being in the universe”—and when I spend time with this beautiful Person, I can’t help but remember that life is worth living; that in spite of everything portrayed in media, my life matters, there’s still good in this world, and I can live with hope even through the most trying of seasons.
If you are feeling defeated, if you’re wondering where God is, the solution is not to quote a few Bible verses to make you feel better. The solution is not to listen to twenty sermons, or keep repeating Christian cliches over and over. You must enter the presence of God.
“Must” is the wrong word though. The “most joyous being in the universe” has sent you an invitation. The letter (or text) reads something like, “I know you feel alone right now, I know you’re scared. But your enemy will not prevail over you. Trust in my steadfast love, rejoice in my salvation—even if you don’t feel it yet. Will you let me journey with you?”
HOW?
Let’s try praying like David this week . . .
Ask for God to meet you where you are. Ask Him to fill you with his Spirit.
Confront the brutal facts
Tell God what’s really going on (express your frustration, struggle, anything)
Ask for help
What do you need? What are you asking him to do for you?
Remember his character
Take a second and remember what God has done for you in the past. Take some time to think of how much he loves you. Choose to trust his love.
What is something about God that you admire? Praise him for it, even if you’re still struggling.
-Ian
If you’re not sure where to start, or you would like to pray or talk with someone, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.