Denying Safety and Comfort

Why is it that every time we experience a break- thru there are inevitable set backs? Seriously! I know after my last introductory statement this one is very anticlimactic, but I promise to write what is on my heart. At this very moment, I’m wondering why the world seems so insistent on stealing my break-thru. Why I am I so cowardly as to let it? And can you really call it a break -thru if you’ve only been on the journey for like a week?

I am still committed to living a biblical life. I am still no longer content to live just a Christian one. I do not care if my life matters. I don’t! I care very much that my Lord matters. But I am terrified of the “for now” that has wrecked my spiritual life. Every commitment (regular quiet time, consistent prayer life, treating my family as a priority, etc.) that I have made has ended at some point. So much so, that I am now cynical of myself. But that’s how I feel … “for now!”

The thing that has always bothered me most about me is how cyclical and seasonal my life is. Jesus’ life and ministry were not like that. Let me stop you before you make excuses about that being an unfair comparison and that I am only human. I am perfectly capable of making my own excuses. I’m quite good at it. I do not need your help with that. Seriously though, how much of my life can I realistically expect to look like Jesus’? Whatever your answer is, I’m sure you have short changed His expectations.

Our interest in a Godly life is limited by our definition and concept of what that is. To be sure, what it looks like to us is not what it looks like to God. Furthermore, our rationalization and reasoning for the discrepancy that exists only proves our selfishness. For example, most of us have heard and claimed Psalm 37:4 which says: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.”

Almost without fail, our hearts desire is safety and comfort. But how safety and comfort are defined is subjective. It’s up to me to decide what those things mean for me. However, because we are all, in comparison to the majority of the world, safe and comfortable, we assume that God is fulfilling that promise. He is giving us the desires of our heart. But safety and comfort are NOT God’s desire for us. They are our desire for us! In fact, most of the time those things are diabolically opposite of His plan for us.

How can that possibly be? We, after all, are children of God. He will never leave us or forsake us! Our concerns are His concerns! Really? Those things are all true, but they all have nothing to do with safety and comfort, and everything to do with the biblical life. If Jesus himself did not have a place to lay his head (Luke 9:58) then how can we think God is concerned with our comfort. We don’t like hearing that. I don’t like knowing that. But if I want God more than I want anything else, then I have to look at what He actually says. As children of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17) then shouldn’t our inheritance be the same as our Brother's.

What did Jesus say about His future siblings? He said His brothers (and sisters) were those who have heard the word of God and obeyed. (Luke 8:21) Frankly, our safety and comfort usually keep us from obeying the Lord. For example, I have heard many people while questioning the goodness of God, ask why there are starving children in the world. I think God’s answer is: “Great question! Why are there starving children? I provided the resources to feed them, but new cars and bigger houses seemed more important!” God enunciates this in 1 John 3:17. “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Stop! Don’t read any further until you read that again!

Can you honestly still be content thinking that God values your safety and comfort? His Old Testament prophets were never safe! Or comfortable! His New Testament apostles were never safe! Or comfortable! So what do we do?

It goes back to biblical living! We all know that whatever we have is on loan from God for us to use. But is it on loan for us to use for His kingdom or ours? As we “delight ourselves in the Lord,” our perspective changes. And so do the desires of our hearts.

Today, I read Ezekiel 1-5 as part of my devotion. Pretty amazing! But what hit me the hardest was that as part of Ezekiel’s preparation, before he was given any message from the Lord, he was asked to “eat the scroll.” He took it and devoured it with the help of the Lord. It tasted sweet like honey! That has to be part of our preparation as well. We must, with the help of the Lord, devour the word of God. The last thing most of us need is more bible knowledge or more lessons that we won’t apply. What we do need is a fresh perspective. God’s perspective! I can assure you that whatever that involves, it will not include safety or comfort!

I have not intended at all to be profound. I simply want to live and write the truth. Not truth as I see it nor as I wish it were, but simply as it is written by God. Regardless of my season or cycle, His word remains true. His word remains difficult. His word remains a healer to the broken and an affliction to the comfortable. I have been comfortable for far to long. I deserve to be afflicted, and I hope it lasts longer than “for now!”