This text is a part of the Open Letters sequence.
Pricey buddy,
If you happen to’ve hit all-time low, one factor for certain. It’s horrible. I do know it too.
You’re not alone. Jesus is down right here, and he welcomes you. His buddies are down right here, and we welcome you. All-time low isn’t the place we wished to go, clearly. However right here we’re. And to our amazement, all-time low is the place nice issues are lastly beginning to occur, because of Jesus and his gospel of grace. That’s the very first thing we have to know. Down at all-time low, we uncover that hope is ready for us—with open arms too.
Right here’s the second factor we have to know. Earlier than we will begin feeling hopeful once more, earlier than we will danger getting enthusiastic about our future once more, we should get nearer to God. He is the place hope will get traction. He is our hope. With out him, why care about something? With him, we will face life as it’s, and we’ll prevail. We’ll even giggle once more.
With knowledge from Isaiah 57:15, Good Information at Rock Backside helps readers uncover Jesus within the laborious experiences of life, providing hope to anybody strolling by a season of deep sorrow.
So, our ache will get us to achieve out to God with a deep urgency. We’re certain not enjoying churchy video games anymore, are we? However we’re questioning, The place will we flip now? We actually want God. However the place can we discover him? Amazingly, God anticipates our want, our query. He tells us the place he can at all times be discovered:
For thus says the One who’s excessive and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose identify is Holy:
“I dwell within the excessive and holy place,
and likewise with him who’s of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the center of the contrite.” —Isaiah 57:15
Okay then. Now we all know. God dwells in two locations. He lives means up excessive, up within the holy place, in everlasting heaven above. And he additionally lives means down low, among the many lowly and the contrite, down with the crushed and devastated folks, down at all-time low.
The factor is, we can’t go as much as his lofty dwelling place above—not whereas we’re nonetheless dwelling on this world. However we will go right down to his humble dwelling place under, down at all-time low, the place the lowly and the contrite are being revived by his grace in Christ. His dwelling place excessive above is past our attain. However all-time low means down low is the place we can go, and the place we do go ultimately. And God loves it down there. It’s the place his grace is reviving damaged folks. They’re coming alive once more. They’re getting enthusiastic about their future once more. What an awesome place to be! Signal me up!
That’s how Mary, the mom of Jesus, noticed it. It’s how she felt:
He has proven energy along with his arm;
he has scattered the proud within the ideas of their hearts;
he has introduced down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted these of humble property;
he has stuffed the hungry with good issues,
and the wealthy he has despatched away empty. —Luke 1:51–53
I’m guessing you’re able to say the identical.
All-time low is the place nice issues are lastly beginning to occur, because of Jesus and his gospel of grace.
So let’s take our subsequent step. Our half in all that is to simply accept, deeply settle for, a brand new realization, a brand new actuality. And it’s sobering. Right here it’s. That life you and I wished to stay, that life we even anticipated to stay, that preferrred “designer life” the place we’d be completely satisfied and common and well-off and in management, our careers trending nicely, our kids getting above-average grades, and we come up with the money for coming in to maintain hassle out—that life, that world, that social area I name “the mushy center.” It isn’t heaven above, and it isn’t all-time low under. It’s a tradition floating round in between.
Almost everyone needs to stay there! And why not? That world, with its neighborhoods and profession tracks and social occasions, it’s nice, handy, prestigious. However there’s a downside with “the mushy center.” It’s a major problem, although few folks pay a lot consideration. The issue is, it may be more durable to seek out God in “the mushy center.” Oh, he’s there all proper. After all, he’s current there. He’s current all over the place. However the muddle, the convenience, the selfishness make it simpler to marginalize God and more durable to expertise him. And the rationale for our obliviousness there may be downright scary. God won’t ever conform to getting used as a way of life enhancement for the privileged few. By no means.
So “the mushy center” appears good. However it’s significantly better to be down at all-time low. It’s the place God is close to—so accessible, his arms large open.
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What then is occurring down within the low place, the place God is so splendidly current? Two issues.
One, God is “reviving” the contrite and the lowly. Isaiah’s phrase “revive” means to reinvigorate. It’s about exhausted folks getting contemporary energy, crushed folks standing tall once more, injured folks feeling alive as by no means earlier than. And what if you happen to’re not wanting to grow to be extra spiritual? I’m not both. However who doesn’t lengthy for the richness and fullness of life? It’s what God offers to the contrite and lowly.
They don’t deserve God, they usually comprehend it. However by the cross of Christ, they obtain God with the empty arms of religion. And he offers all of them that his grace can do—perpetually.
Two, the contrite and lowly are additionally discovering each other. I embody this, as a result of “the contrite” and “the lowly” within the final two traces of Isaiah’s verse are plural nouns. Sure, God attracts close to to the person: “. . . him who’s of a contrite and lowly spirit.” However God additionally gathers the contrite and lowly collectively as a brand new group. And what a group!
The very best folks I’ve ever identified I found down at all-time low. Are they recovering from some laborious issues? Sure. Some actually laborious issues. However the contrite and lowly are additionally relaxed, trustworthy, open, mild, and downright enjoyable. They hear nicely. They care sincerely. They’re tearful, and they’re cheerful. They pray, they usually work. They imagine the gospel, they usually confess their sins. You don’t must marvel about them. They’ve your again, and you’ve got theirs. I like it down there with these valuable folks! You’ll like it too.
It is a privilege to be your buddy down right here, the place God dwells and the place damaged folks get their lives again.
God bless you.
Warmly,
Ray
