“Sometimes I wake, and, lo! I have forgot/ And drifted out upon an ebbing sea!/ My soul that was at rest now resteth not,/ For I am with myself and not with Thee.”- George Mac Donald, Diary of an Old Soul
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”- Psalm 42:11 (NIV)
As John Eldredge continues Chapter 12 of Get Your Life Back, he observes that subconscious fears, failures, and worries come over us in the night. In addition, Satan prowls like a dark lion and often visits in the night. Consequently, we awaken to feelings of accusation, discouragement, heavy heartedness.
Therefore, John counsels you to observe the power of belief. Gently detach from your low feelings and simply choose to believe that God is near. As a result, tell your forlorn soul that you’re not letting it define your feelings right now. Because your soul’s misguided. Instead, choose to turn your attention toward God. For He’s right there next to you.
So, when you gently detach from your downcast feelings, you give them no say over how you interpret reality, the day, or your experience. Ignore these feelings and turn back toward Jesus. Referring to Psalm 42:11, John states that the psalmist shows kindness to his troubled soul, but refuses to let it drive the bus.
In conclusion, John underscores that faith fundamentally centers on choice, not feelings. The author continues:
“We want to be struck by lightning. We wait for our epiphany. In our therapeutic age, we’ve become so self-conscious, so deeply entangled in our personal experiences, we think belief is also an experience, something we mostly feel. It is not. It is first and foremost an act of the will, a choice. . . . Belief is something we muster, set ourselves to, and practice. Especially when the ‘data’ before us seems to argue against it. Our faith in God is our most precious possession, and God is committed to deepening and strengthening it.”
Today’s question: How often do you find that your soul’s drifted out upon an ebbing sea? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “We practice belief – to find more of God”
