“It is hard to see the truth about how broken worldly, and sinful our spiritual practices can be. But we can trust that the Lord wastes nothing. He reveals a deeper path, one where we come to increasingly see how desperately we need him and his forgiveness. . . . On this journey of love, our thoughts are being purified, but we are also called to have our devotion, ministry, and praise purified.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
In Chapter 5 (“Avoiding God in Our Brokenness”) of When God Seems Distant, Kyle Strobel and John Coe stress that each season — consolation, the desert, desolation — functions as a call to seek and know the Lord. As well as rest in the work the Lord has done for us.
However, Kyle and John acknowledge, our brokenness often feels more real than what faith provides. As a result, our flesh attempts to dictate how we should live. Hence, without being aware, we develop strategies to help us navigate this messy experience with God. Consequently, that often leads us away from God and back to ourselves. Thus, we undermine God’s work in us.
Certainly, the authors note, Scripture uses many different ways to tell us to draw near to the Lord. Most significantly, though, this does not happen by accident. Thus, it’s possible to read your Bible, pray, or attend church without drawing near. In fact, Kyle and John point out, you can do these things to avoid drawing near.
In conclusion, Kyle and John exhort:
“The Lord does not leave us alone to construct a life through our brokenness; he invites us into the love that can transform our shame into praise and our guilt into gratitude. . . . So we draw near to the purifying fire and come to experience our impurities. This is an invitation to be seen and known and to offer ourselves to the Lord in the truth.”
Today’s question: Which of your spiritual practices do you find broken, worldly, or sinful? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A smokescreen to avoid the truth”