“In the broken and rebellious heart, there are two major strategies that serve as fault lines in the soul: anger and sadness. These are like sentries that our brokenness puts on watch to navigate God and others. Instead of coming out of hiding to know the grace and mercy of the Lord, we use anger and sadness to navigate life, often growing bitter, resentful, and fatigued in the process.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
Kyle Strobel and John Coe continue Chapter 5 of When God Seems Distant with this caution. That sin tries to convince the heart that we must protect ourselves from the path of healing. Because sin:
- seduces the heart into believing that God fails to walk beside us in our pain, brokenness, and rebellion.
- whispers to us that we must hide from God in our badness; or placate Him with our devotion.
- teaches the heart to hide, cover, and find another path, a path we control and manipulate.
- tries to convince us of our ability to manage and manipulate God.
Therefore, Kyle and John assert, sin has never been afraid of religion. Because, the authors stress, no matter what God gives us — the tabernacle, sacrifices, the law, or even the prophets — this happens. We still seek to use those things to secure God to ourselves so that we can hide and cover behind our goodness. As well as not being seen in our badness.
In conclusion, Kyle and John caution:
“Human strategies try to manage and manipulate God, imagining he won’t look at the evil in our hearts and see the damage we bring to his creation. . . . In the flesh, these become strategies we use to live life on our own terms. In the flesh, we just want to forget, ignore, and move on instead of dealing with the truth of our brokenness and sin.”
Today’s question: How do anger and sadness cause fault lines in your soul? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Handing your life over to Jesus”