“This is the heart of one who comes to God honestly to share with him the truth of what is really going on in their heart; this is the heart that haws faith. It is the very opposite of what we often assume being righteous will be like. This is the way of faith, a faith that takes everything to God without fear.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?”- Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV)
Kyle Strobel and John Coe continue Chapter 5 of When God Seems Distant as they talk about the only way for the righteous to seek God’s face. They do so in truth (Psalm 145:2). Because, the authors stress, faith and hope:
- teach the heart that sin lies to us.
- teach that God provides the only path of healing.
- reject the lies of the flesh, taking both sin and brokenness to the cross.
- enable us to trust that Jesus meets us in our sin and brokenness.
In addition, Kyle and John point out, our response to sermons often reveals the strategies of our heart. That they lead us to God or into hiding and covering. Thus, many people experience the right intentions of being good and faithful. However, those intentions can also lead us to ourselves, rather than God. As a result, we can wind up basking in the strength of our intention to be good. Instead of allowing that intention to lead us to the Lord in our need.
Finally, the authors observe, you miss the deeper rebellion in yourself if you answer yes to these questions:
- Do I deflect a hard word from a sermon and focus on everyone else I know who needs to hear that word?
- Do I leave a sermon with a new piece of information that I can use to affirm that I’m right about theology, so I post a quote online?
Today’s question: What Scriptures foster the heart of one who comes to God honestly? Please share.’
Tomorrow’s blog: ‘The danger with our brokenness”