“They say, ‘Surely, if I were a child of God this would not happen.’ Oh! say not so, those who are walking in darkness. The best of God’s saints have their nights; the dearest of his children have to walk through a weary wilderness. There is not a Christian who has enjoyed perpetual happiness, there is no believer who can always sing a song of joy.”- Charles Spurgeon
Today Kyle Strobel and John Coe conclude their study of Path 1 in Chapter 10 of When God Seems Distant.
Path 1 (cont.): Why have I never heard this before? Kyle and John observe that one great temptation in this season of spiritual desertion centers on this thought. That you think you can fix it. In addition, in ‘Against the Antinomians,” Martin Luther wrote about how Satan confuses the mind. Thus, Satan makes us think that Christ only offers us consolation.
Hence, Luther stresses, when we experience terror, Satan tries to convince us that we do not have Christ. Therefore, Satan seeks to fill us with despair. Consequently, we need to know that the source of our Christian existence is outside of ourselves. As a result, we must avoid the temptation to live by our senses. Where we choose to trust what our senses tell us. Rather than the truth that our life is hidden with Christ in God.
In conclusion, Kyle and John offer this advice and counsel:
“If we are going to navigate our own lives with the Lord, and certainly if we are going to shepherd others, we need to understand what Scripture and our own tradition help us to see. It turns out that God is a withdrawing God, not in reality but in experience. But he is a God who does so in and for love.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses sustain you in your weary wilderness walk-through? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Christian growth development”