READ
RESPOND
When going through the darkest times in our lives, it can be easy to feel like we are all alone. We may feel like God has abandoned us or that we are not worthy of his love. It may feel like there is no way out of such despair. But Jesus is always with us, even in our darkest moments. And we allow His light in, it will blind the darkness.
Jesus knows what it is like to suffer. He experienced the full range of human emotions, including pain, sadness, and loneliness. He was betrayed by his friends, abandoned by his family, and crucified on a cross. But even in the midst of his suffering, Jesus never gave up hope. He knew that God was with him, and that he would ultimately be victorious.
Jesus’ victory over death gives us hope that we can also overcome our challenges. When going through a difficult time, we can remember that Jesus has been there and done that. He knows what we are going through, and He is with us every step of the way.
We can also find strength in Jesus’ love. It is a love that never fails, no matter what we do. When we feel lost and alone, we can turn to Jesus and know He loves us unconditionally. It is a love the heals us within.
Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. He is the hope that gives us strength to carry on. Also, in the hardest times in our lives, Jesus is there for us. He will never leave us or forsake us. And we can pull through anything with Him by our side.
REFLECT
1. Commit Isaiah 41:10 to memory.
This is my first visit here. I read about this in Learning to Breathe Fire. Something is missing in me. Maybe this is one answer. Currently I train CrossFit alone. The WODs are modified to meet my current fitness level. Unfortunately, going to a box at this time is out of the question. As a 53 year old man I feel silly saying that I feel lonely. But that’s the truth. And has been since I can remember. Loneliness follows me even in groups or in an intimate conversation with someone I care about. I do not attend church nor do I read the Bible. I believe in God and find stories about Jesus uplifting. I just don’t understand how Jesus kept his hope. How did God show him love? I can’t get past the absence of physical proof of love. And this need often makes me do and say things that turn the people I love off and sometimes get angry with me. I really want to learn how Jesus never gave up even when he asked God why He had forsaken Jesus. As I write this I feel like a little boy, not a grown man. But I feel safe saying these things in this format. Thank you
So glad you’re here Michael! Love how you stepped into this and shared your pain and doubt. Boys don’t do that, mature men and women do. We all are attacked by doubt at times about a God who works in mysteriously higher ways than ours.
Your risk in responding reminds me of the post, letting light in to blind the darkness. Our darkness wants to be protected from light so it can continue to decay and damage our hearts from within. Life is truly a battle between good and evil. Turn, follow, grow and go can set us free.
Jesus’ intimacy with God was complete because He was God. There was no separation between them except when He took on all sin for a few days while He paid the ultimate price as He died. As bad as the physical torture and pain of the cross was, spiritual separation from God was far worse. This puts the separation you feel from God in perspective. Feeling apart from God should not feel comfortable because we were made to have constant communion and fellowship with Him. It’s how He made us.
There’s no reason He would have made the intricacies of the world and our lives down to our cells and DNA without a purpose, plan and power to overcome sin and opposition. The proof is in the meticulous historical accounts shared, transcribed and translated in the Bible. It’s His love letter to us. Prophesy written thousands of years prior to actual events were lived out fully by Christ (read The Case for Christ or Mere Christianity). And His work is not complete yet, but has been written on our hearts to be lived out through us and His second coming. And while we hope to understand, see and feel God’s love more fully, we can risk denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and loving others (even those who persecute us) with His strength. Sometimes that’s the most clear way we get to experience God’s love is to see how He can even use broken vessels like us to love others.
Fellowship with believers is vital. We were not meant to live faith alone. Gyms, churches and FAITH RXD chapters can all be great places to connect and grow. Please check out if there’s a chapter nearby (faithrxd.org/chapters) and/or reach out to us (833.248.4793 or in**@fa******.org) to continue this vital dialogue. You’ve already taken first steps by recognizing what’s not working, what can change, and demonstrate hope that it will by reaching out. God is good.