Keeper of my h e a r t.

Have you guys ever had those weeks that never seem to end? Not only do they not end, they just aren't even good? I sure do too. In fact, this last week was both of those things.

It's been a week where: my life and my relationship with the Lord has been misunderstood and attacked; Satan made my mind his home [or, so he thought. jerk. i hate him so much]; and, the nights were long with one situation after another demanding my attention. However, I have never experienced the sweet and precious presence of Jesus as I have this week.

Allow me to explain. 

It's exhausting to simply live life, it really is. Think about it: especially in our culture today, we constantly have things to do, people who need us, appointments, coffee dates, classes, homework, etc. Not to mention, as followers of Jesus, the 'unexpected' things throughout our days: the deaths, the confrontation, the hard conversations, the revealing of sin, the accountability, etc. There's a lot. In fact, there is far too much! 

Here is what I would propose to you, though: in the busyness of this life and in the pain of living in a world that falls far too often for the schemes of the enemy, Jesus is after your heart. 

He's after your joy. 

He's after your rest. 

He's after your time. 

He's after your thoughts.

He's after everything. Jesus, in the midst of all life holds, is after Y O U. 

What does this mean? Hang with me. 

The spirit of this world, of the enemy, is chaos; it's restlessness; it's loneliness. 

Yet, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, is peace; He's rest; He is present. 

However, in order to more rightly and purely taste the sweet presence of Christ; we have to see what the contrast looks like. In other words, to truly taste and see that Jesus is good; you must know that all the world offers is not good. 

Confused?
Here's a practical example: 

Lets say you have had the same professor for English 2 semesters in a row and you love him. You think he's the best professor out there. However, you have nothing to compare him too. He's all you've ever known and you enjoy him. Then, lets say, your 3rd semester you had a terrible English professor. Like, this guy is awful. Once you experience learning from the awful professor, you cannot help but crave the original professor you had. 

Are you catching it? 

Until you experience the 'bad' professor, you cannot rightly enjoy the 'good' one. 

This is the same with Jesus. It isn't until we live through the struggle do we see just how precious Jesus is. 

He lets us experience the pain so that we see Jesus rightly: as the most Precious One. 

Lets take this a little farther.

Until the Holy Spirit reveals to us the great love and desire of Jesus, we are misinterpreting who He is all together. Because, seeing Jesus as anything less than all He says He is, is not seeing Jesus.  It's seeing something we would like Him to be. Peter mentions in 1 Peter that we will only "grow up in our salvation" and long for Jesus Christ "...if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." [2:3]. In other words, He ultimately longs for us to see that He is good. 

Here's what I mean.
When the hard days come, because they will;

When the long weeks come, because they will; 

When you feel like nobody can truly understand you, because you will...

Know this: Jesus allows us to see the dark, so we can take shelter in the light. 

He allows us to see how bad things are, so we can see how good He is. 

The Holy Spirit is that intricate and the Father is that sovereign. He will bring you through a season, a week, or a day that is dark in order for the light of Christ to be magnified. In order to see Jesus for who He is; not who we get used to Him being. 

His presence is sweet. His desire is for us to taste it. Because then, by the Holy Spirit, do we see.  

He is after your heart. 

While reading through Ezekiel recently [yall should read it. it's killer.] I saw one constant theme the Lord was impressing and emphasizing for His people to see, and that is this: "Then they will know that I am the Lord." 

He does _____, so that we will know He is the Lord. 

He is sovereign. He is over all and in all and through all. 

Nothing is outside of His hand and nothing happens that He didn't put in place.

He wants you to know Him. And in knowing Him, honor Him. 

John Piper has said: "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him." 

Jesus desires you to be satisfied in Him alone. 

So take heart, my friend.
Jesus, the King of Kings, is after your heart, for His own pleasure.

When the loneliness comes: know, you have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit [Eph. 1:13]. Paul says in 2 Timothy that, "The Lord knows who are His." [2:19]. You're not alone. You're known. 

When the exhausting days come: know, He alone is your strength. He gives strength to the weary [Is.40:29]. The Holy Spirit is fighting for you, simply be still [Ex. 14:14]. Rest. 

When the lies of the enemy seem to be overwhelming: know, sin and death no longer have dominion over you [Rom. 6:14]. You have victory with the Name of Jesus.  Don't fall for the lie; declare the Truth. 

Through it all, He desires for you to know He is the Lord. He desires you to taste and see. 

He is after your heart.
Taste and see that He is good.

Run into His very precious presence.

Be satisfied.

I will tell you, there is nothing sweeter than the love of Jesus. 

Don't be discouraged by a hard day. Rather, taste the sweetness of Christ.

He is on your side and His love is rich. 

Are you satisfied? 

Have you tasted? 

Seek Him.
Seek Him. 

Seek Him.

"It is not for your sake that I am about to act, but for the sake of my Holy Name." 

[Ez. 36:22] 

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.

The Valley of Vision // Puritans