Lately, I have been excessively discontent. I have been seeking & longing & believing for a life much more abundant than the one I currently seem to posess.
I've been living in this - "We ourselves, who have the first firsts of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Rom. 8: 23)
I am groaning. I am burdened. I am eagerly waiting for more.
If any of this resonates with you- please, stay with me.
As a Christian, I know this is the natural & unavoidable way of life. Scripture presents this inward groaning for complete redemption on multiple occasions. I am aware that this is "normal." However, I have a really hard time being okay with just that. That it's normal.
How do I handle it? How am I supposed to respond to the burdens & the groaning? If Christ is my abundant life, then how come I don't often feel like I truly am walking in abundance? I can't help but present the Throne room with these questions. Granted, understand my heart, the Creator of light, the sustainer of breath, & the giver of gravity has no requirement to 'answer' my incompetant questions. However, we have been given the greatest tool & weapon to fighting in battle each moment: the Holy Scriptures. This is where He answered me. Praise be to God.
The Scripture that has brought all things into light begin with this: "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from it's bondage to corruption." (vs. 19 - 21)
We wait with eager longing. Yet, we are subjected to vanity. Why? So that the Creator can set us free.
This may seem like the answer that fails to answer. But, friend, hear me.
We are living in a world that is not yet glorified; but rather, still subjected to futility.
The only constant response seen throughout Scripture to this weary world is long-suffering in hope.
The response Paul gives to his inward groaning & expectation is found in the hope that these mortal, flesh driven bodies will be redeemed by the giver of Life. He responds to verse's 19 & 20 with this: "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
We hope. We have patience. And we wait.
Here is why this brings great comfort.
The Holy Scripture's tell us that the response to our groaning is to be patient & hope. It's that simple.
We live in a busy, active, "do" culture - inside the church, & outside. We have been raised & nurtured to believe that there is a remedy for all discontentment & all longing in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel. Now, hear me- there is. Because Jesus is the only remedy for Life. Apart from Him, we have no hope. But on this side of glory, in a world subjected to vanity, we will not know complete satisfaction in Him. We can't know.
We will groan. We will be burdened. We will eagerly long for final redemption into His Kingdom.
The remedy is that there is no remedy.
And that, my friends, is the most liberating answer I could have ever sought from our gracious God.
The answer that says, "No, no, no, my child. There is nothing for you to do & there is nothing that you are lacking. You have been covered by the Son of God's garment. Now, just wait. Be patience & wait for this hope that will be an eternity of reward."
Do you hear the liberation the Gospel freely offers?
I watched a short video of Pastor Tullian Tchividjian recently & the sweet words of the Spirit captivated my when he said this line: "I wish I could say that Christ fully satisfies me. But I can't. What I can say, is that Christ fully satisfied God." (Hear more by watching this short video. It will be well worth your time: http://www.pastortullian.com/2014/06/10/baptists-bulletins-and-bedtime/)
There is no Bible reading plan we can participate in. No sin we can confess. No community we can be apart of that will grant us the contentment on this side of Heaven that doesn't continually long.
We will always long for where our heart is destined. For the Christian, that is the presence of God.
Be one of long-suffering & be one of hope.
We hope for what we cannot see. Now, we cannot see the end to our longing. It is that we hope for.
It is the encounter with the living, resurrected King who was, & is, & is to come which we hope for.
It is the removal from a world that is subjected to vanity & death which we long for.
It is the incomparable voice of the King that says, "Well done, my good & faithful servant," which we are to eagerly hope for until we have been taken from this dying world.
How do we respond to the groaning? We hope.
Do not let the enemy put an expectation of fulfillment in your life. It is true Jesus Christ alone is all satisfying. All things under the sun, the Preacher in Ecclesiastes says, is vanity except the presence of God. However, as long as we live in the tension of death & life, we will not & cannot be fully satisfied until we are fully glorified.
Rest easy, friend. Let God be satisfied by Christ alone.
Hope.
