Deliver Us

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

- Jesus

 Humanity has tried to engineer the keys to finding meaning and value, with only temporary success.  Technology, wealth, ambition, individualism, and relationships are just a few examples of our attempts to be our own saviors.  We place our value, purpose, and happiness in things that work for a short period of time, but after enough repeated fading of our highs, reality sets in.  We are as empty as when we first began our search, if not more.  This begs the question: what do we do when the things we rely upon for our happiness utterly fail?  Or worse, no longer provide any satisfaction at all?

If I put the worth of my humanity in pleasing the people around me, what happens when people don’t approve of me?  If I base my value in the success of my career, what happens when something catastrophic ends it? If my physical health gives me my sense of accomplishment, what happens if I am diagnosed with an illness that could end my life?

All it takes is one thing going wrong to completely strip us of the value and worth we see in ourselves.  Living with this understanding instills a heaviness that extracts a toll.  It makes makes life unbearable, even unlivable. 

But there is good news amidst such pessimism. There is a place where you can put your value that will never be subject to such decay.  Imagine how your life might be different if your value could not be changed or altered, a place where your purpose is set before you as clear as the sun when you step outside every day. How would you live differently?

Ask yourself: where do you place your value? Do you feel the heaviness of a life full of things that continually fail to meet your real needs?  That’s what this piece is about. 

The hope that we cling to, the hope that all people can cling to is that God will always deliver those who puts their trust Him.  No matter how desperate you are, or your situation, there is always hope in Jesus.