April 30, 2009
“When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot. … Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see– how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.” Psalm 34:6, 8 The Message
Where do you find God .. and .. Where does God find you…?
Desperate … if you’ve ever been there .. you know what it feels like and how hard it is just to breathe. You want to hide. You want to numb the pain. You may even try to grab your “drug” of choice: fantasy-sex .. mood-alcohol .. fear-food .. escape-drugs .. buying things .. blind-anger .. and any variation that is unique to being you. God knows where you are when you hide and when you are at the breaking point. Broken … It’s what happens when you can’t hold it all together on the inside any longer. You just fall apart. You curl up. You can’t see any color in your life. God knows where you are and He knows what broken feels like inside and out. “It was our pains he carried — our disfigurements — all the things wrong with us” (Is. 53:4) Jesus knows where to find you. Trouble … If you are going to follow Jesus .. you will face trouble. You may be the cause of it. You may be the target of it. You may be just swept along by the currents of it. Jesus knows where to find you. “I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20) Jesus-Disciples are going to face trouble. Your everyday mission is to step into a Desperate–Broken–Troubled world and offer the only real hope that exists: Jesus. You don’t have to have all the answers. Your very life becomes a prayer of help .. of mercy .. of hope .. of life to the one who crosses your path today. It only takes a moment to open your mouth and taste –open your eyes and see — how good God is…
“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath. … Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time.” Psalm 34:18-19 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F Desperate–Broken–Troubled Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
