The Answer to Your Restless Soul

 

There is a restless longing for “something” born deep within us. Jenner is not the first, nor will he be the last, to go to extremes in his search for something to quiet the restlessness of the soul. I've done it. So have you.  Some turn to alcohol; some choose drugs. For some, sex seems to quiet the longing for that elusive “something.” Some look to money and social status to make them feel secure. Some turn to plastic surgery, thinking that a nip here and a tuck there will make the restlessness go away and others feel like everything will be “okay” if they have a new marriage, a new job, a new location. And…some feel like everything will be “okay” if they have a new identity, even a new body.
 

So this is not a post about Jenner. It is a post about all of us, for we all know the restlessness of the soul. What is that restlessness?
 

It is something deep within us that says “there is something better just out of your reach”.
 

It is a lie that has been around since the Garden of Eden, when Satan told Eve, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  Sounds good, yes? And Satan was telling the truth. She did not fall dead immediately. She did know good and evil. What Satan did NOT tell her was “but that won’t make things better for you; Your soul will die. You will know evil. You will suffer. You will be restless because you will be separated from God.”   Sin looks wonderful until you are so deep into it that you can no longer breathe.

 

Satan lied in the Garden of Eden and he still lies today. His lies work so well that he has had no need to change them in all that time. He still twists the truth. He still whispers to your heart, “There is something better just out of your reach.”  That “something” he offers is death wrapped in a beautiful package. Just ask the person caught in an affair, the drug addict, the prostitute, the alcoholic. I doubt they would have chosen to believe the lie Satan lured them with if they could have seen where it would ultimately take them.
 

I know that peace is found in Christ. All of scripture points to this, but I also know it to be true from my own experience.  I searched for “something” for years and every “something” I reached for only left me emptier and longing for more. That is, until I met Christ.

 

 

 

What do you long for?

What comes to mind when you think, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”?

Have you gone to Christ with the longing restlessness in your heart?

Christ alone quieted the restlessness in my soul. I can’t explain how. All I can say is that He will do the same for you.

 

 

Pray with me? 

Father God, You know the things I long for. You know the restlessness in my soul. Cover me with your love. Draw me close to you. Quiet the aching in my heart for “more”. Satisfy my thirst. Reveal yourself to me in real and tangible ways. Let me know that you are a very real and present force in my life.

Amen

 

How far will God go?

 

How far will God go to accomplish His will?

I wonder if it is even possible for me to really understand the lengths that God will go to in order to bring Glory to Himself or to make His name known.

Take Exodus for example; specifically the chapters that tell the story of the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. (You can read all about it here) I am... perplexed by the extremes God went to in order to accomplish His goal. I always thought that His goal was to free the Israelites.

Here's the way I have always thought of the story...

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God loved them and heard their cries and sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to "Let my people go". Pharaoh said "no". God sent the plagues. When God sent the last plague (killing all the first born males), Pharaoh gave in and finally told the Israelites to leave Once they were gone, Pharaoh sent his army to bring the Israelites back to Egypt. The Lord parted the Red Sea and the Israelites walked across the dry seabed. Once the Israelites were safe, the Lord let the sea cover the Egyptians who had followed them. The Israelites are free, God is glorified. The End.

This is what I missed all the other times I read the story...

"The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out My hand against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them.” Exodus 7:5

Here is how you will know that I am Yahweh. Exodus 7:17

This way you will know that I, Yahweh, am in the land. Exodus 8:22b

Then you will know there is no one like Me in all the earth. Exodus 9:14

I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of Mine among them,² and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am Yahweh.” Exodus 10:1-2

The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”  Exodus 11:9

"I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” Exodus 14:4

"I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:17-18

I am no theologian, but here's what I know about God. He could have freed the Israelites without the Plagues. He could have made Pharaoh let them go immediately. Yet He chose to drag things out with the plagues. He chose to drown Pharaoh’s army, chariots, and horses in the Red Sea. Why?

So that everyone would know that HE is Yahweh.

It’s easy to freak out and wonder “Why is God letting this happen” when life is challenging. I remind myself that there is no limit to what God will do to make Himself known, to Bring Glory to Himself, and to insure that we tell others about Him. Keeping this in mind gives me courage and  helps me to look for ways to share what God is doing in the midst of all that life throws my way. I hope it will do the same for you.

God won't give you more than you can bear

"I know that God will not give me more than I can bear."

This sentence grieves my heart. I've written about it before and probably will again, simply because it is so often misused... and because the misuse upsets me so.  Someone quoted it in a ladies group I visited not long ago, and it has been on my mind since then. Might as well go on and get my thoughts in print so I can let it go.

The scripture that is referenced is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says...

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Well meaning, God fearing, Christ believing people twist this to apply "God's not going to give us more than we can handle" to all sorts of situations.

It breaks my heart to hear someone say, "God won't give you more than you can bear" because...well, what happens when He does? What happens when He does not save the child? What happens when He doesn't restore the marriage? What happens when He does not heal the spouse? What happens when it IS too much to bear?

There are 2 blessings that we absolutely miss out on by misusing this promise.

First, we miss the promise it gives...God will ALWAYS provide a way out of temptation. We are not helpless to Satan's tempting. There will never be a time when temptation is so great that the ONLY option you have is to sin. This Scripture promises a way out when faced with temptation. But that is a post in and of itself and will have to wait for another day.

Secondly, we miss the fact that we NEED Christ. When things are too much to bear, I run to My heavenly Father and crawl into His lap and sob. When I am terrified, I hide behind my heavenly Father. When I was told that I was having a miscarriage, when I was diagnosed with cancer, when there were more bills than money, when friends betrayed us, when my Nan died and I didn't know how to comfort my mom, when I was diagnosed with cancer again...when life was too much to bear, I ran to my Father. He carried me when I couldn't go on. He supported me when I collapsed. He comforted me when I grieved. He picked me up, dusted me off, wiped my tears, held me, soothed me, and comforted my soul. And, when life is too much to bear in the future, I will run to Him, and He will hold me.

I need Christ for Salvation and I need God's grace... but that's not all I need.  Sometimes life really IS too hard. Some circumstances and situations really ARE too much for me to bear. Sometimes I feel like I am going to crumble into a million pieces. Sometimes I feel like I am going to be crushed under the weight of the world. Sometimes my heart hurts so much that I think I might never recover. In these times I NEED God.

Why, oh why, would the God who has gone to such great lengths to make Himself known to us orchestrate our lives in such a way so that we never have need to run to Him for comfort, direction or any other sort of help?

I found this when I was looking for something that says "God wont give you more than you can bear"....

That pretty much sums it up.