An Open Letter to Anybody Who’s Hit Rock Backside

This text is a part of the Open Letters collection.

Pricey good friend,

Should you’ve hit all-time low, you understand one factor for certain. It’s horrible. I do know it too.

You’re not alone. Jesus is down right here, and he welcomes you. His buddies are down right here, and we welcome you. All-time low isn’t the place we wished to go, clearly. However right here we’re. And to our amazement, all-time low is the place nice issues are lastly beginning to occur, due to Jesus and his gospel of grace. That’s the very first thing we have to know. Down at all-time low, we uncover that hope is ready for us—with open arms too.

Right here’s the second factor we have to know. Earlier than we will begin feeling hopeful once more, earlier than we will threat getting enthusiastic about our future once more, we should get nearer to God. He is the place hope will get traction. He is our hope. With out him, why care about something? With him, we will face life as it’s, and we’ll prevail. We are going to even giggle once more.

So, our ache will get us to succeed in out to God with a deep urgency. We’re certain not taking part in churchy video games anymore, are we? However we’re questioning, The place can we flip now? We actually want God. However the place can we discover him? Amazingly, God anticipates our want, our query. He tells us the place he can at all times be discovered:

For thus says the One who’s excessive and lifted up,
     who inhabits eternity, whose identify is Holy:
“I dwell within the excessive and holy place,
     and likewise with him who’s of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
     and to revive the center of the contrite.” —Isaiah 57:15

Okay then. Now we all know. God dwells in two locations. He lives means up excessive, up within the holy place, in everlasting heaven above. And he additionally lives means down low, among the many lowly and the contrite, down with the crushed and devastated individuals, down at all-time low.

The factor is, we can’t go as much as his lofty dwelling place above—not whereas we’re nonetheless residing on this world. However we will go all the way down to his humble dwelling place beneath, down at all-time low, the place the lowly and the contrite are being revived by his grace in Christ. His dwelling place excessive above is past our attain. However all-time low means down low is the place we can go, and the place we do go ultimately. And God loves it down there. It’s the place his grace is reviving damaged individuals. They’re coming alive once more. They’re getting enthusiastic about their future once more. What an important place to be! Signal me up!

That’s how Mary, the mom of Jesus, noticed it. It’s how she felt:

He has proven power together with his arm;
     he has scattered the proud within the ideas of their hearts;
he has introduced down the mighty from their thrones
     and exalted these of humble property;
he has crammed the hungry with good issues,
     and the wealthy he has despatched away empty. —Luke 1:51–53

I’m guessing you’re able to say the identical.

All-time low is the place nice issues are lastly beginning to occur, due to Jesus and his gospel of grace.

So let’s take our subsequent step. Our half in all that is to just accept, deeply settle for, a brand new realization, a brand new actuality. And it’s sobering. Right here it’s. That life you and I wished to reside, that life we even anticipated to reside, that best “designer life” the place we’d be completely happy and well-liked and well-off and in management, our careers trending nicely, our youngsters getting above-average grades, and we manage to pay for coming in to maintain hassle out—that life, that world, that social area I name “the mushy center.” It isn’t heaven above, and it isn’t all-time low beneath. It’s a tradition floating round in between.

Almost everyone needs to reside there! And why not? That world, with its neighborhoods and profession tracks and social occasions, it’s nice, handy, prestigious. However there’s a drawback with “the mushy center.” It’s a major problem, although few individuals pay a lot consideration. The issue is, it may be more durable to search out God in “the mushy center.” Oh, he’s there all proper. In fact, he’s current there. He’s current in every single place. However the muddle, the convenience, the selfishness make it simpler to marginalize God and more durable to expertise him. And the rationale for our obliviousness there’s downright scary. God won’t ever comply with getting used as a way of life enhancement for the privileged few. By no means.

So “the mushy center” appears to be like good. But it surely’s significantly better to be down at all-time low. It’s the place God is close to—so accessible, his arms vast open.

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What then is going on down within the low place, the place God is so splendidly current? Two issues.

One, God is “reviving” the contrite and the lowly. Isaiah’s phrase “revive” means to reinvigorate. It’s about exhausted individuals getting recent power, crushed individuals standing tall once more, injured individuals feeling alive as by no means earlier than. And what should you’re not wanting to change into extra spiritual? I’m not both. However who doesn’t lengthy for the richness and fullness of life? It’s what God provides to the contrite and lowly.

They don’t deserve God, and so they realize it. However by means of the cross of Christ, they obtain God with the empty palms of religion. And he provides all of them that his grace can do—eternally.

Two, the contrite and lowly are additionally discovering each other. I embrace this, as a result of “the contrite” and “the lowly” within the final two strains of Isaiah’s verse are plural nouns. Sure, God attracts close to to the person: “. . . him who’s of a contrite and lowly spirit.” However God additionally gathers the contrite and lowly collectively as a brand new group. And what a group!

The very best individuals I’ve ever recognized I found down at all-time low. Are they recovering from some onerous issues? Sure. Some actually onerous issues. However the contrite and lowly are additionally relaxed, sincere, open, mild, and downright enjoyable. They hear nicely. They care sincerely. They’re tearful, and they’re cheerful. They pray, and so they work. They imagine the gospel, and so they confess their sins. You don’t must marvel about them. They’ve your again, and you’ve got theirs. I like it down there with these treasured individuals! You’ll like it too.

It is a privilege to be your good friend down right here, the place God dwells and the place damaged individuals get their lives again.

God bless you.

Warmly,
Ray

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