“Restore us to Yourself, O LORD”
Lamentations 5

Pastor Nate Herrlin

“Our natural instincts tell us that the way forward in the Christian life is by avoiding pain so that, undistracted, we can get down to the business at hand of growing in Christ. The New Testament tells us again and again, however, that pain is a means, not an obstacle, to deepening in Christian maturity. The anguish, disappointments, and futility that afflict us are themselves vital building blocks to our growth. We are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:17)

“We most deeply know Christ as we “share His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). Pain will foster growth like nothing else can – if we will let it.”

“Pain is a MEANS, not an OBSTACLE, to deepening in Christian maturity.”

“Deeper”, Dane Ortlund. P125.

“Pain is not the islands of our lives but the ocean; disappointment or letdown is the stage on which all of life unfolds, not an occasional blip on an otherwise comfortable and smooth life. And what I want to say in this chapter is that a crucial building block in our growth in grace is a humble openness to receiving the bitterness of life as God's gentle way of drawing us out of the misery of self and more deeply into spiritual maturity.”

“Deeper”, Dane Ortlund. P127.

Is there anything in your past you used to believe was essential to your happiness, but later came to realize it was not all you dreamed it to be?

“Idolatry is the folly of asking a GIFT to be a GIVER.”

“Deeper”, Dane Ortlund, p101

The only treasure worth chasing with all that is in us, is the One who made us and died to save us.

Is God becoming by treasure?

If you know you’ve been chasing the wrong treasure, what role might lament play in finding your way back to the real treasure that is God Himself?

My Next Steps with God this week:

- If possible, thank my dad for something I am genuinely grateful for.

- Consider the “Treasure Check” questions on the notes page. How has what I treasure changed over the years? Is there a way God is prompting another change in what I treasure most?

- Write my own lament about something in my world that I wish was different, following the 4 steps (turn, complain, ask, trust).

- Join one of the summer groups to include others in my spiritual growth process.