The Season Of Advent // Turn Your Eyes To JesusÖrnek

How to Rise in These Heavy Days

Time is short, the days a passing breath. Yet I see you. I cup my hand underneath your chin. I look upon you, turning your face upward, asking you to meet my gaze. I love to see you, look upon you. You were the reason why I came.

The world is aching, and the ache is a series of wounds bleeding out, one after another. But I tend to each wound. I do not forget or turn away from the daughters and sons who call upon Me. If I say I came for this world, for the daughters and the sons—for this world that feels too overwhelming, too broken, for you to live in—you must know that nothing is too broken that I cannot fix it.

My business is restoration. My business is love. My business is the mending of broken hearts, again and again. I will not stop. I will never stop rebuilding this world, pursuing the daughters and the sons who know that whatever they face, whatever hardship or trial, is only temporary. And all is for My glory. And what is given to them now will be used to build upon the everlasting Kingdom; it will be the foundation for their future glory—the glory they realize when I come again, when all is restored.

Children, raise your heads now. The days are difficult, yet there is joy within you, a light on a hill that cannot be hidden. In the darkest seasons, there is yet light—a light that shines and does not dim. It is what it is, growing neither stronger nor dimmer. It is bright. I am constant—and despite the weighing of circumstances that worsen or change, I do not falter. My love is always the same.

Know in whom you trust. Know on what you stand. Is it something that shifts—so that fear can overwhelm you when the times are hard and you can grow frustrated by all that you do not understand? Or do you know that I have you—that in this season of longing and waiting and turning toward light in darkness, that you can see the light, that it shines upon you?

In the darkest night, I shine. On the heaviest of days, I carry you. In the most pressing of circumstances, when all feels lost, I guide you. There is a way forward, always. There is a hope that is not extinguished despite the spirit of the age. Let me show you how I am peace in the midst of chaos. I am joy in the midst of despair. I am hope when all feels dark. The heavens shake and tremble in anticipation of Me coming again. I came, and I come again. I am here, and I work to restore what is broken, what is mine.

Lift your head. Lift up your eyes. Raise your hands. Sing out with a loud voice. I steady you in my arms while you stand and claim your place beside Me—your place in this Kingdom that is ready to be reborn, your heart in mine—broken and mended and stronger than ever before. Yes, I restore what is mine. I have not forgotten you.

Come closer, daughter. Come closer, son. See what I have for you. This is a new day, as you wait on Me. Choose and see and wait. Step forward to receive more of Me. Participate in the Kingdom rising. Not falling. And watch what I do next.

Exercise:

There is heaviness in the world we cannot deny. Just look at the news. This heaviness is everywhere. And even if you decided to avoid the news, you can still feel the weight of it, just walking through your everyday life—hurt, injustice, your heart, along with all of creation, aching, longing.

Whether we recognize it or not, we are, each of us human beings, heavy with desperation, heavy with expectation . . . for Jesus. For His renewal. For His restoration and redemption of all things.

This ache we feel within ourselves, this longing we feel in our lives . . . is for Jesus to make all things new, finally.

And it’s difficult . . . to wait.

Yet, Holy Spirit implores us to keep our heads up, to look to for hope despite our tough circumstances. For, He says, Jesus is here, now, and He is at work, already—and He will never stop. His renewing and restoring and redeeming will only increase and accelerate.

Recall what He said: “In the darkest night, I shine. On the heaviest of days, I carry you. In the most pressing of circumstances, when all feels lost, I guide you. There is a way forward, always. There is a hope that is not extinguished despite the spirit of the age. Let me show you how I am peace in the midst of chaos. I am joy in the midst of despair. I am hope when all feels dark. The heavens shake and tremble in anticipation of Me coming again. I came, and I come again. I am here, and I work to restore what is broken, what is Mine.”

Jennifer and I love how the late author and theologian Eugene Peterson urged followers of Jesus to, figuratively, “eat” God’s words. He encouraged us to consume His biblical words. He said we must read, meditate on, contemplate, and then respond to God’s scriptural truth in order for them to become part of us and part of our lives.

Lectio Divina, or divine reading, is a way to do exactly what Peterson urged us to do. It’s a life-transforming practice and a favorite of Jennifer’s and mine—because of how it helps us engage with God and with the truth of His word.

So, that’s what we’re going to do now.

Now, you will read a passage from the Bible. It’s from chapter 8 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, verses 22 through 24, and it’s from Eugene Peterson’s translation. You will read it three times.

But before we begin, let’s pray:

Jesus, I consecrate my mind and my imagination to You now. I give You my attention. I hand You my fears and my cynicism, my preconceptions and my misconceptions. I want to be open. I want to hear You. I want to be present here. So, awaken my heart. Awaken my mind. Awaken my body. Here I am. In Your name, Jesus, amen.

So, get comfortable. If you can, open your hands with your palms up—which is a posture of openness, a physical reflection of the state of your heart. And after you make a first pass through these passages . . . just sit in the stillness. Consider and try to grasp Paul’s basic intent. Think about the specific words Paul chose. Consider the metaphors he uses.

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”

Now, as you walk through the passage a second time, be on the lookout for what jumps out to you. Notice the words, phrases, or ideas Holy Spirit might be highlighting for you, as you read.

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”

Think about what jumped out to you. Turn the words or phrases or ideas over and over and around in your mind. Repeat them, linger over them. And consider this too: Why did Holy Spirit highlight these for you? What’s He trying to whisper to your heart?

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”

Now, consider the connection between what jumped out to you and your life right now.

And now, I invite you to remain in this stillness with God.

And let what Holy Spirit highlighted, what He was whispering, turn into a prayer for you . . . a prayer for your life right now.