August 15: It Isn’t About Running From, It’s About Running To

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13

Psalm 34:1-10

Proverbs 21:13

     No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 

- 1 Cor 9:13

Reflecting on my life, it seems as though all the temptation I've experienced can be grouped in two. 

The first type of temptation is the temptation to think I can leave the Lord, usually because of abundance.  This is when things are good, and I don't feel the need to pray as fervently, as regularly, because there doesn't seem to be an urgent need.  And that is when people usually find myself committing sins of indulgence - greed, gluttony, lust.  

The second type of temptation is the temptation to think the Lord has left me, usually because things have gotten so uncertain, so difficult, with seemingly no end in sight.  This is the temptation to hopelessness and despair, and it leads to an equally grievous sin: the denial of either God's nature (He doesn't love me) or God's existence.  This is when people usually give up - on professional commitments, on relationships (like being a parent or a spouse); sometimes even on life itself.  

I've seen the devastation of a broken marriage, of abandoned children, of a life ended by one's own hands.  It is terrible.  And it is so easy to read Paul's words above, but so tough to apply them when one is in the middle of the seemingly hopeless battle.  What to do?

Perhaps the answer isn't to try to NOT think about the problems.  Perhaps the problem is to think about something else.  Here, the psalmist has good advice:

I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

- Psalm 34:1, 4

Maybe the answer isn't to run from the problem; it is to run to the Lord.   When we fill our thoughts with Him, we leave no room in our minds for our problems.  When we praise Him, we remind ourselves Who it is that cares for us; when we seek Him, we give Him the opportunity to answer, to deliver us.   

Father, these times have been difficult for so many.  We lift up those that are in despair, who think their lives are hopeless and pointless, and beg You to speak to them, to remind them You exist, You love and You are there to see them - to see all of us - through.