Isaiah 53:4
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.(ESV)
The fear of disappointment can be paralyzing. Many fail to aggressively, courageously, and intentionally launch into their future because to do so would be to risk loss. To love is to risk rejection. To try is to risk failure. We serve a good God who wants and does good for us. But God has created a world in which grief and loss are realities we must face. The goodness, nearness, and power of God do not gaurantee for us a life free from pain. We all face a future that contains some measure of that which we would avoid given the chance.
How do we move forward into an uncertain future which will certainly bring us toward pain and loss? God’s answer is the Cross. Jesus has carried all my grief and sorrow – past, present and future. All of it. Great and small. The question is this – is God’s provision on the Cross sufficient for every possible future grief? Yes it is.
So if I find myself fearful about the future, this is a simple indication that my view of the Cross is insufficient. Perhaps this fear simply surfaces the reality that I believe there are some losses ahead for which the Cross is not enough. If this is what I believe, then I have already disagreed with God’s own valuation of Jesus’ sacrifice by saying in my heart that Jesus should have done more than He did in order to sufficiently provide for the grief in my life. If I am convinced Jesus’ passion is insufficient for future griefs I have not yet experienced, it is simply because I have judged His provision inadequate for the griefs I have experienced already.
If you, like many, face your future with fear, I encourage you not to rage against fear, but rather to ask for deeper revelation concerning Jesus’ provision for you on the Cross. You will find perfect love there. Perfect loves casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
5 Comments
This is good. Really Good. His grace, His sacrifice, His love is all sufficient – it meets every need.
I realized this when I did a series of in-depth studies on my blog about the names of God. When I studied Jehovah Jireh I was so convicted and set free by a little nugget of wisdom that I found in marginal notes in a copy of the Torah that I have. It noted that to the Hebrew Jehovah Jireh means more than our understanding that the Lord will provide, but instead it carries with it the idea that THE LORD IS THE PROVISION IN HIMSELF. All I need ever, is found in him. Oh the glory of that revelation has carried me through many a downcast moment. It set me free.
He truly has born all my griefs, and today – my testimony is that Isaiah 60:20 is true. For one who has lost a child, it is not uncommon to meet many of like company who will tell you – the pain never goes away, it just gets a little better with time. I live to shout! It not only gets better, but Healing is possible, even from the deepest grief I could have imagined – the grief I believe prior to my experiencing it would ultimately kill me. My worst confessed fear came true on August 23, 2005 when I kissed my son’s cheek for the last time and watched the life drain from his face in that hospital room that day. Since that time, I have faced down every fear I ever confessed or even carried secretly in my heart only to find that meeting them head on with God means triumph every time.
Thanks for sharing your heart on this subject. The depth of the pain reflects how much we loved what we lost, but the depth of the love of God can be measured by the heart that is full in spite of the loss. I am one.
When it comes to the gospel of God, there are no risks.
I guess that the difference between open hostility (toward what would be hurtful, evil, painful) and fear of rejection (when there is love ones, congregation, the world)…I think the difference rely in denying ourself. That’s the Cross. If He bore them….waht to fear? Certainly life in Christ is never ship…but is never fruitless neither.
Such a moving post. What an incredible perspective into realizing God is enough, even when we think our pain is too great.
Hi Alan,
This is good! God has been speaking this same message to me the last week, though I just read your post today. Seeking God at the Cross… His perfect love… Thanks for putting it into words.