“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross over the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.’” De 30:11-14.
One of the truest ways to understand something is to experience the situation firsthand. I really never knew the grief of losing a parent until I actually lost one. Because I now know that pain, I have a deeper compassion for others going through that same journey. I have had many experiences in my adult life that have devastated me, some that have overwhelmed me and most that have defined God for me. The one thing they all have in common is the wisdom that I have ascertained through those experiences. They are the seasons that revealed who I really was and a call on my life to be the person God wants me to be. Whatever God commanded me to walk through He was faithful in equipping me with what I needed to endure. While these trials seemed too difficult for me, they weren’t once the power of God invaded the circumstances. Peace during the chaos was not beyond my reach when I reached for the right thing…Him. I could never have received these life changing truths by watching someone else go through it. Our hearts will either be jaded by our experiences or transformed in Christ through them.
We cannot expect to receive the revelations of God by wanting others to do the work for us. It is so easy to get stagnant in our faith and lazy in our pursuit of Him. We can certainly be inspired by the ‘ascension in heaven and crossing of the sea’ stories of others. But to be inspired is so much less than to be invaded by the first-hand presence of God. There is no proxy in faith, but a daily invitation to be present at the table with the Creator. No, God is right there with you, and in you and wanting to bring life to the dead places in your heart. When we speak with Him and meditate on Him, it activates His truths in our hearts which places it on our lips. We will have everything we need in all times if we stay closely connected with Jesus. He is our hope and our anchor in times of despair. Wherever we go and whatever we experience He will always be near.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” Psalm 139:7-12.
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