Readings for today: 1 Kings 22, Acts 13:16-41, Psalms 138, Proverbs 17:17-18
“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Psalms 138)
Yesterday morning I had the privilege of hearing the testimony of Andrew and Norine Brunson. Andrew is a pastor and missionary who was imprisoned for his Christian faith in Turkey for two years. He was picked up along with many others as the national government sought to suppress dissent and Western influence. Falsely accused. Falsely imprisoned. The numerous hearings and trials were a mockery of justice. He spent many days in solitary confinement. His only contact with the outside world was his wife who he got to see for one hour once a week.
Andrew spoke movingly of his time in prison. He was vulnerable about the struggles he faced. Depression. Despair. Suicide. A sense of God’s absence. God’s silence. He didn’t glorify or sugarcoat the “martyr” experience at all. At the same time, he kept pressing in. He kept pursuing intimacy with God. He kept crying out to Jesus. And in his darkest moment, when he felt God’s absence and silence most keenly, he found himself saying over and over again, “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.” Strip everything away. His job. His church. His family. All his earthly possessions. His hope for the future. His connection to God. And he still found himself in love with Christ. He had hit bedrock. The fundamental truth of his existence was his love for Christ.
Andrew is free now. After two years and much political pressure, Andrew boarded a plane with Norine and returned to the US. He is still recovering from the trauma. He is still grappling with post-traumatic stress. He is in therapy but he is recovering. His love for Christ sustained him in his darkest hour and is helping him heal.
Andrew challenged us all to chase after intimacy with Christ. To ask God for His presence. What does this look like, you ask? I think it best expressed in the Psalm we read today. The Psalmist sings to the Lord with his whole heart. He humbly bows before the Lord in reverence and awe. He walks in close communion with the Lord, crying out to him for answers. He lives his life in confidence, trusting God for his strength in the midst of his trials and temptations. He knows God has a purpose for his life. Both the good and the bad. The joys and the sorrows. The triumphs and the tragedies. He trusts the Lord is with him no matter where he goes. Most of all, he knows what Andrew and Norine discovered. The steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. It forms the bedrock of his life.
What forms the bedrock of your life? Strip it all away and what would you have? What’s most fundamental? Most foundational? What have the trials and struggles and sufferings of this world revealed about your relationship with Jesus? Is Christ the stronghold of you life?
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 1-2, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalms 139, Proverbs 17:19-21