Maybe we haven't been having a great time at work.
Maybe we were out of strawberries at the house when we made our morning smoothie.
Maybe we're afraid of failing those we love.
Maybe we have failed those we love.
Maybe we can't find Pikachu on Pokemon Go.
Maybe we didn't get the job or the acceptance letter.
Maybe we didn't get that second date.
Maybe we didn't get a first date.
Maybe we won't get another date.
Maybe we can't get ourselves to the gym more than two days...a month.
Maybe we missed our chance.
Maybe we overestimated our chance.
Maybe the doctor had something hard to say.
Maybe we finished a great show on Netflix and don't know what to do with our weeknights.
Maybe we haven't gotten a call back.
Maybe we're wondering if their phone works.
Maybe we know it does, and don't want to admit it.
Maybe we watch too much cable news and read too many Facebook posts and get discouraged.
Maybe we feel like the world is crumbling around us.
Maybe none of these sound like anything you've ever imagined, so maybe your life is peachy.
Maybe you're lying.
Maybe life has been handing you lemons, and you just don't know what to do with them because you don't have enough sugar and sweetness in your life to make this lemonade something you can drink.
Maybe you just need some hope.
The good news is this: we have hope.
I just spent the past six nights hanging out with my church family, loving on some elementary-aged kids. Let me be clear: this does not sound like an ideal week for me. Small children are not my favorite people to be around, and the idea of devoting my nights this past week to such activities kind of made me shiver. Yet, I knew before it even began that it would be a great week, and it was.
This past week was Pinckard Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School, and it was a blast. The kids had a ton of fun, and seven of them made a profession of faith! Yet, it was more than just a fun and spiritually educational time for the kids. For me, at least, it was a chance to dive deeper into my own faith.
The theme this week was "Submerged: Finding Truth Below the Surface," a theme based on Psalm 139:23-24, which says:
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
This idea of God searching and testing our hearts lead to some fantastic themes each night. The points of the nights were as follows:
Jesus knows who I really am.
Jesus knows my worth.
Jesus knows I need a Savior.
Jesus knows my purpose.
Jesus loves and accepts me.
Maybe you need to hear one of these truths. I know that I did. The beautiful thing that God showed me this week was that Psalm 139, if you read all twenty-four verses, will lead you to each of these truths.
It shows us that Jesus knows who we are, even when it seems like no one knows who we are or even cares to learn. Sometimes we can feel invisible, or maybe we feel like everyone knows us, but no one knows the real us. The good news of this passage is that Jesus sees deep inside us and knows exactly who we are, who we have been, and who we will be. We're not invisible to Him, and we cannot put up a fake version of ourselves. He knows us for who we really are.
It shows us that Jesus knows our worth, even when we feel worthless. Maybe no one else sees us as valuable. Perhaps you feel used, or maybe you've done something that makes you broken. The good news of this passage is that Jesus not only knows us for who we really are, but He also knows our true worth. He made us, after all, in His precious image and in His precious, remarkable, wonderful plans. That's who we are to Jesus: preciously, remarkably, and wonderfully made.
It shows us that, yes, we need a Savior. God has made us as His special imagebearers, but because He sees us as who we are, He knows that we're sinners. He knows we've lied, stolen, cussed, disobeyed, disrespected, lusted, and coveted. He knows we're made to worship Him and have chosen to worship our phones, our popularity, our problems, our situation, our jobs, or anything else that consumes our minds. The good news of this passage is that this isn't a mystery that needs to be figured out by Jesus; He already knows.
It shows us that Jesus knows our purpose. Maybe we feel like we don't have a purpose, or maybe we feel like our sinfulness has ruined that purpose. The good news of this passage is that Jesus has a purpose for every single one of us, and He can lead us to that purpose. How, you may ask? Why, by loving us.
Yes, this passage shows that Jesus loves and accepts us. We're His precious creation, full of purpose and worth. He knows us totally and fully. We have all sinned and failed to live up to that distinction, yes, but that does not keep Him from loving us and accepting us. He will test us and search us for anything wicked, offensive or idolatrous in us, and when He does, He is willing to root it out. He is willing to restore us to our purpose. He is willing to remind us of our worth. He is willing to save us, and that is because He knows, accepts, and loves us. In fact, He loved us so much that He died to save us from sins, if only we believe and confess Him as Savior and Lord. That's love and acceptance.
So maybe you feel hopeless today. Maybe it's been a downer of a day, week, or decade. Regardless, I want you to know that we do have hope, and that hope is found in Jesus. We have hope in a Lord that knows us fully, that knows our worth, that knows our purpose, that knows our sins, and yet also loves and accepts us as His own.
Maybe, just maybe, this will bring you some hope.
