Things Are Not Always What They Seem

Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. // Jeremiah 14:19

At 30,000-something feet, I opened my sleepy eyes. I blinked repeatedly in an attempt to move the contacts that had stuck to my eyes. With blurry vision, I glanced out the window into the bright light. 

Oh look, the ocean, I thought. I blinked a few times, and laughed to myself. Totally not the ocean. Those are clouds. 

(Besides, I was flying over Kansas, not the Pacific.)

From a post-nap, foggy plane window, oceans and clouds (two very different things) look the exact same. And from a weary heart, life can feel just as confusing.

Let this be your reminder today: your feelings are not always telling you the truth. 

When I count up all the tiring tasks to get done in a day, the horrific news reaching my ears, and the constant suffering of the people I love, it’s easy to say God is far away.

It’s extremely real—the weight of life, the exhaustion in our bodies, the pain in our hearts. 

Bring that to God. Like the prophets and the psalmists, tell Him how you look around at your lack of peace and wonder when He’s going to step in (see Jeremiah 14:19).

Then, listen. Give Him some room to be truthful too. Lean into the sound of His voice as He tells you that He is who He says He is. That He really was born into poverty, and He really did die on a cross. That His life set yours free, and that He walks every single day by your side.

Your honest laments do not scare the Lord. Unlike us, He can see the film over our eyes, and He isn’t surprised that it tricks us into doubt. 

He just wants to set it straight. He wants you to blink a few times, to breathe deep, and to look closer. He wants to show you Who He really is. 

Will you let Him?