I have felt happy and I have felt sad. I have felt betrayal and I have befriended. I have felt victorious and I have felt defeated. Security, insecurity… melancholy, excited… passionate, unfeeling… powerful, weak… anxious, calm… and on and on it goes. In our humanity (the flesh), we are assaulted with a multitude of feelings. Some would say that these feelings are hard-wired into our brains. Our synapses are the playground for our feelings. This emotional roller coaster can be the ride that leads to exhilaration or to terror. Been there, done that, as they say.
If all I had to depend on in this life was the ever fickle grip of emotion, I believe I would certainly go mad. For the lost man – the unbeliever – that is the fate that waits for him (or her). I can attest that my life before my commitment to follow Jesus had wild swings of happiness and very dark periods of sadness. Even now, if I confessed to you openly (as I am), I have days when it seems that my emotions attempt to control my life. The devil uses memories of hard times and crushing disappointments to bring me down and when I get in that condition, I am less effective for the cause of Christ than I should be. Satan can never take away my salvation, but he can attempt render me ineffective.
So, what is the answer to this dilemma? How can we overcome this human failing? For myself and other believers, the answer lies in scripture. We must go to the Word of God to remind ourselves of the Rock, the Anchor of our souls – Jesus. Through Him, all things are possible and our emotions can be beaten back into submission, under subjection to the promises of God. Consider these verses:
- …so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. – Hebrews 6:18-20
Remember, Jesus goes before us. He is our high priest forever. He clears the way for us to approach a holy and righteous God. Jesus is also our anchor. When the storms of life toss around, He holds us firm, just out of reach of destruction. On top of all that, God cannot lie, so trust in His Word. - And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? – Mark 4:39-40
Remember that all things, everything, yep… all of creation is under His authority. Faith is the key. If we were willing to place our faith in Jesus to save us, then we should be willing to have faith in His ability to keep us – even through the storms of life. - A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:24
Proverbs foretold the fact that there was One coming who we could (and can) count on – even when our brothers and sisters let us down. A brother in the Lord should stay by your side when life gets tough, but sometimes he does not. This is a harsh reality, but knowing that Jesus will never leave us, well… that is powerful. Hang your hat on that and that alone. Even when you “feel” like no one cares about what you are facing in this life, Jesus is right there beside you. You just need to be willing to call on Him. Do not wait until you are completely spent and stressed before you ask Him for help. You cannot do it on your own. Ask Him to intercede.
Yes, feelings will let you down, but Jesus will lift you up. Put your faith in Him everyday, not just on the day that you asked Him to save you. Walk with Him. Talk with Him. You will be glad that you did. Amen.
