298. He's Closer Than You Think

Colossians 1:27

Have you ever gotten so completely frustrated, alone, afraid, distressed and confused that you wondered where Jesus was? Why doesn’t He respond to your prayers? Why isn’t He showing up to give you help? Does He care about you? Why won’t He speak to you? Why won’t He do something? Where is He? One of the things that’s strange about our belief in Jesus is that it is a walk of faith. It’s something you believe even though you can’t see it. It’s something you’re convinced is true, even when there is no irrefutable evidence. It’s mysterious. Jesus sometimes allows us to go through extremely difficult things. He walks us through trials and suffering. He pulls the rug out from underneath and even breaks your heart and when that happens, it’s reasonable to look around trying to figure out where He is. I’ve watched some people I love go through seasons just like this recently. I’ve seen friends in the depths of these questions and I’ve noticed something really interesting. I’ve watched a person who’s frantically searching around for evidence of Jesus turn around and pray for someone else who’s hurting. I’ve seen a friend desperate to find the Lord in their pain that somehow mustered up the love to extend forgiveness and mercy to someone else who sinned against them. I’ve watched a brother drowning in confusion explain the Good News to people who needed to hear it. In other words, while they were looking for Jesus, I saw Jesus in them. One of the mysteries of our faith is that we don’t just believe in Jesus - He lives inside us. Paul says, “The glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”