Only in Him

Gentle Reader,

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.

– Psalm 25:5 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

There’s a blizzard brewing, a phenomenon not uncommon to the prairie. Snow falls fast and heavy. Gusts drive that which has accumulated off of the roof, gravity pulling the flakes down onto the bare branches of the trees that stand sentinel in the yard. The call of sirens fills the air, drawing attention to an accident that must have occurred one or two streets over, for, despite the coming of ice and snow each year, people consistently forget how to drive in this weather.

It won’t be long before cabin fever sets in. Too cold and nasty to be outside for long, families search for something, anything, to do.

Searching is part of the human psyche. Whether it’s looking for ways to beat the winter doldrums, seeking a way to lose weight (without actually reducing calories or increasing activity) or questing for the perfect shade of red, we’re always chasing after one thing or another. No matter how often we are told to “be in the moment” and to “count [our] blessings,” discomfort and restlessness in the now, this day, seems to be our default setting. Surely there must be more and better.

Though discontentment can (and does) lead to bad decisions, I’m not sure that every twinge we feel is inherently bad. Perhaps these feelings, at least sometimes, stem from the part of our souls that recognizes truth: This world is not how it should be. The Apostle Paul told his Roman audience centuries ago that people have to actively suppress the truth they recognize in order to do whatever it is they are wanting to do. And oddly, whatever it is that a person is wanting to do often is done in an attempt to soothe the ache that the recognition brings.

Oh, humans. We are so smart, capable of truly great things, and yet so completely foolish.

Thankfully, there is a remedy. We don’t have to remain lost in feelings of anger and longing. As the Advent season just daily preached to us, God has come. Salvation is here. We, who cannot save ourselves, despite all of our best efforts and intentions, have been given the ultimate gift of grace. We can be reconciled to God, to each other and ourselves. Jesus, the Anointed One, took on our humanity. Fully God and fully man, He kept the law we could never hope to keep. He preached the Good News, healed the sick and set the captives free.

Then He died. A brutal, humiliating, unfair death. He paid the penalty for law-breaking that we should have paid. Darkness fell, the tomb was closed, His friends despaired.

Three days later, alive. Comforting Mary in the garden, eating fish with those He loved, taking the time to reach two people walking to another town. Death – defeated. Sin – vanquished.

He is our Priest, the only One who stands in the gap. He is our Prophet, the only One who speaks complete truth at all times. He is our King, the only One who can righteously rule.

Only in Him will our discontent be soothed.

Only in Him is our salvation found.

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