Lord, Please Help Us!

In the last month I feel like I’ve come across so many people who are hurting.

Some people are messaging me about their family members who died recently. I have other friends who are currently watching their family members die. Others are writing me about their loved ones who were sexually molested, and they couldn’t do anything to protect them. Others are writing me about their family members who are in rehab. Some friends write to me about their abusive marriages, while others tell me about their terrible loneliness. Some friends have lost their jobs and don’t know if they can afford gifts for the holidays, let alone the bills of coming years. A few days ago, I was writing to a guy who was unjustly put in prison. He is spending Christmas and possibly decades away from his family. Then, tonight I found out that a wonderful family friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

All these stories while I face 3 more months of IVIG treatments and then I’m supposed to go back to the brain surgeon for, “more testing.” I realize now that as much as brain surgery may help me, and I believe it may greatly help me; it can’t “fix me.” This means accepting the long-term unknown with my health AGAIN.

So much pain, so much loss, so much suffering; what do we do with all this? “Lord, we need your help!” I cry out. And I can’t help but think this has been the cry of humanity since the Garden of Eden. Isn’t the pain, the compassion I feel now, only a piece of what God must feel for us daily? What else would compel such a God to leave Heaven and come dwell among His handiwork?? Why leave a place of beauty, no pain and no tears and come down to a world with suffering?

You don’t really see other “gods” leave their heavenly realms in other religions unless it’s to come have sex with humans, have a little fun, and then go back up to their heavenly realm and forget about humanity. They’ll make wagers with other gods over humans, but they don’t love people, not in a selfless way. Sometimes they produce “demigods” after sleeping with humans and those demigods have to live on earth because they’re born here, or so their legends go. But those demigods don’t care too much for humans either. They’d rather live among the gods in the heavenly realms.

What makes the Christian God different? When He comes down to earth He never has sex with mortals, or uses humans for fun, and leaves. Instead, He comes as an infant, living among the blue-collar workers. How humble, how unique, that He doesn’t need to appear as “God” to everyone who sees him. He blends in among humanity because His reason for coming is to teach us how to live, and to sacrifice Himself, shed His blood, for our sins.

Why? So we don’t have to live in this messy, heartbroken, confused state forever. He wants to give us peace of heart on this earth, fellowship with Him, purpose while we live here. And then He invites us to come live with Him in Heaven.

Wait…. What??? Live with God, in His estate?! Jesus is the first God you ever see invite us to live with Him in Heaven. No other religion, before Him, has a God invite His people to come live in Heaven. Maybe the religion claims that they will live in “peace” be “reincarnated” or live in a “paradise separate from the gods.” But none of their gods want humans to come live with them. Humans are separate, lower than the gods. If humans are lower than God, which we absolutely are, why would you want them to live among you unless you genuinely enjoy being around them? Which He does, like a Father enjoys being around his children.

What kind of God would make a way for us to live in paradise with Him? Jesus Christ. Not only did He invite us, but He paid the price required for us to enter that kingdom. Blood was required, sacrifice was required for our sins.

But animal sacrifice wouldn’t be enough, “…every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again, and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” Heb 10:11 So if animal sacrifices won’t take away sins what would? Only the perfect, sinless, blood of God. God wouldn’t require us to sacrifice human blood for our sins. Instead, He would come be the sacrifice for us.

Whaaaat??? What kind of God would take a step below humans and BE the sacrifice for them instead of taking the sacrifice from them? Jesus.  He understands our hurt. He understands our tears. He understands every situation that I’ve brought up to Him this month. He grieves with us at the tragedy that comes in life as well as from peoples’ evil decisions.

Free will is supposed to be a gift so we don’t feel like robots being controlled by Big Brother. But instead, we often use our free will to please ourselves, gratify our flesh, and hurt others. What about all the sickness I see, and suffer from myself? Is that from free will? I know it didn’t exist in the Garden of Eden. I know disease wasn’t on the earth until after the fall. And now many of us are the victims of an unforgiving world.

Yet, there is hope. There is always hope. Because we have a Savior that is full of goodness, light, and love. He is the one who was willing to leave His Heavenly realm 2,000 years ago and come be born in a humble stable. He wasn’t thrown off when King Herod tried to kill him. He wasn’t upset when Mary and Joseph couldn’t find a place to stay, and there was “No room in the Inn.” He wasn’t flustered when they had to flee Israel and go to Egypt so baby Jesus wouldn’t be killed. No. He had a plan, and He worked goodness throughout all the ups and downs. He brought hope and joy into this world. He is not thrown off by the things we are flustered about. He has a plan and will guide us through it all. He will bring hope and He will bring joy.

Jesus came to bring reconciliation between humanity and God so that God’s spirit could live inside of us instead of in a temple. God wants to be in a relationship with us, not separated from us. That was always the plan. Even from the beginning, He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Sin separated us from that intimacy with God. But Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross made a way for His spirit to live inside of us and cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness. He will empower us to walk in purity, hope and victory on this earth. We will not be perfect, because we are human. But “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 And He will direct our steps and be with us in the process of this life.

So when heartbreak, and tragedy strike, as they do- He is in us, and if we look to Him, He will help us find peace in the storm that is raging around us. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 He didn’t promise us a sugar-coated life. He is honest, and He knew the ups and downs we were going to face. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 He let us know we would have trouble. But that wasn’t the end of it. Take heart, for He has overcome this world. This world is not the end of it. He has overcome it. And the one who has overcome this world lives in you and me.

The story of God coming to this world, as an infant, and what He sacrificed for us will never cease to amaze me. With all the hardship and suffering going on around me I take comfort knowing there is a God that greatly loves us, who sympathizes with our pain, who wept while He was on this earth. He took our punishment upon His back so that we could have His spirit live in us and so that we could live in Heaven. I hope reading this article has given you some awe as you reflect upon the contrast of Him versus other religions’ gods.

Merry Christmas to all of you :)!! I pray peace would be in all of our hearts and minds this season.