Hearts Cry Out

Although some days are truly amazing, wonderful days - days filled with laughter, excitement, peace and fun, we all have those other days - lonely, frustrating, scary or just plain hard days. The verse below reminded me this morning of a very basic truth:

"And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father'" Galatians 4:6 (NLT).

In context with the scriptures on either side of this verse, Paul is writing about what it means to be full sons and to be in relationship with a father. His parallels of earthly father/son (child) relationships are used to demonstrate and better explain what it means to be heirs of the one true Father above.

What spoke to me in this verse today was something just as true, but slightly tangential given the original context. It was the last part of this verse...And it resonated in me, because of those days I wrote about above - days that feel like we're all alone, days that feel like there is something missing and that it was never meant to be this way. I say "feel" with intention, because those of us in Christ are never alone, and believers or not, we are never outside the loving heart of our God's care and concern. But, let me be honest, be that as it may, I certainly have had days - sometimes long stretches of them - that felt very, very alone. And that's what this verse said to me: it is precisely because I am His daughter that when I forget to cry out for Him, and forget to stay close to Him, I do feel alone. His Spirit is in our hearts, and that is what prompts us to long for His presence in our lives.

Now, just to be clear, I do not mean to say that if we're hurting or feel lonely or sad, we're not doing a "good job" of calling out to God. All I'm saying is that the ache that emanates in those times is about separation from God, which, as is often said, is the very definition of sin. It's because of sin in the world, and because of sin in our own fleshly nature that we experience the gut wrenching pain of certain things in life. And please know, I don't write this as a Biblical scholar or even Biblically knowledgeable person. I consider myself an absolute novice, just trying to learn through His word and the Spirit in me. But, from what I can tell (so far! I may disagree with myself in a couple years!), this is part of what's implicit truth in this verse. We cry out to Him, and we're caused to do so precisely because He is our Father.

So, what I can take from this for myself today is that when I feel lonely, when I feel that distance and isolation, I must remember that it is just another way for Him to remind me to lean on Him, to seek His face and, of course, His grace. All hurting and pain cannot be stopped in this lifetime; it's the nature of a fallen world. BUT, I have never felt pain and sorrow that wasn't eased or accompanied by greater peace when I sought His presence in the midst of it. And all that said, I don't know about you, but even amidst a very joyful time in my life, I'm sure I can use the reminder.