Overcoming Depression (Part Six): Nervousness

“I worry a lot, but that’s not a sin, right?”

How would you answer that question? It was put to me by a Christian lady who had so many other struggles that her depression and worry seemed almost innocent. But is nervousness a victimless crime? Isn’t it kind of like having a stuffy nose?

As I have pointed out in other articles in this series, the feelings of depression are never sinful. They may come from something bodily like caffeine, fatigue or even serious illness (a prospect that can also dominate your thoughts if you are not careful). But we are not addressing the feelings themselves. We are addressing your response to those feelings. This woman’s worry was having a substantial impact on the others in her home. Her family was missing out on the loving care she could have given had she not spent so much time spreading her anxiety around the house.

Set aside for now the serious physical effects (digestive ailments and spikes in blood pressure to name two) that result from chronic anxiety. The bigger question—at least for a Christian—is: What impact does this have on my relationships and responsibilities?

The feeling of nervousness and distraction can look different in different people. For instance, in some people it almost seems like an attack from outside themselves. They feel agitated and cannot explain it. Still others have a specific object to their anxiety. Relationships, finances, coming events or re-playing past events dominate the thoughts.

Either way the nervous feelings sometimes associated with depression—even if they come from identifiable physical causes like caffeine or fatigue—usually keep you from the kind of neighbor loving that pleases God.

It is not difficult to find a biblical description of a symptom associated with depression that we all recognize in ourselves and others. Jesus described it this way in His clearest message about worry or anxiety:

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34, NASB

So ask yourself some questions:

·       What do my anxious thoughts say about the way I think God cares for me?

·       Am I thinking true thoughts or are the voices of my nerves shouting louder than God’s word?

·       What is God trying to do in the midst of this?

·       What other people are being kept from service I could give them because of my anxiety?

Are you are nervous and distracted?

1.     Maybe you need to retrain your thinking (Colossians 3:2). It could be that you have actually created the problem that controls your thoughts. Write down some of the Scripture texts found in this study and review them every day. The next time these feelings begin to creep into your thoughts you will have true thoughts to call to mind.

2.     Maybe you need to find an other-focused mission to occupy your thoughts (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:1-11). The remedy for anxiety is found in obeying the two greatest commands. Write down ten tangible ways you can exert yourself to serve others in your life (e.g., writing encouraging notes, doing extra chores to lighten the load of another, asking questions and listening to others without complaining about your life). Start at home. Get to work on it.

Ten articles in this series:

1  2  3  4  5  7  8  9  10

Pleasant Experience = Preaching in Flip-flops

Happy Mother’s Day! I was able to speak with my mother and my wife today thanks to the thoughtfulness of one of our church members who supplied me with a cell phone that works in Haiti.

The men finished the first exams last night. Most of them did very well, although I need to do a little tutoring to help one fellow who seems paralyzed by written exams.

Today I started teaching through Romans—make that flying through Romans. I was charged with preaching in our worship service to start the day. Guess what text I used? Far be it from me to miss getting an extra session in Romans. The material is far too important. So I skipped through chapter one expositionally and offered an application outline at the end (It took eight weeks to get through chapter one at RLBC).

The big message of chapter one is that les Gentils sont coupables (The Gentiles are guilty). This whole letter has as its theme that God’s righteousness is unattainable by unrighteous men except through faith. His wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness.

To illustrate the unrighteousness of men and the righteousness of God I used a story told by the missionary who wrote Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. When his family lived in a tropical climate in a house on stilts a large rat crawled under the house and died—right under the master bedroom. It was a tight space and not easy to reach. The stench got so bad that he and his wife started sleeping in another part of the house. Finally the man’s son crawled under the house with a plastic bag over his hand and pulled the rotting carcass out by the tail. He ran toward the forest and flung the corpse into the trees as far as he could.

Hard as it is to take, all through Scripture that is the way God looks at sin and those who sin. That’s Adam and that’s me and my wages. Read the Old Testament and see how death was treated in the ceremonies of Israel. No wonder Jesus said that one day sinners will hear, “Depart from Me!” (Matthew 25:41).

Somehow we dead rats need righteousness and nothing we have to offer is something God wants. Our only hope is the performance of another, one Who personally experienced the terror of God’s abandonment (See 2 Corinthians 5:21 for a short synopsis). Rats needs mercy, not performance. Imagine a rat telling God, “I’ll let you into my heart.”

Adventure report: I got a new roommate yesterday. Then I killed him. The corner of my vision caught movement and I saw a healthy-sized roach. Flip-flops are versatile. They can be used to hold your place in your Bible when you are preaching outdoors and as weapons when you decide you do not wish to share your room with large beetles.

Don't Be Afraid of Romans Nine

            The ninth chapter of Romans has been the subject of much debate through the centuries because a person’s view of divine sovereignty, human responsibility and the place of Israel in God’s plan may hinge on its interpretation. The exercise of interpreting Romans nine is so disturbing to some that they have opted to ignore teaching it. It is a lot easier to attack the interpretive work of another teacher if you haven’t done the exercise yourself. 

            This blog regularly deals with biblical counseling issues. Embracing what this chapter teaches will bring you to have a God-centered approach to any struggle you could ever bring into the counseling room

            Does God really have the right to do whatever He wants with people, including choosing to save them or leave them in their sins? Later I am going to answer, “Yes,” but let me illustrate.

            I grow rhubarb. I have a thriving stand of it in my garden. It belongs to me. I created a space for it with my tiller. I planted it. My family tends it. We pick some of it and use it for our purposes.

            We can use it for whatever we want. My wife makes killer rhubarb pie, rhubarb torte, rhubarb crisp and rhubarb crunch. I have even sampled some delicious rhubarb punch. I occasionally eat it like a stalk of celery, as disgusting as that might sound to you. Its large leaves, when picked, work well as a mulch to keep down weeds or as a hat to prevent sunburn.

            Rhubarb is valuable to me as long as it accomplishes my purposes. But it tends to shade some of my other garden plants and make them pale. It sometimes encroaches on the territory of other plants. When this happens I have to take action.

            What if rhubarb had a personality? Can you picture those red and green stalks meeting under cover of darkness to plot my overthrow and replace me with the garden rake or the largest tomato plant?

            What if I use my self-propelled Toro lawnmower to take out a section of the rebels? Would those stalks I left complain that the others never had the chance? Would they accuse me of violating the free will of those stalks that really wanted to be in a pie of only they had been given a chance?

            Get this: Even you rhubarb lovers would not take their side against me because the issue is not the free will of the rebels but the free will of the master. It is not what my rhubarb wants but what I want that makes the difference.

            This is where my illustration breaks down. Rhubarb does not have personality. It was not created with a mind, emotions and a will. It has not used its will to replace me. That is why the story of God’s redemption is so much more vivid.

            The story of the Bible is not about great people who achieved great things for God. The story is of a great God, period. We are allowed in His story because He decided to let us in. We belong to Him. He created a space for us. He put us here. He takes care of us and makes us thrive here. He uses us for His purposes.

            Are you ready for this? He has the right to do whatever He wants with us because He is God. Bad thing for us, we have darkened minds, self-focused emotions and depraved wills. Our fallen wills have chosen to replace the living God with anything from statues made of stone to sports to sensuality. Good thing for us, this God does what He wants in complete harmony with His character. And that changeless character is merciful as well as holy.

            The content of the chapter is summarized in verse 18, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Does this mean that God actively chooses the people who get to be saved while passing others by, or is there another way of looking at it? Two primary views emerge: Either (1) God saves individuals on the basis of His character and sovereign plan or (2) God saves nations on the basis of His character and sovereign plan. The second view leaves open the possibility for God to rescue or condemn nations independent of His dealings with individual people.

            It is true that God judges nations while saving His people inside those nations, but that is not the message of Romans 9. While there are national aspects to the election of God (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), this text will demonstrate that viewing God as the Savior of individuals is the interpretation that best fits the purpose of Paul’s letter. The story of God’s redemptive plan for the nation of Israel is an illustration that directs us to His redemptive plan for individuals, not the other way around. Romans nine contends that God is the sovereign ruler over nations and individuals within those nations for His own good purpose and His own glory.

            We humans, like so much rebellious rhubarb, are not running to submit to God’s rule. People who are troubled with talk of election and predestination have an incorrect view of the nature of man and the nature of God. Men are not crawling over one another to get into the kingdom of heaven and God is not standing outside with a stick, beating those poor willing souls away from the gates.

            God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden because He is God and because we are rebels. As the book of Romans has clearly illustrated, the shocking reality is not that God would dare allow rebels to suffer eternal punishment but that He would dare save any of us.

            Does this make sense to you? Does it make sense that this is God’s world and that He can do whatever He wants? Beware if it does. When you take this point of view you need to be ready to answer some questions. If God is indeed sovereign, every event in His world is subject to the scrutiny of the people in His world.

            How, for instance, do you answer the skeptic who asks you how you can believe in a God who would raise up wicked men like Herod the Great, Adolph Hitler and Osama bin Laden to kill so many innocent people? What kind of God would allow earthquakes and tsunamis and hurricanes to kill children? “If that is God, I choose not to believe in Him,” your unbelieving friends might say.

            You could take the current theological way of escape from hard questions and say that God has limited His knowledge of some future events. Redefining God’s attributes by giving Him this “openness” might make you think you are protecting His reputation from blame for events you cannot explain. But you can never satisfy a sinner whose heart is hard by cutting God down to the sinner’s level of understanding.

            There are some questions we can never answer. Can you be satisfied with that and still run to your Savior even when He has left you hurting and weak?

            The Gospel of Luke (13:1) records an instance where some men questioned Jesus about a horrible crime Pilate reportedly committed against some Galileans in the Temple. Jesus replied reminding them of yet another tragedy in which a tower fell and killed eighteen people. We cannot know why they asked Him about this but we can know what our response to such events needs to be. Jesus said that such events call us to repentance. Catastrophes are a reminder that our lives are short and unpredictable and that we are accountable to God. While men are shaking their fists at the Creator they should be kneeling in shame, pleading for forgiveness.

            So this begs the question: Do you want a God without a plan and without control over His creation? If He is not in charge, the alternative rulers deserve more fist-shaking than God is currently getting. Do you want a God Who chooses not to control nature or Who is surprised by the wicked plans of wicked men? When your unbelieving friends look at a sin-cursed world and seek to accuse God of wrongdoing, turn the tables like Jesus did. The burden is on them. Unless they repent they will perish in similar fashion.

            This is Paul’s argument in Romans nine. Man says, “That’s not fair.” God says, “Don’t ask for what’s fair.” Man says, “What about my free will?” God says, “What about my free will?”

            Consider some thoughts that may help you as you approach what has been called “the most neglected chapter in the Bible”:

            There are some things you can know for sure when you approach this difficult chapter:

1.   It does not contradict what the Bible says elsewhere. The Bible has proven itself immune to the charges of its critics. This does not mean that there are no difficult passages, only that those passages are part of a unified body of revelation from God.

2.   It presents God as He is, whether you like it or not. Romans nine does not seek to accommodate those who seek to create a lesser god.

3.   God is never confused or in error. Whenever there are charges of wrongdoing, God is never the defendant.

4.   It is possible to correctly understand the hard texts. Your confusion over circumstances or biblical texts does not change God’s character or His word. The emotions stirred by a difficult text should never determine your interpretation of that text. Your theology or system of belief must bend to the plain reading of any Scripture text, not vice versa.

5.   The safest action for hurting or confused people is to run into the presence of God, never away from Him.

Irresistible Grace: How God Applies the Rescue

Many years ago after an incident in which my minivan became hopelessly stuck on a frozen Wisconsin lake in February (long story, feel free to ask for details), I saw an illustration of an important biblical teaching. Preachers do that (look for illustrations, not drive on snowy lakes).

Back to the story. Through the darkness, the driver of a very powerful four-wheel-drive Chevy truck saw my overheated vehicle and drove through deep snow to rescue me. He hooked a chain to my chassis and dragged me to the main road that crossed the lake. I didn’t flag him down. I could say I cooperated, but my spinning wheels were useless until he dragged me to the place where my wheels could work.

The bottom line is this: my rescue was all about his decision to come and get me. My contribution to the process, if you call it a contribution, was being obviously in trouble.

Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). Why did he say that? He said that because he was pointing out (see more in verses 26-46) that God’s people will be saved at the time and by the means he has ordained. They will repent and believe, but even those are gifts. In other words, Jesus was articulating the doctrine that would later be called “Irresistible Grace”.

Many of those who oppose this doctrine do so because of a faulty caricature. They testify of their own resistance to the gospel’s call to repentance. People say, “If this is true, then why did I resist so long before I turned to Christ?”

Of course everyone resists God. Stephen spoke of this in Acts 7:51, as did Paul in Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19. This is our nature. Total depravity, right? So then, spiritually dead people can only exercise faith when a work of God called “regeneration” frees their will. Faith comes after the new birth (John 1:11-14; John 3:3-8; Titus 3:4-5; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; 1 John 5:1). The Canons of Dordt used these words to defend this doctrine:

Moreover, when God carries out this good pleasure in his chosen ones, or works true conversion in them, he not only sees to it that the gospel is proclaimed to them outwardly, and enlightens their minds powerfully by the Holy Spirit so that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God, but, by the effective operation of the same regenerating Spirit, he also penetrates into the inmost being of man, opens the closed heart, softens the hard heart, and circumcises the heart that is uncircumcised. He infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil one good, the unwilling one willing, and the stubborn one compliant; he activates and strengthens the will so that, like a good tree, it may be enabled to produce the fruits of good deeds.

So are we puppets, unwilling people dragged into the family of God? No more than Lazarus resisted coming forth from that tomb. No more than I fought the guy in the Chevy truck. The Canons of Dordt coupled this doctrine with Total Depravity:

…this divine grace of regeneration does not act in people as if they were blocks and stones; nor does it abolish the will and its properties or coerce a reluctant will by force, but spiritually revives, heals, reforms, and--in a manner at once pleasing and powerful--bends it back. As a result, a ready and sincere obedience of the Spirit now begins to prevail where before the rebellion and resistance of the flesh were completely dominant. It is in this that the true and spiritual restoration and freedom of our will consists. Thus, if the marvelous Maker of every good thing were not dealing with us, man would have no hope of getting up from his fall by his free choice, by which he plunged himself into ruin when still standing upright.

Because man is spiritually dead, only a gracious work of God can change his condition. This work, then, does not force unwilling people into the kingdom but makes unwilling people willing. This is what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. It is what God did when he granted Gentiles faith. It was the experience of Lydia, whose heart God opened.

The suggestion that this doctrine is anti-evangelistic cannot stand up against the facts. Evangelist John R. Rice wrote, “Satan uses this doctrine of ‘Irresistible Grace’ to lull Christians to disobedience and lack of compassion and burden to get people saved.” In reality, believing this promotes aggressive evangelism. We do not need manipulative altar calls, a great band or funny cartoons to woo more people to salvation. God uses means and his chosen means of rescuing sinners is the preaching of the gospel. Ours is not to dress it up but to spread it thick. As one preacher said, “We stand in the service of the all-sovereign God of the universe whose words do not fall to the ground, whose purposes must be accomplished and whose people will be saved.”

A man questioning his fundamentalist upbringing, part 4

George:

What do you have to prove? Becoming sinlessly perfect is good enough for God. You have to be better than the people around you. That is why Jesus’ words “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” must have been an initial shock to the ordinary people to whom he wrote.

Micah said that what is good and what God requires is to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. The Old and New Testaments both demand holiness like God’s holiness.

Does that sound like some of the “legalism” you saw while growing up? If calls to performance make you restless, they should.

I love the way God brings his people to despair over their souls before they realize what grace is. The whole point of the despair is not to be mean to us but to show us that faith is the casting of our entire sinful bulk at the feet our Intercessor, Jesus Christ, the Righteous, and pleading for mercy. I try and try to be good and finally I cry out, “I can’t play this game anymore!” At that point I either run away in confusion or run to the one who set the standard in the first place.

I memorized a poem years ago that says:

To run and work the law demands,
But gives me neither feet nor hands.
Better news the gospel brings;
It bids me fly and gives me wings.

You will note that confusion (“unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you”) is precisely what happened to anyone who encountered Jesus (especially when he told parables). As John MacArthur says, Jesus had a way of discouraging half-hearted disciples. Like the pillar of cloud/fire in the Red Sea or Jesus’ parables, one side provided refuge (not necessarily answers) and the other provided confusion and judgment.

The call to holiness is not like the moral codes that exist elsewhere—even in some fundamentalist churches. This holiness is free and the performance of it is achieved through the working of another who lives inside us. I prove my faith by my works (trusting God, praying, kindness, studying Scripture, fellowship with Christians, serving in church…), but I do it as a loving response to him for what I already have.

Man-centered religion (including some forms of Christianity) calls on people to decide whether or not they want to pay the dues and live the life. To biblical Christianity there is no decision. I must not decide for Christ, I must run to him.

Christians should look at flood-ravaged New Orleans and rather than saying this was God’s judgment on commercialism or riverboat gambling, should echo Jesus words, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” A few hymnals still include the "Rock of Ages" verse that says, “Foul, I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die!”

And he never turns away from those who come his way. You will not find that kind of grace in the religions that have evolved in the world.

I was not saying that we have to defend Christianity. Yes, propositional truth must be accepted by faith (“thus saith the Lord”). I said it is defensible, i.e., faith in Christ is not a step into the darkness to one among many options. Our world says, “Whatever works for you” and “Whatever is truth to you.” Jesus said “I am the truth.”

The God of the Bible is there and he has not been silent. The one who set the universe in motion told us how he did it and how he sustains it. Science confirms, not proves, the designs of God.

The big difference between Christianity and the religions of the world are twofold: (1) A living Savior and (2) a way to become different. The deliverance from the basic human cussedness that honest people (Christian or Buddhist) have to admit is only offered by a person who can give you the righteousness you do not have.

Too long… time to throw this south.

Blessings as you ruminate.

A man questioning his fundamentalist upbringing, part 3

George:

First, the defensibility of Christianity. What I mean is that we have answers. People ask, “Why are we here?” and we have answers. We have answers about why homosexuals ought not to marry, why animals do not have rights, why people fly airplanes into buildings, why tsunamis kill children and why there are so many people groups. You find answers to those questions just in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

The world also has answers, but its answers change as its authority shifts with new moods, new trends and new information.

One of the foundational parts of Christian belief is the origin of the universe. No, the six-day creation is no more reproducible in a lab than is the evolutionary model. Either position springs from the worldview of its proponent. What we have, however, is trust in the word of a God who has backed up everything he says (starting with his promise of death to Adam if he ate of that tree).

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ was not only witnessed by more than five hundred people, its reality has been shown in the dramatic change in the lives of those witnesses as well as those of us who, having not seen, still love him. Jesus did offer a personal touch to Thomas, but pronounced a blessedness on those who have not seen and yet believed. Even the famous American agnostic Charles Templeton, who denied the deity and lordship of Christ, claimed to adore Jesus (The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel). I wonder where he got his information about Jesus?

I’m not telling you that God could never speak to you audibly, but can you love him and trust him if he does not? The qualifications required for such an appointment are pretty rough, as Job, Moses and Elijah would tell you. Confidence comes from trusting the one you cannot see. Peace of mind comes from obeying the one you cannot see (the reward of a clear conscience). Seeing God in the everyday comes from believing that he is, and that he is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek him.

Consider this: God was not absent when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stepped into the flooded waters of the Jordan. I do not think you can even say that his action was dependent on their action (good theology forbids such a man-centered approach). But God had decreed not to part the waters until they obeyed and stepped in. Likewise there was perceived risk for three young men in a fiery furnace and a pregnant teenager who had never slept with a man looking at a sentence of stoning. Here is the point (here I go prying): Is it possible you are wanting God to perform when the burden of proof should be on you?

The providential acts of God in human history demonstrate that he is no absentee landlord. Did you ever consider that if there is even one renegade molecule (R. C. Sproul’s words) in the entire universe outside of the sovereign control of God, we cannot trust him?

No, I do not think the problem here is that God is too silent. He left us Moses and the prophets (and the rest of a unified 66 books). I can honestly tell you that I have too much delight in getting to know him by delving through what he has already said to go looking for more.

A man questioning his fundamentalist upbringing, part 2

George:

I am curious about the healing you said you are seeking. If God responded just the way you like, how would he do it?

One of the most comforting texts of Scripture for me during a doubt storm is where Job (Job 23) is proclaiming that he cannot see God anywhere. He is saying, “I wish I could argue my case before God, but I can’t find him.” His comfort did not come when God appeared. His comfort came when he understood that, while he could not see God, God saw him (23:10).

You asked for something personal… My upbringing was likely similar to yours in that I stumbled over some of the external trappings of Christian fundamentalism that I thought would bring me sanctification. Developing a very feelings-based view of my relationship with God, I decided that I could find those feelings in a variety of settings (e.g., feeling after answered prayer = feeling of a babe who thinks I’m cute). I clung to the shallow theology I knew, but did what I pleased within self-appointed boundaries (don’t take God’s name in vain, witness to others once in awhile). I know there may have been a number of Pharisees in our church, but I’ll chalk the rebellious behavior of my teen years up to the hardness of my own heart.

Bible college was a good experience in that I was challenged to develop my worldview based on the Bible. You may know people who interpret information based on the views of a Christian leader, a famous philosopher or which direction the wind of public opinion is blowing. I was still greatly influenced by my teachers, but learned that it was O.K. to challenge them if I had God’s thoughts behind me.

I wound up pastoring a tiny church in northwest Wisconsin when I was twenty-four, far from the Bible college "plantation" and its pressures. I made many foolish errors (and still do), but studying Scripture gradually brought me to a better understanding of grace. I came to understand what the framers of the Westminster Confession of Faith understood three hundred years earlier when they articulated that man’s primary purpose is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

I am progressively learning to seek a “truth-based” existence rather than a “feelings-oriented” existence.

A man questioning his fundamentalist upbringing, part 1

George:

Our mutual friend told me about your struggles. I do not want to pry, but I would love to correspond with you—even connect you with someone close to your area—if you are willing. Pepper me with questions if you like.

You need to know that you are not alone with your doubts. You probably know enough Bible to remember the lean times experienced by people like Elijah and John the Baptist. Christianity is not only reasonable and defensible, its strong refuge is the best place to run when in doubt. During storms of doubt I have often run to what I know for sure.

Let me recommend a couple of books by Lee Strobel: The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ. This is from a man who started with unbelief and turned to Christ.

I would recommend a church or Christian ministry in your area but I am not sure what part of town you are living in. I will wait to find out.

One thought and I will leave the ball in your court: Faith is not a quality we feel first and foremost. It—even in its weakest form—must have a reliable object or it is worthless (e.g., people put great faith in untrustworthy leaders, security systems, cars, etc.). Tiny faith in a great God is all that is necessary.

We are living in a sin-cursed world and are consequently like the married woman who complained to her husband that the two never sat close in the car anymore. From behind the wheel he asked, “Who moved?”

The glory of God is his constant, heavy presence that does not change when we ignore it or even rebel against it. He is there whether you like it or not. He is faithful though we are faithless.

I have asked God to show himself to you. I hope you are looking for him.