Enter any DMV building and you’ll instantly be overwhelmed by the amount of human need. License renewal, vehicle registration, driver’s tests, and more! There’s a never-ending stream of human beings needing attention and services from the DMV. And the DMV is only concerned about driving! Go to any hospital, any courthouse, any grocery store, welfare line or fast food drive-through, and you’ll see the same thing. We are full of needs!
But when faced with the clamor of the hungry crowds, Jesus “had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd,” (Matt. 9:36). Even though we often find ourselves in “a desolate place” (Matt. 14:15) Jesus insists on feeding us with his love (Matt. 14:16, John 6:51) and he promised that we would be satisfied (John 6:53). This is a bold statement! Especially considering that we have tons of needs, wants, disappointments, issues, addictions, diseases, afflictions and sins. For it seems as if our needs are a bottomless hole that continues to go ever downward.
But we all have our limits. And our issues, just like us, are finite. The hole that seems to bottom out forever downward is not as deep as God’s love for you and for me. This is precisely why God’s love for us can completely fill us to the brim and beyond! Paul’s prayer is for us to be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” (Eph. 3:19) with a love that we cannot plumb the depths or measure the length of (Eph. 3:18). His love fills every part of us, flows into every nook and cranny of our hearts, our souls, our pasts, our personalities – until, finally, we are fully and powerfully redeemed with God’s love.
In order to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened (Eph. 1:18), it’s important to dwell on the reality of God’s promises, power, and presence in our lives. Meditation is a powerful way to eliminate the distractions of the world and of our own minds and instead dwell on the reality of what God has secured for us. Take the time to do the following:
- Eat a snack, drink some water, take a quick nap. Try to eliminate any nagging discomforts or distractions from what you are about to enter in with God.
- Take a few deep breaths and pray in the name of Jesus that all other voices would be silent, save for his.
- Ask Jesus to reveal the areas of pain in your life that are still nagging you? What are the most recent experiences that reinforce pain and disappointment in your life?
- Declare Scripture to yourself: [I have] been blessed
in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3). God’s power, presence, and promises for eternal life (now and forever) are totally yours! Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans. 8:38). - Offer the things that are bothering you specifically and see if Scripture comes to mind reinforcing how God provides for us in our need. Read these passages repeatedly until you feel you’ve allowed the comfort they bring into your mind and heart.
- Close with a prayer of thanksgiving for how God has spoken to you through His Word.
Ryan Lunde
Pastor of Young Adults