The Grace Street Blog

I have come to realize that the “advice” for the weary Christian is to have hope in what is to come, that being, eternity with God in Heaven. Now, don’t get me wrong. That is amazing and it is what our greatest hope should be. But for the longest time, I found it so hard to believe that was the only hope out there for those who struggle a little more than others to find the joy or purpose in things or even themselves. But dear weary traveler, I am here to tell you that I think I have found a hope that can be experienced…well…as soon as you want.

A few days ago I was doing my usual workout with my worship playlist going on in the background. Yes, MY worship playlist. Meaning I have heard all of these songs before…but yet again, God opened the door for a new perspective. The song “Still God” by Anna Golden began to play. I had a lot on my mind as I was working out, but as I laid on the floor trying to catch my breath for the short 15 seconds between my reps, I caught of a small piece of these lyrics playing in the background. And lets just say, those 15 seconds turned into 7 minutes and 15 seconds of sitting in awe of this beautiful song.

I highly encourage you to listen to it then finish reading this. Nevertheless, as I listened closely to the lyrics of this song, I noticed for the first time, there may be a slice of hope for those with heavy hearts besides Heaven.

God is still God.

Literal chills. Regardless of how much this world changes, or how much pain you experience, or how much doubt you build up about your Christ-bought identity…He is still God.

In order to understand the weight of this simple phrase, it is critical that you first understand who God is and how He is with His beloved (aka. you, me, and everyone else before and after us). You must build a confidence in God being all He says He is…our sustainer (Psalm 54:4), light (1 John 1:5), refuge (Psalm 62:7-8), consistent (Malachi 3:6), merciful (Deuteronomy 4:31), compassionate (Psalm 116:5), all-loving (Romans 5:8), savior (John 15:13/John 3:16)…and so on.

Why is this so important? Because there is a 100% chance that your life will be filled with changing seasons. Some will be amazing, some will be terrible and heart wrenching. And sadly, because of the sinful world we live in, sometimes we will never experience healing or redemption for things until we are in Heaven. BUT I have good news for you. Weary traveler…you may have to wait until heaven for your depression to be gone or your anxiety to cease or your sickness to heal, but you do NOT have to wait until heaven for your heart to be cared for in the way it was designed to be.

God is still God. In your hurting. In your victories. In your failures. In your diseases. In your proudest moments. In your confusion. In your anxiety. In your fear. In your career change. In your dream college. In your financial problems. In your grief. In your everything. He does not change and He does not leave.

So whether you are on a mountain top or in the deepest of valleys, there is always a God waiting for you to lean on Him so that you may find contentment and know that there is a good truth that never changes, regardless of what your feelings may tell you.

As I was talking with the middle/high school girls at church yesterday, the conversation of God turning bad things into glorifying things arose. And I thought it was important to mention there, and here, that God is not the one who brings trials or burdens into your life. That is the symptom of living in a broken world with broken people. That includes life-long struggles like depression, loneliness, anger, anxiety, and etc. But just like He turned the bad things into good throughout the Bible, look at stories like Joseph in Genesis, He is fully capable and wanting to turn your biggest struggles into something that glorifies Him and is good for you.

What was discussed in our conversation last night was how many times our pains and rough experiences connect us with one another. Christians do not gather to celebrate their perfection. We gather to celebrate a God who is perfect yet still somehow loves all of us who are broken.

So weary traveler…you are not alone. There is a hope more immediate than Heaven. But the only way to experience that and receive it is to be real. Be vulnerable about what you are enduring. There is no shame in our brokenness because of the mercy and grace of God. And most of all, dig deep into learning about who God is so that when the your heart feels so empty yet so heavy, you can rest and be comforted by the hope that God is STILL God.

He is still the ultimate healer. He still loves you unconditionally. He is still the God who does miracles. He still cares for you and cries alongside you. He is still the God who brings hope in the hardest of storms. He still identifies you as redeemed and beloved.

Our life’s purpose is not to be happy as we strive for success in the world’s eyes, but to be joyful as we glorify the Lord wherever and however He calls us.

He is still God, so my fellow weary traveler…may we build our life on this when everything around us seems hopeless.