Faith

Coming Into Touch With Reality

by Terry Barlow
03/11/15
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    The other night this statement seemed to drop into my mind and find its way to my spirit: "there will continue to be a need for breakings in our lives to the extent that we are not who and where we think we are in our walk with God, to the degree that we are out of touch with reality in some area." These breakings could be called "reality adjustments" and at God's hand they are usually gentle, depending on the stiffness of our necks and our levels of stubbornness. God is in this sense the Great Chiropractor, bringing us more and more into alignment with His perspective on things. These "adjustments" are really evidence of His mercy in our lives.

  This phenomenon is well illustrated in the life of the apostle Peter who insisted that though all the disciples might be stumbled and offended because of Jesus, he never would be. (Matt 26, v.33) Jesus had to break it to him in the following verse that Peter would deny him three times within the next few hours. Of course Peter didn't accept this and had to find out for himself the hard way as he experienced one of many breakings in his life. Jesus let him and the other disciples have the last word in verse 35, knowing better than to argue with them. The disciples were following Peter's lead but, in this case, it wasn't leading anywhere good and that's exactly why there had to be a breaking.  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise, " wrote the psalmist David in Psalm 51, verse 17.  When Peter caught the eye of Jesus after his devastating denials, there was no hint of despising there, though he may have despised himself for his own weakness. 

  Oswald Chambers wrote once that our biggest conceit is that we think we know ourselves. Peter wasn't the only one who fell and experienced a breaking but all of the disciples did as they fled for their lives. Peter's was the most prominent, though, because he was the most outspoken, singling himself out from the others. Are there areas for us too where we aren't quite in touch with reality, be they in our relationships, families, work situations, finances or even our churches? Areas yet remaining where we may have to be broken in His mercy, so His power and grace can flow through in greater fullness? Will Rogers once commented that human ignorance is more characterized by what we think we know than by what we don't know.

   If there is anyone among all people who is equipped to face reality squarely it ought to be the Christian who is indwelt by the Spirit of God Himself and looks forward to the blessed hope of the soon return of Jesus to establish His rule. If anyone can endure hardness or a hard word from time to time having his" bubble popped" it would be the Spirit filled soldier of the cross of Christ. (2 Timothy 2, v.3) And God will or may allow such hardness to come from time to time to see if we'll continue with Him unconditionally. He already knows, but it may be that WE need to know about the depth of our own commitment. Amen