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Jesus for the Despairing: a Reflection
Who am I? What am I doing? What is the purpose of my life? Is it all a big accident?
We live in a world filled with futility, loneliness and despair. Life has lost its old certainties, and for many has become meaningless. How can we navigate through the immense ocean of time without a map, without a compass-
There is nothing new about these questions. The Bible shows that the same search for meaning has existed for thousands of years. In the book of Job the same issue is raised by a man who had lost everything. In the book of Ecclesiastes we see almost identical questions asked by a man who had gained everything. Their joint conclusion: everything is pointless!
For the first of these men, however, there was an answer. God began to reveal the wonder and the intricacy of the universe to him. And, gradually, Job began to realize once more his place within that incredible scheme.
(Job 42.1-
Look around you for a moment. In a single glimpse you can see things close to you, and things in the distance. You may even be aware of objects much further from us: the sun, for example, a mere ninety-
Now imagine, briefly, what it would be like to look down on things as God sees them. Suddenly you are not only outside space, but outside time itself! Not only can you now take in the entire universe in one glance, but past, present and future joining together within a single sweep. The creation of the world, the building of Stonehenge, the Roman Empire, your own birth and death, all appear together within the same instant of time.
If God sees an end hidden in every beginning, consider how he looks at the world around us. He looks inside a tiny acorn and sees acre after acre of forest. He looks inside a single egg and sees countless flocks of birds. He looked inside Abraham and saw an entire race of people, stretching from generation to generation to generation. (Gen. 1.12,12.2; Isa. 51.2).
He looks at you and sees ... what?
For each one of us this will be something unique. Something extraordinary. Something far beyond our ability to imagine or conceive. Something that could change the history of the world. (1 Cor. 2.9).
Yet, by and large, we have all lost that vision of what we were called to be. Two thousand years ago, however, a man came claiming to be the key to that lost sense of purpose. His name: Jesus of Nazareth. The lost, the broken, the failures, the despairing, all found new purpose as they came into contact with him. Is it possible that he could do the same for us? (Luke 4.18,42).
You and I are no mistake, no accident, no quirk of fate. From before the beginning of time God has carefully planned every aspect of our existence, eagerly awaiting the moment at which we would appear in the world. For each one of us he has a role and destiny uniquely reserved, which urgently needs attention, and which we alone as individuals can fulfil. (Ps. 139.13-
Jesus and the search for significance
Many of us still remember the extraordinary scenes that followed the death of Princess Diana as the twentieth century ebbed into its final sunset. A page of history had been turned. Tributes poured in from world leaders, and millions queued in the streets. Humanity came together at a time of great tragedy, and offered a fond farewell.
Could you ever, in your wildest dreams, imagine your own life singled out in this extraordinary way? Is it possible that in heaven, it already is? Could it be that God considers you to be just as precious as the world’s most admired celebrity? That the overwhelming love he has just for you makes the world's grief over one tragic loss seem like a drop in the ocean! (Matt. 11.11; Eph. 3.17-
Suppose you could gather all the silver and gold in the world, and could number every jewel and gemstone that has ever been found, and could count all the bank-
Think about it for a moment. In the whole of human history, has God ever made another person quite like you? Will he ever do so again? From before the beginning of time he carefully planned every aspect of your life, eagerly awaiting the moment at which you would appear in the world. He assigned you a unique combination of gifts and talents that no-
Yet you and I keep resisting him. We want to live life our way, independently from him. The Bible calls this ‘sin’. Sin separates us from God and his purpose for our lives. It turns us from princes and princesses into paupers. It cuts us off from heaven. (Isa. 59.2).
Sometimes we try to put this right on our own. This is a mistake. Sin creates an impossible gulf between ourselves and God. Can anyone jump to the moon? Can anyone swim the Pacific Ocean? No-
No-
Can we ignore such a costly sacrifice of love? With overwhelming desire and yearning our heavenly Father is calling us back. He calls us back, not with great letters in the sky, but in the outstretched arms of a naked man, twisted in agony, nailed to death on a bare wooden cross.
Now it is our turn to make a response. We need to confess our sins individually to God. We need to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour in our own hearts. Our choice has consequences not just for now but for the whole of eternity.
Let us not lose the very thing we were made for, with a future beyond anything we can imagine or conceive. Let us come to Jesus, whose 'strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Cor. 12.9). Let us not give way to despair, but receive the indescribable peace that Jesus offers (John 14.27).
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11.28-
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