Submitted by Pastor David Wynn, Tarkio Christian Church

Throughout our lives many of us have had to stand up against a brick wall. A wall that we alone have built, brick by brick. It has grown taller each year, almost unreachable. Almost. We’ve carried so many burdens, weighed down by a chain that we had forged, link by link, yard by yard, as Jacob Marley reminded Ebenezer  Scrooge in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

Our God has a plan for each of us, but we stray from it. All of us. But the Good News is that no matter how far we have strayed from Him, He never leaves our side. We are never forgotten, given up on, alone, left behind. Never. Jesus, through His grace and sacrifice, starts to tear down that wall. He removes the first brick. It’s not a one way deal, though. Even though He has removed the first brick, we are expected, implored, begged almost, to remove the second. It’s a mutual task.

God doesn’t give speeches, or lectures. God knows that we have heard enough of them all our lives. No more finger-pointing at our past. None of that. Instead, God appeals to us to take down the second brick, and trust. He says to us what not one person can say to us, no matter how hard they try . . . “You see, I have come to help, and not condemn. You see, tomorrow can and will be better than today. You see, my Son has died so that you will have the gift of eternal life, endless, tearless, painless life with me and Him in paradise. I will open the windows of heaven for you.”

But so often we are slow to trust, aren’t we? We’ve been hurt, condemned so much. We have traveled that parched desert for so long, lips parched from the heat,  eyes searching, so much sorrow.  Time and again we think we have found an oasis, only to learn that it is a false promise, a wavering mirage. We’ve been thirsty for so long. But as God talks, and pleads, and begs, we let our guard down. And we begin to remove a few bricks. Our distrust is still there, our desperation is still strong,  but we are willing to take the chance. And you know what? So is Jesus. Always.

He wants to hear our confession, pleads for it. Even though he knows every second of our lives, he wants us to share it with him. It’s time to come out of hiding. Time to remove our masks. Time to let go and tell the truth. And so we do. We open up, we have to. We invite Jesus up to the edge of the darkest cave in our world,  and ask Him to bring a candle. And the words flow out . . .

“Let me tell you where I really hurt,” you begin. “Let me tell you what keeps me awake at night, and why I turn to temporary fixes that always let me down. It’s not the rejection, I’m used to that. I have grown used to the pain, the loneliness, the fears. What is hurting me is not knowing where God is in this mess we’ve all made in our lives.”

And God will explain the mystery of life for His creation, the children He loves, has always loved. He tells us that there are many places around the world He has created where He is worshiped. And the ways of worship are as diverse as the parched desert and the cooling waters of the seas. So many will proclaim that there is only one way to worship me, and so often their demands drive my children away from me. You see, the where and the why of worship does not matter. What matters is the heart, and the knowledge that all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, have our own connection to God the Father. And that bond is always there. Regardless. I have never, and will not ever, forget you. And you will never be left behind. And, oh, when we finally realize this, the moment is magical.

The world that you have made for us is our sanctuary.  Salvation, forgiveness, grace – it’s all there. The dawn is breaking, and we can sit, and close our eyes, and feel the warmth and life-affirming radiance of your light in the rising sunlight. And at sunset, we gaze into the wonder of each day you have given us. Oh for sure, we have stumbled and fallen so many times. All of us. But you have always been there to lift us up. And no matter how many mistakes we make, it doesn’t matter.  Look where we are now . . . look where we are now! Ours is a thirsty heart finding the deepest well of eternal living water. We have found God. We have found the God who is always seeking us. And then, perhaps for many the first time in our lives, we find peace.

And come to know that you have opened the windows of heaven, for all of us.