Have you seen His face today?
Sep 9 2022 - Justin Raby
Luke 4:27 … and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.
This week I have interacted with many of you that are going through hardship, affliction, pain and hurt. I have had folks weep in my office this week sharing the loss of deep grieving situations. Promises broken, expectations shattered, words that cut. As Christians how do we work through the pain and suffering of this life, how do we manage, how do we deal with it? I have shared the following verse many times this week and prayerfully there will be a great connection with the verse above as well!
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
The pressures (affliction) of this life do not feel light and do not feel momentary, but we must look at them in the light of eternity. Truly our 70 to 80 years on this earth are a vapor. If we are to have eternal life and live forever with Christ our life is lightning fast. So in truth our afflictions are light and momentary, but they are not empty and inconsequential. They are working for us! They are clocking in and performing and achieving something so magnificent, so wonderful, so AWESOME that it can’t be ignored. Through the difficulties of this life we are getting paid a weighty glory, a glory that overflows, a glory that cracks the door of hope in the midst of suffering. The hard things we go through in this life make heaven and being in the presence of God even sweeter. So what does this have to do with Naaman? Naaman’s name means delight and he was a leper. He was diseased with sin but eventually cleansed because of the eternal weight of delight only found in God. As followers of Christ we have been cleansed and we have a great expectation that will be completely satisfied in perfect delight in the suffering Savior. The One that uniquely understands all of the suffering we have been through offers perfect restoration where we can also be cleansed as Naaman was. The cleansing, healing, delight and glory is only found in the face of Jesus Christ. Yes, you can see the evidence of His glory in our world, but for full joy and pleasure you have to look and you look to Christ and the cross! Have you seen His face today?