In contrast to the world's "if I can't touch it, it isn't real", the Bible clearly teaches that we live with a stunted view of reality. Spiritual warfare rages around us and in us (Ephesians 6:12) and we all too easily write it off as coincidence or the ill will of another person. Like the Israelites, it's tempting to equate earthly wealth with the blessing of God... and so Jesus tells parables about wealthy men who die and answer for their souls without their possessions.
We live in a spiritual equivalent of "The Matrix". (Yes, the film with Keanu Reaves... otherwise known as "The Man Whose Best Roles Involve Him Saying 'Whoa' A Lot.") The vast majority of us live as if there is no spiritual dimension to our lives, blind to both the potential destruction inherent in our sin and the incredible hope present in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
In other words, if I'm not immersed in the Bible and listening to God in prayer, my view of reality is seriously skewed. On the other hand, when I take the "red pill" of Scriptural truth, the world comes sharply into focus in the shadow of the cross.
The prophet Habakkuk wrote:
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV)
It is so simple for me to focus on the circumstances of my life to obtain validation and significance... and so dangerous. My moods, likewise, have a tendency to bob like a ship in a storm-tossed sea - happy when things are smooth & the winds are favorable; bitter & depressed when the waves kick up and my life founders in the storm.God, through the prophet Habakkuk, issues a clear reminder that the circumstances of my life do not define reality. I can only understand what is going on through the intimate knowledge of Who is in charge.
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