"And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard [the threats from the Assyrians], that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord." Isaiah 37:1
To be distressed to the point of weeping and despair is not a sin. God understands and allows for such things (see the Psalms, esp. Psalm 103:13, 14). Sin comes when the despair leads you to anything but Him. Distresses are to make us despair of everything except God. That is their purpose: cause everything else to fall to the ground so we can know the truth, i.e., we have no other hope but Him. The sad part is not that a Christian in despair, but a Christian whose despair does not lead him to grasp hold of their Father's feet.
"Hezekiah...went into the house of the Lord." The king knew from whence comes strength and power and hope. He knew where he should go when despair comes: into the presence of His Father. "Thus saith the Lord, 'Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard...'" (vs. 6). Such a truth is ours for the taking at anytime. Sings true the song that said, "Oh, what peace we often forfeit! Oh, what needless pain we bear! All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!" Why do we allow ourselves to suffer so much when we have God? Distresses will come, but they are never for their own sakes; they are always meant to drive us to our Father so that we can know the joy of watching His intimate care in our lives as He fixes all our distresses.
Lead me not to books of wisdom,
Lead me not to wiser men,
Lead me only to Your Presence,
Lead me to Calvary...
-Jon Vowell
To be distressed to the point of weeping and despair is not a sin. God understands and allows for such things (see the Psalms, esp. Psalm 103:13, 14). Sin comes when the despair leads you to anything but Him. Distresses are to make us despair of everything except God. That is their purpose: cause everything else to fall to the ground so we can know the truth, i.e., we have no other hope but Him. The sad part is not that a Christian in despair, but a Christian whose despair does not lead him to grasp hold of their Father's feet.
"Hezekiah...went into the house of the Lord." The king knew from whence comes strength and power and hope. He knew where he should go when despair comes: into the presence of His Father. "Thus saith the Lord, 'Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard...'" (vs. 6). Such a truth is ours for the taking at anytime. Sings true the song that said, "Oh, what peace we often forfeit! Oh, what needless pain we bear! All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!" Why do we allow ourselves to suffer so much when we have God? Distresses will come, but they are never for their own sakes; they are always meant to drive us to our Father so that we can know the joy of watching His intimate care in our lives as He fixes all our distresses.
Lead me not to books of wisdom,
Lead me not to wiser men,
Lead me only to Your Presence,
Lead me to Calvary...
-Jon Vowell
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