“O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the triune God, I want to want You; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Your glory, I pray, that so I may know You indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowland where I have wondered for so long. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” A.W Tozer
“Send out Your light and Your truth;
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.” Psalm 43:3-4
This idea of being hidden in Christ has been lingering long in my mind. It’s taken from Colossians chapter 3. This is the same chapter I explored in part 1 of this series My life is not my own. Check out part 1 here if you haven’t My life is not my own
Put on the new self
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hang of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
Did you catch that? Did you see the words that came before your life is hidden with Christ in God? For you have died. Here it is: you have died. The number one key to the Christian walk is dying to yourself. Without this component, we are simply lying to ourselves if we think we are Christians. We find this truth laid out for us in the famous words of Jesus in Luke chapter 9, verse 23-26
Take up your cross and follow Jesus
“And Jesus said to all, “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words of him will the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Paul also writes, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:19-20
We are not hidden in Christ if we are not dead to our flesh. This concept is drawn from Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 9 verse 16 to 17: “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
This is worth repeating, God will not hide me in Himself if I am not dead to my flesh. Period. He is the God who doesn’t enter into Your house unless you open for Him. God will never impose Himself or His will on us. He never has and he never will.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and say down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22
The year of the Lord’s favor
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
God wants to grow you into an oak of righteousness. God is growing you into an oak of righteousness. The planting of Himself. That He might be glorified. God, I am forever in awe of You, Father. Forever undone because of Your work of power and righteousness through us Your servants.
God wants to take you deeper and deeper into Himself and the question is do you want that? Will you let Him do that in the way that He only knows how?
I am hidden in Christ. I desperately want this truth to sink into my mind, heart, and soul.
God, all You want from us is to trust You and to let You lead. For there is nothing substantial we can do for ourselves without You, Father God. You want us to simply have faith. You want us to surrender each step of the way to Your will and Your merciful hand.
Surrender. Trust. Faith. Repeat. Each day, that’s what we are called to do.
God, I know it’s not much to ask so, can You please teach me how to have faith again? Teach me and show me again the depth of Your love for me that I might forever walk in Your truth and righteousness.
Like the song I surrender by All sons and daughters, we pray:
The riches of this world will fade
The treasures of our God remain
Here I empty myself to owe this world
Nothing and find everything in You
I surrender, I surrender
I surrender all to You
Take my life, a sacrifice
In You alone I’m satisfied
Here I empty myself to owe this world
Nothing and find everything in You
Everything in You
I surrender, I surrender
I surrender all to You
I surrender, I surrender
I surrender all to You
Not my will, but Yours be done
Not my strength, but Yours alone
Nothing else, but You oh Lord
I find everything in You
I surrender, I surrender
I surrender all to You
I surrender, I surrender
I surrender all to You