Not To Us: How Church Hurt Gives Us Jesus' Perspective...
- A Heart Refined with Rachel Menard
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
It doesn't take much to make me think about the season in my life full of bitterness over what had been done in/by the church in my younger years. When my precious kiddos were younger, the noise of that hurt was so loud in my head that I allowed myself to believe that I was protecting my kids by keeping them out of church. When actually, all I was doing was letting my kids suffer from my own bitterness.
I went down a very long road, blaming the church and couldn’t see God’s purpose in allowing that. It took me a very, VERY long time…almost 18 years…to let God show me the purpose of that hard time. I robbed my children by loving my bitterness, and handed myself over to a slow and silent death. The consequences to that decision are hard now, but because of HIS faithfulness, I know it will all be redeemed in His good time!
As I think on these things, I can hear the song “Not to Us” in my bones, and it brings me back to the scripture it’s based on, Psalm 115…
It is one of a group of songs (113-118) known as the Egyptian Hallel Psalms. These are songs of celebration used by the Jewish people during Passover. Psalm 115 is a song that JESUS also sang at the last supper…He SANG that night already KNOWING He was about to be rejected, betrayed, and slaughtered by those who had, only one week prior, welcomed Him with worship.
As I read, I remember how God ultimately made my soul well…
One, He gave me perspective, teaching me that it was never just all about me!! He also taught me how to see that Jesus experienced that hurt on a far deeper level than I could ever imagine, and yet He sang. He laid down His life in willing sacrifice, doing the will of the Father so that many could be saved, because that was what He was born to do!!!!
It’s a fact that every single one of us has experienced some sort of hurt with the church. While it is the bride of Christ, she’s not perfect yet...WE are not there quite yet. So, while we wait, let’s move away from the death of bitterness and towards the life of surrender together. Let’s gather round the throne, today on Holy ground. Let’s surrender ourselves to He who is pure and holy, to He who knows, and has given us the example of how to respond…To He who is using life circumstances and scenarios to make us pure and holy, and presentable to Himself.
As you get ready for Church, let this Psalm be written on your heart!!
Comments