My Epic Journey

Whenever I go through times of difficulty, when my soul weighs heavy and I feel overwhelmed, it brings comfort to know that many men throughout the Bible struggled with heavy hearts.

One of the best examples is David.  Read Psalm 42.

Psalm 42:1-11 (NIV)
¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and
⁶ my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon–from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
⁸ By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me– a prayer to the God of my life.
⁹ I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Though it is discouraging that David felt this way, I am thankful to know that he struggled like most of us.

It is things like this that absolutely break my heart and infuriate me all at the same time.

On Sunday night, we challenged our EPIC students concerning their heart and worship.  We used Matthew 6.19-24, as our foundational passage—Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!!!!

Most of us, including myself, say that Jesus is #1 in our life but upon careful and honest examination, we see that we don’t live as though he is.

One test we used @ EPIC was asking our students who had with them something that told others they belonged to Jesus?  Answers could have been, Bible, cross necklace, etc.  Except for a few who brought their own Bible, the majority of the group had nothing that set them apart as being claimed by Jesus.

I was especially challenged when I realized that I would NEVER leave my house without my wallet and especially my cell phone but I NEVER carry my Bible with me when I just run errands around town or head out with friends to dinner. 

Why am I afraid to take Jesus with me?  And if I am not afraid, why don’t I make a practice of it?

How did you take Jesus with you today—in a visible way?