Years ago when a youth camp concluded, I asked one of our girls if she enjoyed it. She said somewhat wistfully, “It was fine…there wasn’t a breakthrough or anything.” I was struck by her desire for camp to provide a “breakthrough” experience. It seemed she had expectations which had not been met and she would need to wait for the next camp. I thought, what is it God needs to break through to reach her heart? Is there anything which stands in the way of my fellowship with God? God is able to break through in an instant, but willingness and vulnerability are often needed to align our posture with God’s Word which pierces like a sword. We should not expect breakthroughs when we will not consent.
God says when we return and seek the LORD with all our hearts we will find Him (Deut. 4:29). There must be a deep sense of personal lack as the rich young ruler which causes us to seek Christ, but also the persistence and faith of the woman of Canaan who pleaded for Jesus to heal her daughter. I love the faith displayed by the men who were desperate to bring their paralysed friend to Jesus in Capernaum. As Jesus preached the Word to people packed into a house Mark 2:3-4 says, “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. [4] And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.”
It was impressed upon me today when reading this passage that we might desire a “breakthrough,” but we are the ones who must persist in breaking through to Jesus. Faith in Jesus and the power of the Gospel can break through anything which stands in the way. God desires to be known and Jesus can be found, but it is not His fault if we remain at a distance. He has come to us and earned the victory on Calvary. His blood is sufficient to wash us of all sin, the Holy Spirit has been sent to fill our hearts, and we are empowered by God to do all He has commanded us with joy. At the same time, no effort of the flesh can break through to knowing God by force. We must submit to God and be willingly broken for our sins, and faith in Christ goads us to break through anything which hinders us from healing and salvation.
God has done glorious things, and our living, loving Saviour continues to do His wonders to this day. Faith in Christ strengthens us to persist in breaking through all obstacles to discover the wonder of His presence. You don’t need to wait for next camp or another day to seek the LORD with your whole heart. Praise God!
God says when we return and seek the LORD with all our hearts we will find Him (Deut. 4:29). There must be a deep sense of personal lack as the rich young ruler which causes us to seek Christ, but also the persistence and faith of the woman of Canaan who pleaded for Jesus to heal her daughter. I love the faith displayed by the men who were desperate to bring their paralysed friend to Jesus in Capernaum. As Jesus preached the Word to people packed into a house Mark 2:3-4 says, “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. [4] And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.”
It was impressed upon me today when reading this passage that we might desire a “breakthrough,” but we are the ones who must persist in breaking through to Jesus. Faith in Jesus and the power of the Gospel can break through anything which stands in the way. God desires to be known and Jesus can be found, but it is not His fault if we remain at a distance. He has come to us and earned the victory on Calvary. His blood is sufficient to wash us of all sin, the Holy Spirit has been sent to fill our hearts, and we are empowered by God to do all He has commanded us with joy. At the same time, no effort of the flesh can break through to knowing God by force. We must submit to God and be willingly broken for our sins, and faith in Christ goads us to break through anything which hinders us from healing and salvation.
God has done glorious things, and our living, loving Saviour continues to do His wonders to this day. Faith in Christ strengthens us to persist in breaking through all obstacles to discover the wonder of His presence. You don’t need to wait for next camp or another day to seek the LORD with your whole heart. Praise God!
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