“For great is the Holy One in your midst” (Isaiah 12:6)
Why is it so important to declare the deeds of God, to mention that His name is exalted, to sing about the excellent things He has done, to declare His wondrous works and to cry and shout about how awesome and glorious He is? Among many other reasons, it is because sometimes our burdens become so heavy and the afflictions of our soul and heart so “great” that they become what we focus on, what we speak about, what we are declaring. We make them greater than the greatness of God Whose greatness cannot be measured (Psalm 145:2), Who is an unending well of salvation and source of everlasting strength. He is the “greater” in our midst… The “midst” being whatever we are living or experiencing right now, this moment. When we declare that He is great, He is our salvation, He is our strength and song, we experience His comfort. Comfort comes to the heart of those who have put their trust in God alone. When we make our burdens “great in our midst” we are overcome with sorrow, exhaustion and discouragement, unable to move forward.
When we feel overwhelmed, our hearts fail us. We don’t feel that we can overcome the “greatness” of our care. But the disciple John declared that God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20) He goes on to say that the one who overcomes the world is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and puts their trust in Him in every situation, in every circumstance, moment and details of their lives, is the one who overcomes. Jesus, Himself, said “to be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” The challenge is that we are all naturally inclined to see our circumstances with our own understanding, so it is difficult to grasp the revelation of how God desires to be involved and is involved in every detail of our lives. It is hard to trust Him when we are struggling to make sense of our burdens and heartaches… when we are consumed with focusing on the problems. We make what is temporary and fleeting, GREAT, instead of resting in the GREATNESS of God.
How do we begin to shift the focus?
The first thing is to determine with our will that we will praise Him and declare His love, deeds and greatness instead of declaring what we are seeing with our eyes and feeling in our hearts. Although it is important to consider and acknowledge the burdens and afflictions in us and all around us, it is crucial that we do not dwell on them and rehearse them over and over. We must ask ourselves what am I making great in my life and heart right now? This is a struggle we all share… the battle of light and darkness within us. Psalm 145 has been a real blessing and gift to me in my struggle to adjust my focus. It is all about thinking upon, declaring and remembering the greatness of God that is immeasurable and about how all His attributes share this greatness… His compassion, His mercy, His grace and Power. Some days, I just start my day reading, praying and declaring this Psalm and find that, when I do, a shift happens in my mind and heart. The greatness of my burdens begins to submit to the greatness of His love and power.
The second thing we can do is to follow Paul’s advice in Hebrews 12:1-2 – “…let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…” (italics mine). We cannot run very far or endure very long when WE are carrying the weight of our broken lives and hearts. But how do we lay aside (don’t focus on) every weight and care and the sin we struggle with over and over? The answer is given; “looking unto Jesus”. In the Greek, the term “fixing our eyes” (or "looking unto Jesus") means to look away from something near, looking away from all else and to look steadfastly, intently toward a distant object… directing one’s attention without distraction, putting some things away (behind) to go with a forward gaze. This is a process and one that God works in us and walks us through as we pray and learn to put aside all else and fix the gaze of our heart on Him. The more we gaze upon Jesus and contemplate all He is and has done, the more we will find comfort, peace and healing.
Finally, Paul gave some encouraging advice in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”
I know that the weight of our cares, pain and problems can be insurmountable, demanding and consuming. The struggle to trust God and think on Him is a real battle. Sometimes I just quietly close my eyes and whisper “For great is the Holy One in your midst” over and over. In time, the great exchange begins to happen. His love, for my fears, His grace and mercy, for my failures, His power for my weakness, His peace for my chaos and anxieties. The more we do these things, the greatness of our burdens and problems begin to submit to the Greatness of God, our trust in Him grows deeper, we experience His peace, and He becomes greater than all that surrounds us and weighs upon us. “For great is the Holy One in your midst.”
Amen.
