“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7).
Where do my anxieties, my worries come from? Mostly they come from helplessness, from a fearful sense that I am not sufficient to what’s ahead. Anxiety arises from my knowledge that life right now is out of my control. I want to feel strong, capable, on top of things. But instead, I feel like a child who wants nothing more than for someone to come along, scoop me up and rescue me.
And amazingly, that’s exactly what God wants to do! He’s been waiting, listening for me to cry out for his help: “… the LORD waits to be gracious to you…he exalts himself to show mercy to you…blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18). I wish I were always that model Christian who radiates peace and joy no matter what is happening in life. But frequently, that’s not who I am. I can’t give God a “model Christian”. I can only give him my real self: anxious, discouraged, confused, struggling. When I do that, I actually honor him, for I’m giving him the best gift I can, the gift of my trust in his goodness.
God’s mercy is his very nature. He sees the misery and helplessness of his beloved children and his great Heart goes out to them. He is moved with pity and – like the good Samaritan in the parable – he acts. He picks me up, carries me to a place where I can be cared for, and he himself pays the price for all of that.
God’s mercy is like water – it goes to the lowest place, just as a water leak in your house will end up in your basement. If that’s the place where I am right now, in that low, dark place, that’s precisely the place where his merciful love will come to me.
When I honestly cry out to him and wait for him, holding on for dear life, he has promised that he will always come to my rescue. He will eventually show me a way through and – most crucially – he will be with me in my difficult situation, for he knows every valley, even “the valley of death” (Psalm 23). He may not come in the ways I think he should, nor in my preferred time frame, but he will indeed come. For he is a faithful Father, attentive to each individual voice just as a loving parent knows his own child’s cry.
Help me, merciful Father, to rest in my mess, waiting for you to come to my rescue!
Lessons From Love School 
Great blog, Chris! I love the idea of resting in one’s mess. Living the Christian life is a “messy” reality. It goes against our human nature to get messy. We want everything perfect and pristine. When believers act like the Christian life is problem free, we are doing an injustice to the grace and goodness of God. The world needs a hope that is real and meets people where they are, rather than pretend to require perfectionism before coming to Christ.
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Chris, I so love this and your incredible honesty. I don’t feel so alone. His presence is always with us, recognized or not. Waiting for His rescue seems harder, knowing that He will, even harder yet. Will sit in the trust of this if I can, down in the basement if I have to, till I am warmed and more secure in my ability or willingness? to trust His promises. I am so grateful. Jacqui
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