The Power of an Indestructible Life

My friend and fellow-blogger Abraham makes a good point in his recent post. Things are not as they seem.Quoting the great songwriter Mark Heard:

“We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows.”

~ Mark Heard, Strong Hand of Love

This is a rather strong theme in the Bible. I'm thinking of Paul's words in Colossians:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4 ESV)

See that? Your life is hidden with Christ in God! Things are not as they seem. Indestructible Jesus is our guarantee of this (Heb 7:16, 7:22). In some crazy indecipherable way, my life is hidden with Jesus in God. Not this visible, apparent so-called life, but the life that is a part of God's ultimate purpose for his creation. I do not see it yet. And yet, even now it springs up! (Isaiah 43:19)

This is of course a matter of faith. Un-faith says, "No, things are always exactly what they seem, and always will be so. Be realistic!" But faith speaks of an alternative reality.

Things are not as they seem. I am not what I seem. And you, yes you, are not what you seem. Something is going on behind the scenes, something is stirring, something is coming to pass. Remember Isaiah:

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)

It takes eyes of faith to see the hidden things. My life is hidden with Christ in God, Paul says, and the author of Hebrews (yes, we are back to Hebrews now) speaks also of the hiddenness of Christ with God. Christ has gone into the inner place, the place where only the high priest can go. Christ is that high priest, forever, and the "inner place" is the presence of God. Where, according to the testimony of the Scriptures, Christ sits at God's right hand, in the place of privilege and honor and intimacy. He's an anchor to our soul there. We're permanently connected, through him. Through him, we can "draw near." Without the anchor, we're going to be blown out to sea or shattered on some rocky coast. As it is we're buffeted, we're tossed about, but praise be to God, we're anchored. Things are not as they seem.

We have to remember this. That's my advice. Remember. Don't make assumptions. Don't judge, because when you judge, you're presuming you know how things are, the whole story, how everything turns out for the other person, and therefore you can pass judgement, you can call the winner the winner, the loser the loser. It's a terrible failure to hope! It's a terrible failure of faith.

All week I've been reading through chapters 5 to 7 of Hebrews. And this is what it's got me thinking on. Things are not as they seem. But that is not to say that it is not possible now to taste of "the powers of the age to come" (Heb 6:5). It is. Nevertheless, the age to come is "to come." It is not here, it is not now. Still, there was one who walked among us, one who set aside power and privilege--making himself nothing--one who died among us, who conquered death here in the very stronghold of death, and then entered into the inner place, the Holy Sanctuary where God is. That would be Jesus. The anchor of our buffeted souls. Through him, who is possessor of an indestructible life, God is bringing to pass his unchangeable purpose.

Key words: indestructible, unchangeable, anchor, hope.

Things are not as they seem. Death seem to reign. It does not. It's power has been broken. The dawn is coming. Do you not see it? Even now it springs up!