Hope in 2014

As 2014 approaches, many people set New Year's resolutions such as losing weight, spending more time with family, quitting smoking, and more.

In a recent letter from author John Eldredge, he said that God has hope in store for us:

A thrill of hope.

I think it's been quite sometime since my heart felt a thrill of hope. I've certainly had a nudge or two of hope, maybe even a stirring of hope. But wouldn't it be wonderful to feel a thrill of hope, perhaps to feel it in some new way for the first time? Let's see if we can find that, open our hearts to its coming, just as Mary opened herself to the coming of Jesus. . .

As 2014 approaches, my hope for everyone is. . . hope.

The Message

Often we find other things besides Jesus to comfort us when life gets tough. On p. 166 of "The Sacred Romance," his book with John Eldredge, Brent Curtis shares about his comforters and Jesus as our home:

My 'comforter,' my abiding place, was cynicism and rebellion. From this abiding place, I would feel free to use some soul cocaine -- a violence video with maybe a little sexual titillation thrown in, perhaps having a little more alcohol with a meal than I might normally drink -- things that would allow me to feel better for just a little while. I had always thought of these things as just bad habits. I began to see that they were much more; they were spiritual abiding places that were my comforters and friends in a very spiritual way; literally, other lovers.

The final light went on one evening when I read John 15 in 'The Message.' Peterson translates Jesus' words on abiding this way: 'If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.' Jesus was saying in answer to my question, 'I have made my home in you, Brent. But you still have other comforters you go to. You must learn to make your home in me.' I realized that my identity had something to do with simply 'staying at home.'

Jesus, please help us to find our home in you.

Prayers for nations

I have written before about Gordon Dalbey and his self-admitted naivete in challenging the huge demonic strongholds over Los Angeles. On pp. 201-202 of "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare," Dalbey shares how he felt called to pray for nations, but was understandably gun-shy because of his experience praying against the demons of Los Angeles:

...I recalled the teachings on territorial spirits by Australian John Dawson, which I had received in the pastors' group. I thought also of my guitar and tape deck, stolen after I had rushed to pray against territorial spirits over Los Angeles. Instinctively, I hesitated. Was I rashly exposing myself again to further counterattack and destruction in my life? Yes, I was fasting and expected greater power to overcome the enemy -- but could such prayer for entire nations be overstretching proper caution?

I realized that the most compelling argument for my staying open and continuing to pray this way was simply that I had not sought this ministry of warfare, nor had I in any sense set out with a prayer agenda for England. In the past, I had, for example, focused on Los Angeles out of my own impetus. Now, however, the thrust seemed to be coming from outside of myself. Okay, Lord, I prayed, if You're calling me in this moment to pray for particular nations, lead on -- but I will not pray any further unless You show me.

I sat quietly waiting. Moments later, an outline map of Australia came to mind. I waited longer, and the map remained. All right, Lord, if this is from You, show me the spirits over Australia You want me to pray against. Once again, names of demonic activity came to mind, and I yielded and prayed. Within a half hour, I was led to pray as well for Japan, Nigeria, and Russia. (Later, between 1995 and 2008, I ministered in England on nine visits and in Australia on four.)

Listen to the Lord for guidance in your prayers.

Surviving a breakup

A breakup is never easy -- particularly one's first. In "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," John Eldredge recalls on page 190 how Jesus encouraged him to look at Eldredge's first breakup from a different perspective:

Last year, as a wise old sage was praying with me through some of the painful memories of my life, I was immediately reminded of the time in middle school when my first girlfriend broke my heart. These wounds can linger for a lifetime if you let them -- the first cut is the deepest, and all that. We asked Jesus to take me back to the memory. I saw us, the girl and me; it was that fateful summer day. We were in the living room, just as it happened. Then I saw Jesus enter the room. He was quite stern with her, and it surprised me. That mattered to you? I wondered. Very much, he said.

Then Jesus turned to me. I felt his love. I realized I could let the whole thing go. It was so healing. To understand that Jesus is angry about what happened to you is very, very important in understanding his personality but also in your relationship with him and for your healing. What I love about these encounters is that every time -- every time -- Jesus is so true to his real personality. Sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, always generous, and often very playful.

Ask Jesus to take you back to your memories that need healing.

Beautiful front teeth

The Accuser always enjoys taking our doubts and needling us with them over and over. On pp. 150-151 of "The Sacred Romance," John Eldredge shares the story of his friend Mary, who felt very self-conscious about losing her front teeth during an accident in early adolescence.

Years later, she struggled to finally resolve the issue with dental caps. What should have been a simple procedure took weeks, then months. Appointment after appointment, the caps were either the wrong color, the wrong shape, or the wrong size. When she finally did get a pair that she could live with, the glue didn't hold. Where was the Sacred Romance in such a mundane and yet withering struggle? Why didn't God ride in as hero and provide a beautiful set of caps? Wouldn't that have been the loving thing to do? As the ordeal continued, a major issue of her heart surfaced. Mary's teeth had long been for her a symbol of her struggle with the question of her inner beauty. Her teeth were a source of shameful arrows lodged deep. A seemingly irrelevant nit that God refused to take away became an opportunity to face a fundamental question the heart of every woman asks: Am I lovely? Without the nit, the deeper issue of her heart would never have come up. Once it did, the real battle began.

The Accuser stepped in with a subtle, deadly stream of thoughts: 'Look, just settle for the wrong caps and get on with your life. Your desire for beauty is nothing more than vanity. Things will never change. God doesn't care for your heart or he would have taken care of your teeth.' And finally, 'This is who you really are: unlovely and unlovable.'

Each time Mary looked in the mirror, these sentences urged her to lose heart. Some days, the crisis felt as if it would crush her spirit; on other days, she just felt dumb. Meanwhile, Mary's false lovers took their cue and began offering to help her deal with the pain. Food promised to take away her heartache; busyness lured her to bury it beneath a deluge of Christian service. Even the faith practiced by the charismatic church she attends offered to lift her beyond the struggle if she would only focus on the Lord and worship more frequently.

Thankfully, her True Love was persistent in his pursuit of her heart, refusing to let her take the easy way out. The question of her inner beauty broke to the surface one day, and, fortunately, a friend with eyes for the Romance was there to help her see what was at stake. Once Mary finally turned and faced the core issue, God was able to speak words of loving reassurance: 'You are lovely, Mary, and I want you to offer your inner beauty, your womanly heart to the world.'

Mary's situation was another instance of God using our friends to connect with us.

Climbing Mount Everest

In John Eldredge's books, he often talks about climbing adventures. On pp. 216-217 of "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God related climbing to the adventures in life:

In the past year or so I've made a number of decisions that make no sense unless there is a God and I am his friend. I left my corporate job and struck out on my own, following a dream I've long feared. I've picked up the shattered pieces of a vision I lost when my best friend and partner Brent was killed in a climbing accident. What feels most crazy of all, I've opened my self to friendship again and a new partner, and we're heading out where Brent and I left off. The battle has been intense; a steep ascent that's taking everything I've got. The stakes I'm playing at now are immense -- financially, sure, but more so spiritually, relationally. It's requiring a concentration of body, soul, and spirit I've never before endured.

What is perhaps the hardest part is the misunderstanding I live with from others on a daily basis. Sometimes the winds howl around me; other times I fear I'll fall. The other day I was feeling way out on the end of my rope, cutting a path across a sheer face of risk. Out of my heart rose a question. What are we doing, God?

We're climbing Everest.

Life indeed can be challenging, but we are bolstered when God is with us.

Finding God in the mountains

At one point in his life, author John Eldredge was trying to choose between going to graduate school

and accepting a high-paying job in Washington, D.C. On p. 202 of his book "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God helped him to sort things out during a visit to the mountains:

Life makes more sense standing alone by a lake at high elevation with a fly rod in hand. The tentacles of the world and my false self seemed to give way as I climbed up into the Holy Cross Wilderness. On the second day God began to speak. John, you can take that job if you want to. It's not a sin. But it'll kill you and you know it. He was right; it has False Self written all over it. If you want to follow Me, he continued, I'm heading that way. I knew exactly what he meant -- 'that way' headed into wilderness, frontier. The following week three phone calls came in amazing succession. The first was from the Washington firm; I told them I was not their man, to call somebody else. As I hung up the phone my false self was screaming what are you doing?! The next day the phone rang again; it was my wife, telling me that the university had called wanting to know where my first tuition installment was. On the third day a call came from a longtime friend who had been praying for me and my decision. 'We think you ought to go to school,' he said. 'And we want to pay your way.'

Getting away from the busyness of life really can help us to slow down and contemplate decisions. I find the shores of Lake Superior particularly peaceful.