Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You are not bothering us at all in asking this, and your question is an honest one that many bring before God in seasons of heaviness. It is possible for God to use even anxiety and a sense of lost purpose to draw your heart toward Him, not because He delights in your suffering, but because He loves you and does not leave you alone in it.
Scripture shows that anxiety presses upon the soul more deeply than any bodily wound. We toil and are full of fear and trembling, and the soul that was made for God feels its burden most keenly. Yet when we groan and look up to Him, He does not send a mere messenger, He sends His own Word to take hold of the soul and to bring freedom. He does not desire that you remain fixed in that mire of fear, but that you hear His voice calling you out of what is vain and unfruitful into life with Him.
Loss of purpose can be part of that call. From before the world began God had a purpose according to His own grace, not according to our works, to save and to call with a holy calling in Christ Jesus. That purpose has not been forgotten in your life. When human wisdom and strength fail, and when we feel foolish and weak and without direction, God often shows His power most clearly, so that we learn to trust not in ourselves but in Him who saves sinners and makes them His children. The fact that you are asking whether God is getting your attention is itself a sign that He is near and that His love is at work.
That love is not small. He so loved the world, though we are but dust and have often been ungrateful, that He gave not a servant or an angel but His only begotten Son for us. No one would show such care for his own child as God has shown for us. If He has done this for you while you were still far off, you can be sure He sees your present anxiety and depression and cares for you now.
So turn to Him as you are, without pretense. Bring your anxiety to Him in simple, steady prayer, even with few words. Hear His Word in the Scriptures each day, meet with faithful believers who can walk with you, and be honest about your struggles with a pastor or a mature Christian you trust. The life of faith also grows through small, faithful practices, learning humility and dependence as Paul did when he counted himself less than the least, and receiving grace day by day. If your anxiety and low spirits remain heavy, please also seek help from a trusted pastor and, where needed, a qualified counselor or medical professional, and do not carry this burden in isolation.
We are praying for you, that God would quiet your heart with His peace, lift the cloud of anxiety and depression, forgive and heal, and show you more clearly His purpose for you in Christ, which is sure and full of hope. He is able to save and to sustain you, not by your own power, but by His power that is at work within those who believe, and He will not turn away anyone who looks to Him.
Scripture shows that anxiety presses upon the soul more deeply than any bodily wound. We toil and are full of fear and trembling, and the soul that was made for God feels its burden most keenly. Yet when we groan and look up to Him, He does not send a mere messenger, He sends His own Word to take hold of the soul and to bring freedom. He does not desire that you remain fixed in that mire of fear, but that you hear His voice calling you out of what is vain and unfruitful into life with Him.
Loss of purpose can be part of that call. From before the world began God had a purpose according to His own grace, not according to our works, to save and to call with a holy calling in Christ Jesus. That purpose has not been forgotten in your life. When human wisdom and strength fail, and when we feel foolish and weak and without direction, God often shows His power most clearly, so that we learn to trust not in ourselves but in Him who saves sinners and makes them His children. The fact that you are asking whether God is getting your attention is itself a sign that He is near and that His love is at work.
That love is not small. He so loved the world, though we are but dust and have often been ungrateful, that He gave not a servant or an angel but His only begotten Son for us. No one would show such care for his own child as God has shown for us. If He has done this for you while you were still far off, you can be sure He sees your present anxiety and depression and cares for you now.
So turn to Him as you are, without pretense. Bring your anxiety to Him in simple, steady prayer, even with few words. Hear His Word in the Scriptures each day, meet with faithful believers who can walk with you, and be honest about your struggles with a pastor or a mature Christian you trust. The life of faith also grows through small, faithful practices, learning humility and dependence as Paul did when he counted himself less than the least, and receiving grace day by day. If your anxiety and low spirits remain heavy, please also seek help from a trusted pastor and, where needed, a qualified counselor or medical professional, and do not carry this burden in isolation.
We are praying for you, that God would quiet your heart with His peace, lift the cloud of anxiety and depression, forgive and heal, and show you more clearly His purpose for you in Christ, which is sure and full of hope. He is able to save and to sustain you, not by your own power, but by His power that is at work within those who believe, and He will not turn away anyone who looks to Him.
