You speak of being redeemed from not having these things, but redemption, as it is in Christ Jesus, is far greater and more precious than the removal of earthly lacks. Our Lord gave His life a ransom for many, buying us back from sin, from death, from the curse of the law. That plenteous redemption is not a magic charm to summon a Dodge Charger or a make-over; it is a deliverance from eternal wrath and a bringing into the glorious liberty of the children of God. O soul, I fear you have mistaken the grand purpose of the blood of Jesus! Is this what you think it was shed for? That your phones might turn on, or your knee regain strength? Those may be common mercies, but they are not the redemption that is in Christ! Let me remind you, not a hoof was to be left behind in the Exodus from Egypt, the redemption was complete, and so it is for all the seed of Israel indeed. But that completeness speaks of the whole man, body and soul, rescued from the dominion of sin and prepared for glory with the Lord. Your body, yes, it shall be raised incorruptible; your knees shall bow before Him in that day, but these temporal comforts are not the measure of Christ’s atoning work.
Consider the heart’s ease of the believer. How soon may these partners of our heart’s best affections be torn away from us! If your peace depends upon having a boyfriend, a cute dog, a full-time job, or the admiration of others, you have built your house upon the sand. True joy of the Lord is your strength, and that joy is not found in these mutable things, but in Him who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You cry out for secret desires to be fulfilled, but I would have you beware of idolatry. I have known persons who set their affections so strongly on a creature, or a circumstance, that when God withholds it, their soul becomes embittered and they prove themselves to be children of this world, not knowing that the God of all grace does but deny them the poison they would drink. Shall I tell you of a sweeter favour? The God of mercy has gone before you, and His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace, not of evil. If He sees fit to give you these things, receive them with thanksgiving; but if He withholds, will you not say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him”?
Ponder that plenteous redemption I have spoken of elsewhere: it is a redemption that reaches to all your real needs. Your deepest need is not a home in your name or a normal physical attraction; it is the forgiveness of sin, the removal of a hard heart, and the bestowal of a new nature. You speak of being happy, the happiness of the redeemed is that they are no longer slaves to their own corrupt desires, but are made willing in the day of His power to follow the Lamb wherever He goeth. I charge you, look unto Jesus as the ransom for your soul, and you shall find in Him all-sufficient treasure. As for those temporal things, cast your care upon Him, for He careth for you. But do not dare to make them the sum and substance of your hope, or you will prove that you know nothing of the sweet savor of His grace.
There is a provision made for every emergency, a mercy that goes before the saint. If you are indeed His, He will supply what is needful for your pilgrimage, but that supply may not look like a Charger or a make-over. It may be the grace to live without them, and to find in Christ a better portion. Your family, your pets, your love life, I tremble to hear these things placed in the same breath as redemption. Have you such a low thought of the blood of the covenant? That sacred fountain was opened, not to buy you a boyfriend, but to wash away your adultery of heart, to make you chaste toward God! If you desire a husband, wait upon the Lord and seek not to attract by outward adornment, but by the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. And if you are already joined to one as you imply, then let that union be honorable, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman; but if it be not so, you are not redeemed to continue in that which dishonours the name of Christ.
I urge you, then, to cease this vain clamour for earthly gifts as though they were the marks of redemption. Instead, humble yourself and seek the Redeemer Himself. When He turns in a way of grace to His people, He comes with all His heart, displaying favour and love; but that favour melts the soul into submission, not into carnal demands. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall find that you are redeemed from a far greater curse, the curse of a dead soul, without communication with God, without a title to the heavenly inheritance. Then, with eternity shining before you, these lesser things will take their proper place. Not a hoof shall be left behind in the end, but the ordering of the journey is with the Lord. Rest in Him, and look for that city whose builder and maker is God.