Tag: Waking the Dead

The Invitation

Something takes over and prevents me from accepting His invitation to venture out into the deep waters of my heart.

Quote from the book Waking the Dead by John Eldredge:

“Most of us simply try to ‘put things behind us,’ get past it, forget the pain as quickly as we can. Really-denial is a favorite method of coping for many Christians. But not with Jesus. He wants truth in the inmost being, and to get it there he’s got to take us into our inmost being. One way he’ll do this is by bringing up an old memory. You’ll be driving down the road and suddenly remember something from your childhood. Or maybe you’ll have a dream about a long-forgotten person, event, or place. However he brings it up, go with him there. He has something to say to you.”

“The lessons that have been laid down in pain can be accessed only in pain. Christ must open the wound, not just bandage it over. Sometimes he’ll take us there by having an event repeat itself years later only with new characters in the current situation. We find ourselves overlooked for a job, just as we were overlooked by our parents. Or we experience fear again, just as we felt those lonely nights in our room upstairs. These are all invitations to go with him into the deep waters of the heart, uncover the lies buried down there, and bring in the truth that will set us free.” 1

Prayer

by Tina Kramer

Father God,

To be honest, I tend to run away from the pain. During therapy, I can feel the pain start to surface, and then something takes over and prevents me from accepting Your invitation to venture out into the deep waters of my heart. What is holding me back?

Lord, I am having a hard time trusting You. I am struggling to face the pain. I think I can do this therapy process, but then during sessions I get stuck.

Here is my problem. I give it to You. Give me courage to move forward even when it hurts.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God” ( Prov. 42:5 NIV)

  1. John Eldredge, Waking the Dead, (Waterville, Maine: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005) 197-198 ↩︎

Shout-out to Julie for helping me start this blogging project. I am very thankful for your willingness to share your computer skills with me. You are a great blessing to the body of Christ!

Photo by Tina Kramer from Quittie Nature Park in Cleona, PA