Solus Christus

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him;
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God,
He is my mighty rock, my refuge."
-Psalm 62: 5-7 (NIV)

Maybe no one will read this. That's okay because I think I just need to remind myself of this stuff.

I think I forget how desperately I need God on a daily basis. I think in the hustle and bustle of going here, going there, doing this and doing that, I tend to put God on the back burner. This research paper needs to get done or that book needs to be read or I need to grade all of these papers. So, where in my busy schedule did I make God a priority?

I didn't. I haven't. I don't.

Honest moment. I cannot tell you the last time I did devotions. Or read my Bible. Or prayed. There is no excuse for it. I think I have excuses. Sometimes I even think they are good ones. I deceive myself into believing that other things in my life are more important. I buy into the lie that busyness is somehow fulfilling, that I need to fill each second with stuff and things. It's exhausting. It leaves me weary and empty. It leaves me vulnerable and open to bad ideas disguised as good intentions. It leaves my heart mangled and bloody from a war that I was not prepared to fight in and shouldn't have fought in the first place. It breaks down my defenses and lies to my heart about my value. It leaves me isolated, alone, and lonely, leading me to believe that that is all that I am worth.

It leaves me wandering in a dry and thirsty land with little relief.

My soul seeks intimacy with God. I long to be known by the One who created me. It's not just a longing...it is a fierce craving that only spending time in the presence of my Savior can satisfy. I think we all know that feeling, whether we acknowledge it or not. You know that hole you try to fill with relationships, money, possessions, food? That hole that feels full for a little while but is empty again a short time afterward? Yeah, that hole. Do you want to know why it feels empty? Do I want to know why it feels empty?

God. He is the only one who can fill that empty place in my life that I keep temporarily trying to satisfy with stuff and things and people. He is the ONLY ONE who can overtake that emptiness, shine a light in the darkness, breathe life back into a soul that is barely holding on in the desert. He is the only One who has already defeated the enemy of my soul and saved me to be His masterpiece, holy and redeemed. He brings the chaos into order and sets my feet on the path out of the wilderness.

I can't do ANY of this on my own. Any accomplishments I make mean absolutely nothing if God is not the central focus of them. No amount of good grades or praises or accolades mean anything if God isn't the one receiving the glory first and foremost. He has to be the foundation beneath every purpose, every plan, every action, every relationship. It has to be God. It has to be. No one else will do, no other thing will do. It is God and God alone. Sola Scriptura. Sola Fide. Sola Gratia. Solus Christus. Soli Deo Gloria.

I can do better. That's an understatement. I can do immeasurably better than I have been doing. "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1). I acknowledge that I am in desperate need of my Savior. We all are. Lord, hear our prayer.