“In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. . . my soul refused to be comforted.”- Psalm 77:2 (NASB)
“He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”- Ecclesiastes 3:11
In Chapter 9 (“The Soul Needs a Future”) of Soul Keeping, John Ortberg begins by stating that our ability to extend ourselves into tomorrow is both a blessing and a curse. The main reason people give for leaving a relationship or job is “There’s no future in it.” Because we aren’t just souls, but enfleshed souls (and, John adds, we know what happens to our flesh), the soul needs a future.
Pastor Ortberg adds that the reason God has placed eternity in the human heart is because we were made for eternal existence with Him. We sense that life does not end with death. We have a hunger that is impossible for the world to satisfy. John concludes:
“God did not plant death in the human heart. Death came because of sin. That includes my sin. Human self-sufficiency can’t get me out of this one. If I don’t have a hope that’s eternal, I don’t have a real hope at all. . . . But God will do anything to keep the soul alive.”
Today’s question: What Bible passages have restored and/or sustained hope following your vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The nature of joy”
