Welcome And Series Framing

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi there! Welcome to our podcast, Revelation Within on the Go. I'm Heidi Miles McElherson, one of your hosts, and I'm the owner and lead coach of the RevelationWithin.org book stream.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach, and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. We are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode of Revelation Within.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Oh yay, we're so grateful that you've joined us today. Yay! Yes, we are. We are. And if you've been walking with us at all through the series we've been in, it's called Loud Longings, Holy God. We've kind of been exploring well, what I think is a pretty profound experience. Yes. Yes. And that is that God created us as people who have longings. I mean, we just do. And He knows us that way. And He created us that way. And longing, I think this is super hugely important. Longing is not evidence that something is wrong with us. It doesn't mean. But longing instead is evidence that we were made for a relationship with him. The God of the universe. Isn't that a beautiful trade?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

I love that. It is. It is. I it's like a reframing of the whole thing. It's like, oh, it's okay to have longing. And the God of the universe is after us and we're after him. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Yes, me too. Um, and so throughout the series, we've explored how God-given desires, the things that God has placed inside of us, can become confusing, distorted, painful, maybe overwhelming. It sort of depends what we do with them. And we've talked about recognizing those longings and understanding the stories beneath them, surrendering them to God, of course, and then learning what it means to abide in Christ. To abide in Christ. So today we arrive at a place that many of us know all too well. It's that place where our longing seeks comfort. Yes. And more specifically, the place where our longing settles settles for counterfeit comfort.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yeah. So let's pray. Oh Father, thank you for being patient with us. Thank you that you never shame us for our weakness, our weariness, or our need. Gosh, I'm so glad you don't do that. Today, would you help us see our hearts clearly,

Longing Versus Shame And Control

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Lord? Would you reveal places where we have turned to substitutes instead of to you? And would you do so, please, Lord, with tenderness, compassion, and grace? And we know you do. We know that's a prayer according to your will. We ask you to teach us what true, true comfort looks like. And we ask this, of course, Jesus, in your name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Thank you, Heidi. That was beautiful. Um, you know, throughout this series, we've discovered, which I love this, we've discovered that longing itself is not the enemy. I mean, I feel like I have thought that for many, many years. Like, what's wrong with me? Why am I having these longings? And can I squash them in some way? Can we just get rid of them? You know, let's just uh move on from that. But, you know, and I know that many of us have spent years believing that our desires too were the problem. It's like, I have no self-control, you know, these desires come up, and yeah, I just I can't handle it. Uh, what's wrong with me? We believe things like, you know, if I could just stop wanting XYZ, if I could stop feeling XYZ, um, if I could stop needing this or that or this, then life would be so much easier. But scripture tells a different story, of course. Um, God created us with desires. He created us to hunger, he created us to thirst, he created us to seek. The problem isn't longing, the problem is where longing goes. You know, I feel like for years and years I believed that I was supposed to be content. And contentment was like my goal. No matter what the situation, I'm supposed to be content. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but when I couple it with this whole conversation about longings, it's like, oh, well, what's wrong with you? You're not content. Stop longing, right? And I'm just realizing that I felt that for so long. And I felt I was really condemning myself, you know, getting on my own case for longings, for desires, thinking I should just be content with what I have, I should be grateful. So I love this truth that the problem isn't longing. I just love it. It's so freeing.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

And you know, I have to just, if you don't mind me interjecting here and say that, you know, the scriptures do teach us that contentment is is important, that we absolutely have contentment. But I I don't think God ever intended that we pretend and therefore we uh deny the fact that we have longings, or we say it's all fine, it's all fine, it's all fine. There's something going on there, and God wants us to bring it to him. That's what he wants us to do with longings, and in doing that, in that journey of bringing things to him that we're struggling with longing for, what we find is there's contentment in his presence, and that's what he's more interested in. It's not the results of what we do in our journeys with Christ, the thing that's important to the Lord, I think, and hopefully to us, is journeying with him. Wherever we're going, are we are we developing contentment? Are we processing the longings we have? Jesus wants to be first and foremost in that journey. I think that's we miss that a lot of times. We're so focused on goals. And well, I have to accomplish this. And we miss this. Jesus wants us to just walk with him.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Yes, he's all about relationship. We talked about this in our class yesterday. How it's like his view of things, it's all about relationship with us. Um, okay, so think about a thirsty person. A thirsty person is not broken. It's okay to be thirsty, it's natural and normal to be thirsty. But a thirsty person might be drinking from the wrong source, you know, that really, really tugs at my heart. And that's what we're talking about today.

Why Everyone Seeks Comfort

unknown 7:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

And the truth is we all seek comfort. Um, and that's really a very simple truth, and that's kind of what we want to start with today. Every human being seeks comfort. We came out of the womb, probably crying bloody murder, and we needed comfort, and somebody somewhere wrapped us in a blanket or uh gave us the breast or loved on us in some way, and we received comfort, but we still, every one of us, we seek comfort. That's where we go. And it can be when we're lonely, maybe, it can be when we're afraid, it can be when we're exhausted. Just give me comfort. It can be when we're grieving, of course, when we're discouraged, when we're disappointed, anxious, overwhelmed. We could go on and on. We have a long list of things that cause us to long for comfort. And no matter what, it seems as though something inside of us is going to immediately start searching for relief. We want comfort, and sometimes it feels like we need comfort, we need soothing, we need reassurance, we want something to make the ache stop. That emptiness has got to be filled. And again, the desire itself isn't wrong. God created us with the need for comfort. The question is, where do we go? You know, I just I know that we may have mentioned this scripture previously, but in Ecclesiastes, and I don't remember the exact location, um, Solomon points out that God, you have placed eternity in the heart of man. And what I have believed that to mean is there is a God-shaped hole inside of it that God placed there, He has ordained that only He can fill that to the point of comfort, contentment, satisfaction. And if we go looking anywhere else and try shoving something else in that God-shaped hole, we're gonna find it sorely lacking. The desire itself isn't wrong, it's just gotta take us to the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

But I think that's so freeing, just that whole concept. It's like it's not wrong, there's nothing wrong with you. It's actually about being drawn into the Lord. It's a it's an invitation. We talk about that all the time. God is all about invitations and relationships. Yes, definitely. I love it. I love it. So, one of the clearest pictures of counterfeit comfort, um, going for a fake, appears in the book of Jeremiah.

Broken Cisterns And Living Water

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Let's look at that for a minute. My people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That's from Jeremiah 2, 13. I mean, what an image, right? God describes himself as a fountain. That's beautiful, that's life-giving. You know, that's something that that is beautiful and amazing. It's living water, it's fresh water, it's flowing water, it's life-giving. But what happens? His people abandon the fountain, and then they dig their own cisterns, their own solutions, their own sources, their own comforts. And those cisterns were broken. They couldn't hold water, they couldn't satisfy, they couldn't sustain. So, I mean, really, the tragedy wasn't merely that they dug their own cisterns, the tragedy was that they left the fountain, they left what was life-giving for them. And I think that we can, I know I can, I think we can all relate to that.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

And you'll notice we're using the phrase counterfeit comfort, and really that has also become part of a tagline that we have for our ministry revelation within. We want to get to a point where instead of going towards counterfeit comforts, we embrace Christ-like confidence. And we can do this through renewing our minds, through waiting a little while longer, abiding in Christ. And we really like to dive into what that looks like relative to food and eating. One of the counterfeit comforts that we often grab uh when we're feeling that longing for something. And there's a million other counterfeit comforts as well. But here's the thing: a counterfeit comfort um isn't always obviously sinful. Like food isn't obviously sinful. That's not that's not the thing that distinguishes a counterfeit comfort. Um, sometimes it is, of course, but often it isn't. Sometimes counterfeit comforts can look respectable. Sometimes they're even praised. They can include food. But think about this too. How about weight loss? That can be a counterfeit comfort in my life if I'm not cautious about it. And I get praised for that, and and people think it's so good and it means everything wonderful is happening. I know in my life it hasn't always

Respectable Counterfeits We Reach For

SPEAKER_01 12:55

meant something wonderful was happening, that I was putting something else before the Lord sometimes. Um, but counterfeit comforts can include entertainment, busyness, social media, shopping, achievement, people pleasing work, exercise, control, constant. Even catch this ministry activity. And I have been there. I have been there where I got my sense of value and purpose from how often was I at church? If the doors were open, I needed to be there. I needed to be ministering to somebody somewhere, leading a Bible study, leading worship, doing something that would somehow make me feel like, and that's really what it was about. It was me. Make me feel like I have value, and that can be a counterfeit comfort. Anything can become a counterfeit comfort if we ask it to do what God wants to do for us. The issue, again, is not what it is, it's not the object itself, it's the assignment, the importance, the the place we've given it. And we really, we really want to scrutinize that.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah, so I mean, when we reach for comfort, we're often seeking something deeper. That's that is such an important truth for me. I feel like if I can just pause for a second and think about that, recognize that, ask God, what's going on? Am I looking for peace? Am I looking for safety or security? That's a big one for me. How about belonging? What about relief? Physical or emotional relief, you know? How about validation? That's a big one. Rest. Oh my goodness. How about hope? Love, connection, acceptance. I mean, these are legitimate needs. There's nothing, nothing wrong with having those needs. We're human, we all have those needs and more, but counterfeit comforts promise to meet them while bypassing God. Ouch! Yeah, I know. Ouch, exactly. That's why they're so appealing. They offer immediate relief. There's there's no waiting, there's no surrender. Nope, you don't have to go there. There's no vulnerability or dependence, just relief. The thing is, it only lasts for a moment. That's the thing. It doesn't last, it doesn't really satisfy for more than a moment. And then sometimes we're worse off after going to the counterfeit than before we did. Um yeah, like I said, I could relate to all of this so well. And I know you can too, Heidi.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Definitely. Well, one of the most beautiful conversations in Scripture takes place between Jesus and a person we've come to know as the Samaritan woman. And

Jesus And The Samaritan Woman

SPEAKER_01 15:55

and before the story was in the Bible, if somebody were to tell it, I'm sure that there could be other things to describe her, not just the Samaritan woman, but a sinful woman, a woman who was distressed and discontent and looking for love in all the wrong places, if you know what I'm saying. And and this story is in John chapter four. And I so love that the Lord included this story. Here, Jesus says in John chapter four, verses 13 and 14 everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. Now, of course, this was somebody he had met at a well that they were drawing water in the middle of the day. So it was it was like an object lesson, and they were right there in the midst of it. Um so again, he said that everyone who drinks of this water is gonna be thirsty again. That's just a human condition. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. When will they thirst again? Never. So notice what Jesus does here. He does not shame her for her thirst, he doesn't condemn her need, he doesn't say, You should really consider this thirst thing. He doesn't condemn her need, he addresses the source, and he got right to the point. The woman had been looking for satisfaction in places and in people that could never fully satisfy her. Can you relate to that at all? Yes, yeah, yeah, exactly. And Jesus gently reveals your deepest thirst isn't for what you think it is, it is not for what you think it is. Your deepest thirst is for me, and that truth remains just as relevant today as it was in the middle of the desert so many years ago when Jesus told the Samaritan woman that very thing.

SPEAKER_00 18:02

Wow. Let's

Why Counterfeit Comfort Works Briefly

SPEAKER_00 18:03

just talk honestly, which I think is what we usually do anyway, even though we say let's be honest, it's like I think that we have been always, but what is it about counterfeit comforts that is so attractive? Yeah, what is it that pulls us in? It looks so good, it's bright and shiny, we can't stop looking at it. Like, what is that? Well, it's because it works, at least temporarily. I mean, that's why we keep returning to it. The snack calms us down for a moment. That purchase makes something exciting happen in our day, right? Even if we couldn't afford it or whatever. The scrolling distracts us, pulls us away from our life for a moment. The binge watching numbs us, the accomplishment validates us. Oh, well, I got this, at least I got this done. The fantasy transports us, and the approval brings reassurance. For a moment, though, it's only for a moment. The relief is real, but it's just so short. It's like so short. And you know, that's where we often go for more. It's like, well, I like that, so I think I'll go get some more, or I'll do some more, or I'll turn on the next episode, or whatever it is. It's so short-lived. The ache returns, it's right there, and sometimes it's stronger than before, like we said. So we go back again and again. Okay, let's go back again. I'm gonna try this now, but this is better. Let's try this. Not because we're foolish, not because we're weak, but because we're trying to solve a problem, a soul problem with something that was never designed to heal the soul.

Following Longing Toward God

SPEAKER_01 20:03

Listen to David's words in Psalm 63. Oh, God, you are my God. I shall seek you earnestly. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you. That's from 63.1. Psalm 63.1. You know, David doesn't deny his longing. Have you ever seen people who deny things that are really obvious?

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Well, that would be one of them. If anybody in your life denies that they have an unmet need or longing, chances are they're not really embracing what's true. Um, but David doesn't suppress it, he doesn't distract himself from it. He doesn't say, let's go scroll on Instagram and see what the newest thing is in crowns that we can wear.

unknown 20:51

In crowns.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Well, he was king at one point, anyway. Um instead, he follows his longing. I mean, can you imagine? I'm gonna follow my longing. That sounds dangerous, that sounds scary. That's what we often do. We just don't follow it where it needs to go. He follows his longing all the way to God. I love this. That his thirst. Yeah, I love it. His longing becomes a pathway to intimacy with the God of the universe. Oh wow, oh Lord, make it happen in me more and more and more. His his longing becomes an invitation from God to come closer, to draw nearer. Ooh, his ache becomes a prayer. What if, what if your longings and mine could become prayers, could become requests that we make of God, Lord, meet me in this emptiness or meet me in this longing. What if our discomfort could become an invitation to seek Him? Lord, are you here? I know you're here.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

You are show me yourself. Many of us are asking a hidden question when we reach for comfort. The question is who or what will take care of me right now? It's a deeply human question. It's not, and if if you're thinking, Oh, that resonates with me, you're not the only one. This is a question that we all wrestle with, right? When life hurts, we want someone to care for us, um, to hold us, to reassure us, to help us, to comfort us. And often we instinctively turn toward the things that have helped us survive in the past. It's like our brain goes to that file. Oh, what there's my comfort file. Let's see, what can I pull out and what's gonna help? Well, this didn't work. Well, so what? Let's try it again. You know, even if those counterfeits no longer truly help us, and even if they never really did.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Oh, that's powerful when you think about it. The things that land in that counterfeit comfort file, sometimes they didn't help at all. Ever. Never, ever, ever.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Well, sometimes they actually bring us down, sometimes they drain us, sometimes they exhaust us, they they leave us in a a worse place than before.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Yeah. One of the most comforting truths in scripture is that Jesus understands human weakness. He took on flesh because he wanted to understand us, and he knew that was the way to do it. Hebrews tells us in chapter 4, verse 15 we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. I love that. And it's talking about Jesus because he's our high priest. Jesus understands hunger, he understands loneliness, he understands exhaustion, rejection, sorrow, temptation, grief. He does understands what it feels like to be human, which means we never bring our longings to a savior who is annoyed by them. No, we bring them to one who understands. Oh, thank you, Lord.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Yeah, that's so important. I love thinking about that. Um, so here's a practical step that can change everything. Um,

Pause And Ask Better Questions

SPEAKER_00 24:27

it's just so simple, so simple. Pause before reaching for comfort, pause. Just stop for a minute. Maybe um sit down in a chair or go in the other room or sit down in the backyard for a minute. Just pause before reaching for that comfort. Not forever. Just for a moment. Ask the Lord, what am I feeling right now? What am I needing? What am I longing for? What hurts right now? What am I hoping this will do for me? And I'm sure you can come up with more questions. Just anything that comes to mind about your situation in that moment. Those kinds of questions can reveal what is happening beneath the surface. Because something is happening. It's not just an old habit, you know, it's not just, oh, I'm doing it again. We minimize it, is what we do. At least I have many times. But what's happening is when we ask those questions and we invite God in, often they uncover a much deeper invitation. And that can become a very beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_01 25:43

Yeah, we don't want to miss it. Uh, I think it's so important. What if, what if I stop and just say, Lord, are you inviting me into something right now? Show me what it is. I mean, what a that could revolutionize a life or or 20. Yeah, you might even say or pray something like this, Lord. I want relief, I want comfort, I want peace, I want something to stop the ache, I want something to fill the emptiness, something to make this seem easier. Would you show me what my heart is really seeking? Would you meet me here? Would you help me receive from you what I've been trying to get everywhere else? You know, it's simple, it's honest, and it's real, and that's what we want to do is approach God with whatever it is. He can show us what it is. He really wants us to. What do we believe about God in the moment? Do we believe that he's personal and that he wants us to approach? Says in the book of Hebrews, you know, we have confidence to approach the throne of grace to receive help and mercy in our time of need. That's pretty cool that the God of the universe said, Come on, I want to come on in. Yeah, it's not like back in the days of King Darius or whoever it was. If if somebody approached, he better hold out the scepter to them or he's gonna zap them. No, our God is gentle and kind and welcomes us.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

I just love we don't even have to make an appointment. You know how hard it is to get appointments these days. No, God just says, Come anytime. Perhaps you've spent years seeking comfort in places that don't satisfy. I'm an expert at this. I feel like I've done this so many years. I feel like I've gone after so many things again and again. It's not like I keep trying new things. I usually go after the same things. Maybe you can relate to that. Maybe you've been doing it for decades, even. Okay, here's the good news. God never says, How dare you come back? No, never ever. He says, Come in a loving, gentle voice. Imagine him using your name as he calls to you. Come again and again and again and again and again and again and again. All day long. He wants us to come to him. His mercy is never exhausted. His invitation is never withdrawn, ever, ever, ever. And his love never runs dry. Unlike broken cisterns, that fountain, it never, ever fails. It's always going, it's always beautiful, refreshing living water for us.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

So, as you were talking, Christina, a song popped into my head. It's called His Mercy is More, and I've heard it by Shane and Shane. And I just love it. I'll just quote the chorus Praise the Lord, His mercy is more, stronger than darkness, new every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more. Oh, I just love it. Beautiful. And so, what you were saying about mercy is um, and that his love never runs dry. It's so true. So, as we close, listener, consider these questions.

Reflection Questions And Closing Prayers

SPEAKER_01 29:20

What comfort, you know, ask God these questions, really, because uh he is the one that can show us exactly what's going on. What comfort, Lord, do I most often reach for when life feels difficult? What comfort do I most often reach for when life feels difficult? If you're able to, you could even pause the podcast right now and invite him to tell you that right now. Obviously, if you're driving, don't get distracted by the buttons. And then here's another question to consider. What am I hoping that that counterfeit comfort will provide me? What am I hoping? Lord, show me. What am I hoping it will provide? And then what deeper longing might be underneath that desire? You know, the Lord's great at showing us these things. What deeper longing might be underneath that desire? And then what would it look like to bring that longing honestly to you, Lord? Yes, you know what? We want we want to do that. What would it look like for me to bring that longing honestly to God? Got another one for you. Where might Jesus be inviting me to drink from his living water instead? Is there a specific aspect to my life? You know, when I think of the last G, this year has been really something. It started off with Christina had cancer, and Michael, my husband, had cancer, and my sister has cancer, and my son is has a weird swallowing thing going on, and that doesn't even count the lost job Michael has no job right now. I mean, how many different things could I run to counterfeit comforts over? Oh, the the list is endless. So, you know, where might Jesus be inviting me to drink from his living water instead? Any one of those and a bazillion more. You know, take some time this week to sit with those questions. I know I'm gonna do that. Um, write about them, maybe pray about them, talk with God about them. Lord, I know that you have an answer to this. And then we want to leave you with these beautiful words from Psalm 107, and Christina will then pray us out. They are for he has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with what is good. That's Psalm 107, verse 9. Isn't that lovely? For he has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with what is good. Uh Christina, how about if you personalize that for us right now, like we do with our mind renewal tools? What would that look like?

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Lord Jesus, I am so grateful that you are the one who satisfies. My soul is thirsty for you, my soul longs after you. My soul is hungry for you. Fill my soul, Lord, with what is good. And thank you, God, that you are available all the time to do this, that you invite me to come to you. We love you, Lord. I love you in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

Amen. So that's Psalm 107, verse 9. Thank you, Christina. Um, friend, God is not threatened by your thirst. He's like, Oh my gosh, can you believe too much for me?

SPEAKER_00 32:55

Um, I I mean, we're laughing, but I think we think that sometimes. Oh, I know we do. We are too much for God. He's like, Can uh I need a break from you, girl. Can I claw? Yeah, no, that is not him. He is God, he is not human.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Yeah, he's not irritated by our need, he's not disappointed by your longing either. He created you to have a longing, and the longing that we have is very powerful, and he hopes that it will lead us to him each and every time. He delights in being the one who satisfies, and he may not always satisfy instantly, and he may not always do it in the ways that we expect, right? But he does satisfy deeply, faithfully, and truly.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

I'll go ahead and pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us even when we run toward broken cisterns. Thank you, Lord, for pursuing us constantly with kindness and compassion. Thank you for being the fountain of living water, the fountain that never ever stops, the fountain of life. Help us recognize, Lord, the places that we have looked for comfort apart from you. Teach us to bring our longings honestly into your presence and remind us again and again, because we do forget, Lord, we need those reminders that your invitation remains open all the time. Come, drink, receive, rest. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you so much. We ask this in your precious name. Amen.

Next Episode Teaser And Goodbye

SPEAKER_01 34:36

Thanks for joining us for Loud Longings, Holy God, episode seven. Next time, the gift of true comfort, we're gonna explore the beautiful truth. I love this, that God does not merely just ask us to release counterfeit comforts, he offers something infinitely better. His own comforting presence. Now you've got the cliff notes version. You don't need to until then, maybe you experience the gentle, faithful love of God as you bring your deepest longings to him. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

We are so, so glad that you've been here. And we hope that you will join us for our next episode of Revelation Women. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.