Looking quizzically at my phone, I smiled as I discerned the message my daughter had texted. It wasn’t the words; it was the emoji. How in the world had such a small graphic managed to perfectly capture my teenage daughter’s sigh of impatience, roll of her eyes, and slightly annoyed tone of voice when saying my name? But there it was—the exasperated emoji!
While my response to my daughter’s text that day was lighthearted, I realized that even though we can be good at expressing our emotions, we don’t always wield them well. Exhibiting our emotions isn’t the problem. After all, we’re made in the image of an expressive God (Genesis 1:27). We falter, however, when we make our emotional state the barometer of what we believe or the compass for decision-making.
Hezekiah’s radical cleansing of the temple reveals not only how important it is for us to resist idolatry, but also how far-reaching the impact can extend when we don’t (2 Kings 17:41). A gift to bring healing, the bronze serpent had become an object of worship because it was more tangible than an unseen God (Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 18:4). Forsaking their covenant promise to worship the Lord alone, the Israelites bowed at the altar of circumstances and as a result generations became imprisoned in idolatry (2 Kings 17:38-41).
God created us to live in the fullness of His image—emotions included. But it’s vital that we choose, as Hezekiah did, to trust in God’s “great strength and . . . powerful arm” to lead us (2 Kings 17:36). Anything less leads to bondage. Regardless of our emotions, we find true security through faithful obedience to the One who remains consistent and trustworthy (2 Kings 18:5-6).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 18:1-15
More:
Read Psalm 63:1-11 and consider how David directed his emotions to what he knew to be true about God’s love for him.
Next:
As you think about your emotions, how do you sometimes struggle with being led by the Holy Spirit? How can your emotions be an instrument for strengthening your intimacy with God?
Gary Shultz on January 10, 2017 at 3:38 am
Hi Regina: Wow you landed on a good one here. The tangible and the intangible; show us a sign, show me. The cry from Adam to Christ, from Christ to present day. Where is all of this stuff you talk about? I must admit that the written word misses a large amount of communication. They say body language is 70% of communication and in God’s word we don’t get to see it; however, we are not so blanked as we would have ourselves believe. History records in colorful detail times when God drew close to “man”. When signs were given, faith was given tangible evidence. Everything from the super scary to a shadow moving backwards. Faith is the call to our relationship and many things in scripture are pointed to be taken as commands. And yes, Regina we were gifted with emotions to be swept into worship of this Holy God. I must think it is no accident that we used to relate to our fellow man face to face. God had that in mind and will return to a more visual experience with us. We do more communication without ever seeing the “others” we address; part of the culture of the day. This will keep me thinking. Thanks Regina
tedsenapat on January 10, 2017 at 6:11 am
Loved this thought, Regina! I just had to share it on my Facebook and Twitter timelines! Blessings on You and Your Family!
gagirllive on January 10, 2017 at 8:24 am
Great to read something from you again, Regina. It’s been a while. I know just the emoji your teenage daughter sent you. (And by the way, I think emojis are best left to the teenagers. Very disturbing when grown people send out texts full of emojis— except for the occasional smiley face.) 🙂 Praise God for giving us emotions, but they are the least trustworthy part of who we are…IF they are not consecrated to Him. Several years ago, a friend challenged me to pay attention to how often I began a sentence with the words “I feel” and to identify whether those feelings were rooted in truth. That was an extremely helpful exercise that I still practice today. How often are we led astray by our fallen emotions? I like how you said “David directed his emotions to what he knew to be true about God’s love for him.” That’s the key—making our emotions bow down to the truth of Gods word. As for intimacy with God, I find that mine is strengthened by being honest with Him—no hiding (as if I could). He desires truth in the inward part, and He wants me to bring my messed up emotions to Him so that He can straighten them out. It’s about surrendering it all to Him—body, soul (the seat of emotions), and spirit. If we don’t, we’ll do what is right in our own eyes, as we see in your scripture text today. Great word for us, Regina. Thank you for it. I’m tempted to insert a thumbs up emoji right here for you. 🙂 Grace and peace to everyone who visits here today.
gagirllive on January 10, 2017 at 9:42 am
Interestingly, as the Lord would have it, I read something in my prayer book this morning that speaks so well to today’s devo. May I share? “Help me to honour thee by believing before I feel, for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause of faith.” (From Puritan Prayers and Devotions)
hsnpoor on January 10, 2017 at 11:41 am
Good word! Good reminder, Regina & GG, that we must constantly and consistently make sure we are being lead by the Spirit of God and His Word and not our thoughts and feelings, which will more often than not take us to the wilderness and not God’s green pastures for us. Thank you also, Regina, for the Psalm 63 scriptural reference. Ps. 63:3 is one of my all time favorites, but it hasn’t crossed my mind recently. It watered my soul this morning. Blessings to all who visit today.
gagirllive on January 10, 2017 at 4:44 pm
Nice to see you, Kim! Been missing you. I know what you’re saying about not letting our emotions take the reins. But I also know that the Spirit might lead us into the wilderness too…just as He led the children of Israel (Exodus 14) and Jesus (Matthew 4). In both cases there was a lot of dealing with emotions in vunerable situations. The Israelite showed us how NOT to handle them while Jesus showed us how. Interesting, don’t you think?
Monica Brands on January 10, 2017 at 11:36 am
Such interesting thoughts on emotions, gagirllive, and love the quote! I’ve often thought about the Christian relationship between head/heart. In a perfect world, our emotions and thoughts about God would be perfectly aligned, but in the world we live in, there is much seeming reason for despair. It can be just as problematic as blindly believing emotions to on the other extreme suppress or deny emotional pain because we think we “should” feel okay. Yet our hearts must stay open to receiving healing and truth even in the pain. It’s almost as if our hearts live in two different realities, where on the one hand we can feel so troubled and broken by the evil and suffering in the world, and yet we lean into the hope found through our conviction that Jesus is renewing and resurrecting all things, even what seems unredeemable now.
gagirllive on January 10, 2017 at 4:32 pm
Yes. I agree, Monica. The duplicity we often feel can be so frustrating. It’s hard to get our heart and our head in agreement, isn’t it? I sometimes think about what Adam and Eve must have been like before they sinned…perfectly healthy on every level! And what sweet and pure fellowship they must have enjoyed with God without those negative emotions we often battle. Fear, shame, guilt/blame—all evidences of a broken relationship with God—continue to fight for a place in our minds. Yet, He called to them in the midst of their brokenness as He does to us still today. Praise God for Jesus, our Redeemer and Healer! So thankful He came to make all things new! Let’s keep leaning into that hope, friend.