From the beginning, the enemy has used everything at his disposal, especially lies, to separate us from each other and God. Separation is at the heart of sin. God desires for us to be in relationship with him, but sin separates us from that perfect relationship. God sent his Son, Jesus, to die and be a perfect sacrifice. This sacrifice takes the place of our sin and restores us, enabling us once again to be in relationship with God.
Relationship begins with trust. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher… Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.” We must first trust that Jesus was and is our perfect Savior. We must trust that God has always wanted a relationship with us because he loves us so much. Through that love, he made a way for us to be restored.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved. — Ephesians 2: 4–5
Once we trust that God made a way for us through his Son, we have to keep our eyes and hearts pointed towards him. It’s quite simple, but it isn’t easy. When we find ourselves troubled by the world, we must find our strength through his strength. He is a stronghold, an everlasting rock, and my portion forever.
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. — Nahum 1:7
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. — Isaiah 26:4
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. — Psalm 73:26