Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
The first thing I want to say to Haley, and all of us who have tasted the frightening seasons of spiritual dullness and fear of drifting into a kind of cold indifference, which would not only make us useless, but would ruin our souls — the first thing I want to say is this: Be thankful. Oh, be so thankful you are aware of what is happening.
That’s the first great discovery, which leads us back to the sweetness and authenticity of walking in fellowship with Jesus. And I say that because, when Paul tells us not to be anxious for anything, not to fear, he doesn’t just say, “Pray about your fears.” He says, “Pray about them with thanksgiving” (see Philippians 4:6). So, right in the middle of our impending darkness, we are to mingle our desperation with thanksgiving. That’s the first thing I would say. Be thankful, Haley, that you are not blind to what is happening.
Hebrews 2:1 says, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” I have tried to remind myself and the church I served that life is war. At the end of his life, Paul said, “I have fought the good fight” all the way to the end (2 Timothy 4:7).
Life is war. And we used to say at Bethlehem, “You do not know what prayer is for until you know that life is war.” Prayer is not an intercom to ask the butler for another pillow in the den. Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie to headquarters. “We need air cover right now, God, or we’re going to be swept away and overrun by the enemy of unbelief.” (Piper)
