It is an experience I have had and, in all likelihood, one you have had as well. I have gone to the doctor to tell him about some pain, some illness, some ailment, and he has asked, “How long has it been like this?” Sheepishly I’ve had to admit, “It has been months” or “It’s been like that for a year.” And, like a dad who is disappointed in his child, he has had to tell me, “You know, if you had come in a long time ago, this would have been much easier to treat.” Sometimes he has even had to say, “At this point, there is really nothing I can do. But if you had come to me a year ago…”

Similarly, I once learned a hard lesson not too long after I bought my first vehicle. The brakes began to squeal which told me they needed to be serviced. But I was busy and foolish and kept procrastinating a visit to the mechanic. When I finally did take my truck in, both the pads and rotors were in dire condition and needed to be completely replaced. That was an expensive lesson for a young man.
Doctors, mechanics, and so many others—all are familiar with the frustration of having people approach them only long after a problem begins. All are familiar with having to ask, “Why didn’t you bring this to my attention years ago? I could have helped you then. And the recovery or repair would have been so much easier. I would have had much greater confidence in my ability to help had you come here when the symptoms first began.”
But have you ever noticed that God is unbothered by the degree of an individual’s brokenness or the duration of his spiritual illness? Have you ever considered that God actually seems to specialize in the cases that appear to be most hopeless? Have you ever observed that he is able to redeem the hearts of people who had earnestly and willfully rebelled against him for years? Or that he is able to renew marriages that had gone sour almost as soon as the honeymoon came to an end?
How often have we seen the Lord reach out and save those who had extended patterns of rebellion, deep convictions about the non-existence of God, or a lifelong commitment to an entirely different faith? How often have we seen him blaze his light into utter darkness, speak his voice to ears that had been completely stopped? How often have we seen him address patterns of sinfulness that had been established since childhood or bring joy to marriages that had seemed beyond repair?
If God was a doctor, he would gladly request the most difficult cases and the most critical patients. If he was a counselor, he would request the people who had the hardest pasts, the most established patterns, and the least commitment to the process. And he would heal them all.
That’s not to say, of course, that we should dawdle before turning to him for salvation or linger before pleading with him for sanctification. It’s not to say that we should permit ourselves a long disobedience before finally doing as he has commanded. It is to say, though, that no case is beyond hope and no person beyond help. Whether we are pleading for the souls of those we love or seeking grace for our own patterns of misbehavior, we can trust that he is willing and that he is able. For no one is too far for his eyes to see when they wave their hands in surrender; no one is too distant for his ears to hear when they cry for his help; no one is too broken for his hands to heal when they fall down before him. No one is beyond his ability to bless, to save, or to heal.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you today and for the duration of the year that has just begun. May this be a year in which you know so many of the Lord’s sweet blessings.
Today’s Kindle deals include a selection of 2023’s bestselling books from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Happiest Year You Will Ever Know)

This is a strong column from Andrew Walker. “Has anyone else noticed that many Christian journalists have gone more or less silent on issues of cultural controversy that intersect with the so-called culture war? For example, I haven’t heard an affirmation of the exclusivity of Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture, or biblical views on abortion or sexuality in years from many who write at these outlets. When was the last time one of these writers picked up their pen or used their platform to defend the interests of conservative Evangelicals in any meaningful way, even if it put them at odds with their cosmopolitan readership?”

Ed Welch considers ways we may unintentionally hurt the very people we are trying to comfort.

“What will your New Year’s resolution be for 2024? It’s a question probably equal parts hated and anticipated. Some people look forward to this season every year as an opportunity to reflect and reset. Others feel guilt from the hauntings of failed resolutions past and would rather glide into the new year without disruption to the status quo. But how should the disciple of Christ treat this season?”

I enjoyed this conversation between Greg Koukl and Amy Hall. They discuss whether the fact that Christianity isn’t necessarily easy to understand or defend means that it’s not true.

Andrew Kerr offers comfort for people who may be experiencing sorrow. “If God’s heavy hand weighs heavily on your heart, or the sweet narrative of your life has been soured by a bitter taste, recall, precious lamb, your story isn’t finished yet – the author of your tale, from birth, through death, to life, knew how your story concluded before the beginning of the age.”

Dayo Adewoye: “The African Christian has a distinct challenge. He (and she) stands amidst two different systems which daily war against his soul. And in his desire to be faithful to Christ, he must faithfully and discerningly wage the war against them.”

Happy New Year! Here is a prayer I found in Heart Cries to Heaven by David Campbell. It seemed very appropriate for the start of a new year.

The happiest home is not one which has never known grief—but one whose songs of gladness have in them a minor strain.
—J.R. Miller

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective, who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving away FIVE copies of Michael Horton’s new book, Recovering Our Sanity.

Here’s more about the book:
How cultivating a healthy fear of God liberates us from our fear of others, our fear of the future, and even our fear of death itself.
At times the world feels like it’s losing its mind. From politics to the pandemic, we live with an ever-increasing uncertainty, and many of us have grown to fear the rapid disintegration of our society and our own lives.
Recovering Our Sanity is not another self-help book about how to beat your daily fears for a better life. It’s a book that will show you the gravity and glory of a God who’s worthy of our fear. It’s a book that will reveal how these two biblical phrases—Fear God and Do Not Be Afraid—are not contradictory but actually one coherent message.
Michael Horton—Professor of Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary—shows us that we cannot fight our fears by seeking the absence of fear altogether, but by living with a fear of God that drives out the fear of everything else. Horton will walk you through the case for the fear of God by:

Developing what it means to fear God, biblically and theologically, and what this kind of fear looks like in practice.
Categorizing different types of fears—from cultural anxiety to pain and hardship—and what they stem from.
Focusing on how to confront our earthly fears with our hope in Christ, rooted in the gospel.
Reminding us that God does not exist for us; we exist for God.

Humbling, thought-provoking, and hope-igniting, Recovering Our Sanity delivers a timely message that will help you shift your focus from a human-centered obsession with self-preservation to a fixation on Christ and his salvation.
Rather than clinging to false securities and promises of immediate gratification, you can gain the lasting joy of knowing the One who has given himself to save us and who says to us, “Do not be afraid.”
Enter Here
Again, there are five books to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon. If you are viewing this through email, click to visit my site and enter there.