In a recent post we noted that throughout history almost all human beings have conceived of a mysterious, awe-inspiring Presence pervading our world–almost all, not everyone. The dominant worldview of Western countries is a notable exception. Scientism teaches us nothing exists beyond what the five senses can reach. Life just happened by chance. There is no purpose.
Unsurprisingly, a society so spiritually bankrupt has produced an epidemic of depression and anxiety despite unimaginable technological wonders and material wealth. According to the Government of Canada, approximately 1 in 4 Canadians will experience a mental illness such as depression at some point in their lives. The United Sates and Europe have similar statistics.
One of the most striking images in the Old Testament is a vision seen by Ezekiel of a valley full of dry bones. The prophet learns two salient facts about these scattered bones. They represent a people who have lost touch with the Spirit and secondly, they are emotionally dead. They cry out in a piteous lament, “Our hope is gone!”
Is our society becoming a valley of dry bones?
One of the most alarming developments is the mental health of young people. In Canada suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15-24. In 2019 in the USA, one in three high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Common to much of this mental health torment is emotional numbness (disassociation). One consequence is an increase in self-harm. A 2015 study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that among adolescents who engage in self-injury like cutting, a common reason cited was “to feel something, even if it was pain.”
The Bible actually sees strong feeling as a good thing. The extraordinary love manifested by Jesus when he died for us was accompanied by extraordinary feeling. On the night before he died, Jesus tells his disciples, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luke 22:15).The Greek word translated desire most often translates as lust in the New Testament. It simply means strong desire. Not only does Jesus use such a forceful word, he says it twice to show the intensity of his passion to be with his followers.
Furthermore, strong desire is linked to the universal Presence we’ve been talking about. The Psalmist says his longing for God actually caused him to open his mouth and pant (Psa 119:131) . And again, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2).
At the core of our being resides “a raging and inextinguishable thirst, an immaterial kind of fire” as one older writer put it. This profound yearning can lead us to the Spirit. On the other hand, the loss of it means a devastating loss of hope.
With the emotional numbness of modern society in mind, G.K. Chesterton proclaims this age calls for a new kind of prophet–one who will tell us, not that we’re going to die, but that we’re not dead yet! The dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision thought everything was hopeless and yet they lived again–once the Spirit moved upon them.
In conclusion, connecting with the Spirit of Christ means also connecting with our feelings. “Deep calls unto deep (Psa. 42:7). Through prayer and meditation we can slow down enough to feel what’s going on inside. Sometimes the powerful forces we encounter there unnerve us–fear, hastiness, anxiety or a negative feeling we label boredom. I regularly feel a cavern of aching emptiness.
However, when I don’t run away or distract myself, it feels good to simply experience this inner void. Although unpleasant at first, I start to relax and naturally breathe more deeply. Somehow I am buoyed up, energized by hope. The aching emptiness morphs into exhilaration as though at the top of a roller coaster about to embark on an exciting adventure.
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