Harry Kemp said, “The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.”(1) I will say that the poor man is not he who is without a dream, but he who has lost his dream. If you’ve ever felt that what God has laid on your heart has been lost, then tonight’s passage is for you; for we will hear a message of hope about recovering from setbacks.
How are we supposed to handle those times, when what God has asked us to do doesn’t come to pass; or when our vision is temporarily put on hold? How are we supposed to respond when it seems as though a dream has died; one that we’ve poured our very heart and life into? What’s the next step? Well, these questions are answered in Hebrews chapter 12, with words that encourage us to never give up.
Allow Wounds to Heal, Not Be Dislocated (vv. 12-13)
If we suffer a setback, we can become spiritually wounded and cut to the heart. We can become discouraged and grow weak in our devotion to Christ. The Bible shows us that at such times we need to exercise our spiritual muscles through – not physical therapy – but spiritual therapy to get back in shape. We read in verses 12-13:
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed (Hebrews 12:12-13).
These verses are reminiscent of Isaiah 35:3-6, which is a passage that shares a prophecy delivered unto the inhabitants of southern Israel. Isaiah’s message to the people of Judah was this:
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:3-6).
If you’ll recall, Israel was once given an amazing vision from the Lord; one given to Abraham when God promised him in Genesis 22:17-18:
Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 22:17-18a).
The Lord also promised King David, “Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you, [and] your throne shall be established forever” (2 Sm 7:16). Israel had been given a promise, a vision, and one enormous dream from God; however, because of repeated disobedience, this calling kept being put on hold, time and again.
The words spoken in Isaiah chapter 35 were given to encourage God’s people, who were experiencing a time in captivity under Assyria. He told the people of Judah to look up, for a Deliverer would soon be coming to reestablish Israel’s hopes and dreams, and that the Lord would arrive performing miracles never before imagined!
The Lord was telling the people to hang on and not give up hope; and we too must not grow weary, but instead keep looking unto Jesus (Heb 12:2). God wants us to keep on hoping and keep on dreaming, for He doesn’t want setbacks to weaken us in our faith. What we’re to hope in is Jesus Christ. You see, dreams may vanish, but the Savior’s love for us is forever strong.
If we allow ourselves to become discouraged, and give up on serving God, then we will become spiritually weak. We learn here that when a person’s hands hang down and are left unused, they can lose their strength; and also, unused legs can lead to weak knees (Heb 12:12-13). This is called “muscular atrophy,” which is defined as, “a wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use.”(2)
A lack of use can lead to dislocation, the Scripture says; and also to being wounded or broken (Heb 12:13). I have noticed that when I’ve been inactive and haven’t exercised for a while that my back will sustain pulls and injuries from lack of use. If we lose a dream and our heart becomes broken, it’s tempting to give up and do nothing at all. However, if we sit down and become spiritually inactive, then not only will our “heart” be broken, but our “spiritual life” will end up broken, as our relationship with Jesus suffers.
Spiritual inactivity will also lead to being dislocated from the body of Christ, or the church; and the church exists to help us become all that we’re intended to be in Christ. Yes, it’s true that the church was established to glorify Jesus, but it also exists for our benefit as well (cf. Heb 10:24-25; Ps 92:13-14).
God wants us to stay strong and healthy and be healed; and He actually prescribes an exercise program designed to prevent “spiritual atrophy.” Consider carefully the following information provided by the National Osteoporosis Foundation:
Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser when you place demands on it . . . Two types of exercises are important for building and maintaining bone mass and density: weight bearing and resistance exercises.
Weight bearing exercises are those in which your bones and muscles work against gravity. This is any exercise in which your feet and legs are bearing weight . . .
The second type of exercises are resistance exercises, or activities that use muscular strength to improve muscle mass and strengthen bone. These activities include weight lifting, such as using free weights, and weight machines.(3)
Let me apply this information spiritually. Making straight paths, as Hebrews 12:13 says, is a walking or running program, and equates to weight bearing exercise; and strengthening the hands and knees, as Hebrews 12:12 says, is weight training and resistance exercise.
These two exercises, in the “physical sense,” increase muscle tissue and bone mass, and they decrease the risk of breakage and dislocation. In a “spiritual sense,” these activities increase our faith, and decrease the risk of being separated from the body of Christ and being broken-hearted, broken-spirited and broken in our relationship with the Savior. The Lord wants our wounds to be healed, rather than be dislocated.
Healing Begins by Pursuing God and Others (v. 14)
Spiritual healing for those of us who are feeling weak and dislocated begins when we commit to remaining connected to the body. We should not only be connected, but we must also be a contributing body part, or continuing “member,” in the function of the body of Christ. A believer’s healing starts with exercise, and verse 14 prescribes the exact type of exercise that’s needed:
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
We’re told to pursue peace and holiness, for without these “no one will see the Lord.” This is not talking about losing one’s salvation. What this statement means is that if we fail to do the specified exercise, then we will be blinded to the Savior. This isn’t saying that He’s not there for us; but if we’re not seeking peace and holiness then we simply can’t see the Savior. We will be so weak in our faith that all we’re going to be able to see are our lost hopes and dreams.
Healing begins by pursuing peace and holiness. Notice how pursuing peace with all people is emphasized. First, we must begin to focus on other people. We need to stop looking only at ourselves and our own problems. We must instead focus on others. We need to intentionally serve and love other people until our focus begins to shift and look upward unto God instead of downward toward the gutter.
We must also focus our attention on people for another reason, and that’s because believers need each other. No journey should be made alone or in isolation, especially the road to spiritual healing and recovery.
Now, we’re also informed to pursue holiness, which is talking about our relationship with the Lord. We need to focus our attention on God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
In summary of verse 14, if we desire healing for broken or delayed dreams then we must focus on building relationships with fellow believers, and building our relationship with Jesus Christ. We must let go of the calling, or the thing that we have lost, and refocus our attention and efforts on what really counts, which is God and others!
Dwelling on Shortcomings Leads to Bitterness (v. 15)
Any time a person sustains bodily harm and “physical injury” it can lead to mixed emotions, such as anger, depression and even despair. For example, a person who suffers physical harm might ask God why He allowed such a thing to happen. That person can become unmotivated, and will especially become discouraged by a physical therapy routine.
The Bible warns us that the same mixed emotions can arise in connection with a “spiritual injury,” and can slow down – and even halt – the healing process. We read in verse 15:
Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled (Hebrews 12:15).
Believers are warned here that dwelling on shortcomings can lead to bitterness (Heb 12:15). Bitterness will cause spiritual “trouble” and turmoil, and wound our relationship with the Lord, and cause us to become “defiled.” That word “defiled” means, “to dye, [and] to stain” as in soiling the conscience.(4)
Have you ever spilt coffee on a white shirt and decided that you would get around to dealing with the stain later? I have, and the stain never comes out! Have you ever dyed your hair before and gotten the dye on the back of your neck or on your hands? It takes a long time for the stain to wear off.
Some stains never come out, and bitterness can lead to stains on our heart and in our mind, and lead to scars and wounds that never go away. We must guard against bitterness by putting on a “spiritual bib,” or rather a spiritual covering, so that bitterness and its related stains never have a chance to set in.
We’re told to “look carefully.” Look at what? We must be careful not to focus on shortcomings and disappointments, but look instead to God’s many blessings; such as mentioned in Philippians 4:8. Paul said that in focusing on God’s blessings, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). In other words, dwelling on good things creates a spiritual covering that wards off any stains of bitterness.
Selling Out Leads to Losing Your Blessing (vv. 16-17)
If we allow discouragement and bitterness to get the best of us, then our lack of motivation will lead to dropping out of our spiritual exercise program. If we reject our exercise routine, then our heart will never be healed and our injuries will continue to fester, or even become worse. They will get to the point where the damage is too great from which to recover, and we will lose any chance of regaining our strength to continue pursuing what God’s place on our heart. Look at verses 16-17:
Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears (Hebrews 12:16-17).
If we become weak, broken-hearted and dislocated from our relationship with Jesus Christ and the church, and if we allow ourselves to become defiled by bitterness, we could be tempted to give up and throw it all away. The Bible provides a warning not to sell out on our calling, reminding us of Esau’s shortcoming (Heb 12:16). Esau’s tragic account is found in Genesis chapter 25:29-34.
Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary” . . . But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34).
Sometimes trying to hold on to our dream – or what God has laid on our heart – can become so painful that we just want to let it go and move on with life. Like Esau, we might get to a point where we feel weary from the hunt or the pursuit, and feel like we’re going to starve to death in a spiritual sense.
Esau sold his birthright because he was weak and weary, and he thought he was starving; but we learn that when he regained his strength, that afterward, he wanted his blessing back (Heb 12:17). However, because he gave up and sold out, he was rejected; and it didn’t matter how much he cried and pleaded for it - it was gone! When we come to our senses, then we too will realize that the dream and vision that God gave us has never faded from our heart, and that we still desire it.
However, if we allow ourselves to become hardened to the Lord, and then we separate ourselves from Him and from other believers, and live the rest of our life in bitterness, then we will never see the dream fulfilled. If our calling is delayed, the key is to maintain a close and intimate relationship with the Lord, and keep on serving Him faithfully wherever He has placed us for the time being.
Time of Reflection
The first couple of verses in Hebrews chapter twelve reveal the key to holding out hope for God’s promise. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we read, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”
So, let’s lay aside the weight and heartache of what we perceive as a broken dream. Let’s lay aside the sin of becoming weak and dislocated in our relationship with Christ and the church; and the sins of bitterness and blaming God. Let’s keep pressing on while serving the Lord wherever we are and with whatever we’re doing, looking unto Jesus the entire time.
This life-journey isn’t about us – it’s all about Jesus! Heartache over the loss of a dream will happen whenever we place the emphasis on ourselves, and when we’re thinking of what “we” have endured, and what “we” have lost or suffered. In Hebrews 12:3, we read, “Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” We must always “consider Him” and stop thinking about ourselves.
Let’s look unto Jesus, for this journey is all about Him. The gospel song “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” says it best: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Let’s look unto Jesus and we won’t have to live in worry or heartache any longer; and this same message goes out to anyone struggling with the difficulties of life. Let’s not allow our pain to separate us from the blessings found in Jesus Christ.
NOTES
(1) Harry Kemp, in Stories for Preachers and Teachers, in HeavenWord CD-ROM, Version 1.01 (1999).
(2) “Atrophy,” Dictionary.com: dictionary.reference.com/browse/atrophy (Accessed November 30, 2009).
(3) “Bone Is Living Tissue That Responds to Exercise by Becoming Stronger,” National Osteoporosis Foundation: www.nof.org/prevention/exercise.htm (Accessed November 30, 2009).
(4) A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament, CrossWalk: bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/RobertsonsWordPictures (Accessed November 30, 2009).
