Cold Affections

At some point in our walk with Christ, we begin to experience a season of dullness. Our affections for God become cold, particularly in our personal reading of Scripture. The words that we read just don’t jump off the page like they did when we first believed.

Why is it so easy for us to forget that the Bible is the clearest revelation from God to us? We have a tendency to gloss over astonishing truths that should change us from the inside. Jesus told the disciples that “the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). God’s Word can give us life when our hearts feel dead.

During dry seasons like these, how can we awaken our affections for God’s Word? I have found it helpful to reflect on Scriptural truths that have made a profound impact on me in the past. One of these truths focuses on God’s Cosmic Story.

The Observation of Angels

If you think back over biblical history, a lot of things have happened. God created mankind and we rebelled against Him. God chose the people of Israel to be a blessing to the nations. Prophets predicted the coming of God’s Son. Jesus came to earth, died and rose again. The Church began and millions have come to faith in Christ since its beginning.

Have you ever wondered what the angels were thinking while all of this was going on?

In 1 Peter 1:10-12, Peter speaks of angels longing to comprehend God’s cosmic plan:

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

The angels wanted to get a front row seat to watch God’s plan unfold. Can you imagine their reaction? They had to be amazed at the great lengths that God was going through to redeem His creation. When I remember that angels are fascinated with the Gospel, that helps me see that this story is a lot bigger than me.

The Saints of Old

Peter also says that the prophets in the Old Testament were looking ahead for the Messiah to come. He says that “the Spirit of Christ” was working in them to predict the suffering of Jesus and his future glory. These prophets realized that their predictions were not directly applicable to them, but were for a future group of people…you and me.

We live in the age after Christ has come in the flesh. It’s easy to forget what the saints in the Old Testament went through as they waited for their promised Savior. We cannot forget about those who have gone before us.

God’s Cosmic Story

It seems our focus has become too narrow. We get bogged down in the small details of our own lives and forget the grander narrative behind it all. We play a part in something that gives angels pause. So much has already happened in this story, and yet there is still so much more to come!

Next time you read Scripture and get bored, think of the wonder of the angels watching redemption unfold. Think of all the saints that looked forward to the time that we live in now. Think of how you have an important role in God’s Cosmic Story, “which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before” (C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle).