Consider it All Joy (part 2)

Yesterday’s devotional started a conversation about God’s purposes in our suffering. We’re going to continue today in part two. I’ll post a link to part one in the comments.

Sometimes trials are a means of discipline in our lives – I know this one well.  The psalmist declared, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word” (Psalm 119:67).  Hebrews adds, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).  Trials that come as a consequence of our sinful and foolish behavior are meant to teach us valuable life lessons.  Or as my mother said, “Bought lessons stay with you longer than taught lessons.”  If you can connect your trial to your actions, take that as a means of discipline and training. The writer of Hebrews also said that discipline identifies us as God’s true children. “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (See Hebrews 12:5-10). Discipline means that God is being a good Father to you.

Our trials reveal God to the world.  When Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who had been blind from birth, He said, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3). When the Lord healed this man everyone knew it, and he became a living testimony to the power of God.  You and I are the canvas on which God paints His own portrait for the world to see.  Just as silver and gold show up most brilliantly against a dark backdrop, the power and glory of God are on vivid display in our trials.  Our difficulties become the means by which God shows up and shows off.

Beloved, I don’t know what trial you are facing today, but I know that God has brought you to it for a good purpose.  He is at work in your life, stretching your faith, moving you into His will, preparing you to minister to someone else, teaching you discipline, and making your life a display of His glory.  Every trial is an opportunity for you and me to draw closer to our Father, to walk by faith, and to point others to Him.  Yes, we can count it all Joy when trials come, because we know God has a purpose and a plan – and we will be the richer for it.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

I [Don’t] Got This!

“You hang in there, girl. God will never give you more than you can handle.” I never wanted to call someone a liar as much as I did the woman who made that statement to me.  But I’m southern and we don’t call our elders liars, so I thanked her and hugged her, and flushed her counsel from my brain. While that may sound full of warm fuzzy faith, there’s not a shred of support for it in Scripture. The Bible is clear that God often gives us more than we can handle.  Paul said, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia.  We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death” (2 Cor 1:8-9a). Not so warm and fuzzy, is it? Friend, if you’re hanging onto that opening statement as a rock for your life, you are going to be very disappointed.

If you’ve walked with Him for very long you know that God indeed allows situations and hardships that are more than we can handle. He does it so that we will turn to the only One who can. Paul continued, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (v. 9b). I almost stopped that verse after the comma but I realized that those last four words are pivotal to the passage. What is harder to handle than death? And who is it that overcame death? If you’ve got a problem that’s bigger than raising a dead man to life, then you may have reason to worry.

Paul goes on to say, “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us” (v. 10). He has. He is. He will continue. He has been faithful. He is still faithful. He will continue to be faithful.  Your circumstances do not define Him. He defines your circumstances. I can’t stress this enough – God WILL give you more than you can handle. But He will never give you more than HE can handle. Stop trying to carry it all yourself, Beloved. Hold tightly to God and He will carry it – and you through. That’s why it’s called FAITH.

Waves

When I was a kid I loved to go to the beach. I loved the sun and crowds – the two reasons I don’t want to go now. What I loved the most was standing a few yards from shore and letting the waves gently pick me up off my feet as they rolled by. Occasionally a strong wave would come through and knock me off my feet and send me spinning and spluttering through the water as I try to regain my stability.

Life is like that, isn’t it? Most of the time we go through the gentle waves of our day, with work, school, chores, meals, kids, and maybe some church thrown in a couple of times a week. Then a sudden tsunami hits and we are sent tumbling, tossed around like a rag doll, overwhelmed by fear and unable to find firm footing. We wonder if we’ll ever see the blue sky again. I understand. I’ve been there. I know many of you have too – or are right now. I know of at least two families I’m praying for that have been washed over this week. Life hits hard sometimes.

The Psalmist understood too and he knew where to go for help and hope. “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ Your love O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought Joy to my soul” (Psalm 94:18-19). When he was thrown for a loop, He turned to God and found stability in His love. When He was overwhelmed with anxiety, he drew comfort from the Lord and found Joy that went all the way to his soul.

Maybe I write about this kind of stuff too much. Maybe you’re not as susceptible to being drowned by worry as I am. But I read your posts. I think we’re all swimming in the same ocean. And if you’re like me, you need the reminder that God loves you, and it’s a love that you can trust when your life is in turmoil. You need the comfort and sweetness of a Heavenly Father who is strong enough to calm the seas and gentle enough to hold you until you catch your breath again. That’s the God the Psalmist turned to. That’s the God you can turn to as well, Beloved. He’s reaching His hand into the waves to rescue you.

Surrounded

One of my favorite Bible accounts is in 2 Kings 6. The prophet Elisha and his aide were pinned down by the Aramean army. Through God’s secret wisdom, Elisha had been giving away Aram’s location to the king of Israel, giving Israel a decided advantage in the war. The Arameans had surrounded the city and were preparing to rush in and capture Elisha. The prophet’s aide saw the army with its horses and chariots and soldiers and cried to his master “O my Lord, what shall we do?” (v. 15).

Ever been there? Me too. The money won’t stretch. The doctor said there’s nothing more he can do. You just got laid off. You watch your spouse walk away. You hand your rent money over to the mechanic. Your kids are hungry and your pantry is empty. “Oh my God, what am I going to do?”

I’ve walked with God long enough to know that that’s the heart of anxiety: What am I going to do? Like it’s all on your shoulders. Child of God it’s not. Let me suggest a different question: “Oh, my God, what are You going to do?”

Elisha told his aide, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). Then he called on the Lord to give the man spiritual eyes to see. “The Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17). He was seeing the army of the Lord that had encircled Elisha and stood between him and the enemy. The man of God – and his aide – were completely safe and secure.

God has promised to care for you – but it requires spiritual eyes to see Him surrounding you. Listen to His own Words: Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Isaiah 52:12 says “The God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Psalm 32:10 says, “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man [or woman] who trusts in Him.” Beloved, whatever you are facing right now, your Heavenly Father is there with you, before you, behind you, and all around you. Just open your eyes.

Got Troubles?

Got troubles? Who doesn’t, right? One thing I am certain of – nobody gets through life without them. What do we do with these troubles? Psalm 37 is David’s prescription for our troubles – let’s break this down together.

 “Do not fret . . .” (v.1). I have a problem, but I am not going to let it consume my thoughts and drive my actions. David is dealing with “evil men,” but it could be anything: health concerns, financial burdens, relationship struggles, weariness, loss, grief, or too much responsibility. He reminds us that problems won’t last forever (v. 2).

“Trust in the Lord” (v. 3). Believe that God is good and faithful and he will take care of the problem. In the meantime, “do good.” Manage your life well. Be faithful and obedient. And remind yourself that God is trustworthy. Half the battle of surviving hard things is in the mind.

“Delight yourself in the Lord” (v. 4). Don’t draw away from God, especially if your trouble is self-made, which is usually the case for me. Continue to praise Him for who He is and celebrate every blessing from His hand. The bonus to delighting yourself in the Lord is that the Lord Himself becomes the desire of your heart, a yearning He is always eager to fill.

“Commit your way to the Lord” (v. 5). The word here literally means to “roll care and responsibility onto the Lord.” It brings to mind 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” The problem may be bigger than you, but it’s not bigger than God. David reminds us once again to “trust in Him,” and that trust will be rewarded (v. 6)

Finally, and perhaps the hardest of all, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him,” (v. 7). That is God’s word to me in the present season of struggle: “Be still and wait for Me.” The word still means, “Be silent, be quiet, wait, and rest (I need that for sure).  Stop trying to fix it. Stop fretting (he says this three times). Stop ranting (ouch). Trust. Delight. Commit. And “Refrain from anger” (v. 8 – ouch again).

Beloved, if you and I follow this good advice we will not only thrive in our struggles, but the world will see the goodness and faithfulness of God when he helps and delivers us (v. 40). Yes, you and I have problems, but we also have the Lord which means we have hope (v. 9) and great peace (v. 11). That will get us through anything.

Saving the Best for Last

I always eat the least favorite thing on my plate first and save my most favorite thing for last. When I have chores to do I do the hardest one first then do the easiest last. Why? Because I know that if I eat my favorite food or do the easiest chores first, I will give up before I do the rest. It’s a discipline I learned as a kid: “save the best for last.”

I think that is a very simple explanation for Paul’s message to the churches in Rome.  He said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (8:18). Let’s get the truth out on the table – this life is hard. And the Christian life, I believe, makes it harder. Christians are constantly at odds with the culture of the world. Our priorities are very different. Our desires are (or should be) counter-cultural. Our sense of right and wrong rubs against the ever-changing “morals’ of the day. And our worldview is 180 degrees from the ethos of the world. Sometimes we wonder why we continue to swim against the stream and make ourselves a target of the enemy. Wouldn’t it be easier to just go along with the world and save ourselves the struggles and pain? Maybe. But at what cost? “Glory.” The reward for endurance and perseverance is glory. And not just a glory we can see at a distance. Paul said the glory to come is “in us.” He told the church in Corinth that this is “an eternal glory that far outweighs our light and momentary troubles” (2 Cor. 4:17).

Maybe you don’t consider your troubles “light and momentary.” You may have lost a job or a friendship because of your commitment to your faith. You won’t be the first. The history of the church is written in the blood of men and women who died for the name of Christ. It still happens today in certain parts of the world, and I believe it is coming to the Western church soon Paul isn’t dismissing these hard things. But he is saying there is something better coming, something that makes all our difficulties in this life pale in comparison. He said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Those are not just fluffy words – they are a rock-solid promise from the heart of God. You and I cannot imagine the glory that is coming. Hang on Beloved, the best is yet to be.

Stars in the Night Sky

“Therefore we do not lose heart…For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:16, 17

“Light and momentary?” I want to ask Paul. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been through this week? It isn’t light! The past 18 years? That’s longer than a moment!”  But then I remember I’m yelling at Paul who endured thirty-nine lashes on five occasions, who was beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, spent a night and day floating in the sea, facing constant danger, persecution, sleepless nights, without food, water, or clothing – all for the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). He may not know the specifics of my life – or yours – but the man has known suffering and hardship and pain.

My next question then is, “Why, if we are God’s children, do we have to endure so much difficulty?” Paul never stopped serving the Lord; even in prison, he shared the gospel with the guards (Philippians 1:13). I’m trying to be faithful to God’s call to study and write and teach. You’re trying to stay faithful to what God has set before you in your family, work, church, and community. Shouldn’t that get us a pass from troubles? Yet not even God’s perfectly faithful Son was exempt from suffering.

But I think I found a clue to our struggles and sufferings. So that we may “become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15). When are the stars the brightest? When the night sky is at its blackest. When is God’s glory most visible? When things are at their darkest. Like now –in my family, in our nation, and in the war-torn country of Afghanistan.

Friend, believe me when I say, I understand. Just because I’m a Bible teacher doesn’t mean I am exempt from the harsh things of life. In fact, I feel like it puts me constantly in satan’s crosshairs because he would love nothing more than to beat me down until I quit. But I won’t. Paul didn’t. Jesus didn’t. Because this world needs shining stars to bring light into the darkness. The world, Beloved, needs you.

Do You Want to Get Well?

“Do you want to get well?”( John 5:6) Rumor had it that an angel would descend with healing powers and stir the waters so that the first person who made it into the pool would be healed. The man was an invalid and was alone at the pool –  in misery. For thirty-eight long years. So we find ourselves questioning Jesus’ question. Of course, the man wanted to get well. Why wouldn’t he? We expect him to offer a hearty, “Yes! I want to get well!” But check out his response to Jesus: “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.  While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” (v. 7). Not exactly the answer we were expecting.

I’ve been the emotional invalid at the side of the pool. I didn’t suffer in silence; I would whine to anyone I could corner. My prayers were little more than a list of what was wrong in my life. I went to counseling and there was much advice given, but I never took it.  Like the man beside the pool, I always had a reason why I couldn’t do what was necessary for my healing. To be honest being miserable became a comfortable, known place. Healing and wholeness seemed – frightening.  But then a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and as I prayed for her I said, “What a waste of a beautiful life it will be if she dies this young.” And the Lord replied: “No more a waste than if you live for 100 miserable years.” I blew out the candles and walked out on my pity party.

Charles Stanley said, “Sometimes our troubles and infirmities become such a part of our lives and identity that we have difficulty letting them go and allowing God to handle them. Have you been holding on to a painful experience or problem? You must choose to let it go. God offers you His healing, so there are no more excuses. You must decide what is more important to you – getting better or having a reason to say, ‘Woe is me.'”

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to our healing is us.

It Came to Pass . . .

“So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made” (Genesis 8:6)

When my son was a baby, a friend gave me some great advice: “Remember, the Bible says, ‘It came to pass,’ not it came to stay.” You can bet I passed it on to my daughter-in-law when my granddaughter was born. Those long sleepless nights will eventually pass and she will sleep through the night. Teething and colic eventually pass. When I spend a couple of hours holding her while she sleeps I remember that these days will pass all too quickly and I’ll miss watching her peaceful face. It’s good parenting advice, but it’s also good life advice.

We will all face difficult days and seasons. But it’s helpful to remind ourselves that those days come and go – they are not forever. In those times I look back at Noah’s story and remember that after many, many days aboard the ark, it came to pass that the waters began to recede and Noah opened the window to let out the dove and let in the fresh air and sunshine. My troubles will pass and so will yours.

Another way to look at this is that the days of our lives come to pass not to stay and the opportunities before us and the people around us are also not permanent.  I have many regrets over things I knew the Lord wanted me to do that I thought I could get around to later. But later never came and the window closed. This past year has taught me, as it has so many of us, that the people we love cannot stay in our lives forever. I never dreamed my big brother would be in heaven before the year’s end. I know many friends for whom COVID has caused great grief. Jobs and business were shown to be temporary, and even the highest office in the nation passed from one hand to another this year.

So here is my advice: Don’t fret the sleepless nights of parenthood, nor the difficult days of life. It does not seem so in the middle of it all, but they will pass. And don’t waste the opportunities God gives you, nor time with the people you love. Life on earth comes to pass, not to stay. Make it count Beloved.