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5/19/2012
I pray that the Lord will listen when you are in trouble, and that the God of Jacob will keep you safe. Psalm 20:1 (CEV)
There are times in our lives when we feel completely alone and overwhelmed with the battle before us. The uncertainty of the future and the rugged trail of the present seem to keep us from making any headway at all on the journey.
Sometimes, in the midst of the turmoil, there are no easy answers. Sometimes when life seems at its lowest, there are no clearly defined routes to victory; no words of comfort. During those times it’s nice just to have someone to listen to us. We don’t need solutions (although they’d be nice). We don’t need sympathy or advice. We’d just like to know we are heard. We’d just like to be assured that our thoughts, the deep feelings of the heart are being listened to without judgment.
Other times, listening isn’t enough. We need a defender. We need someone who will come to our aid and fight the battle for us. Our strength is gone, our will to continue is waning, and our hope of victory is dim.
It’s as though the battles we fight are two-fold. One the one hand attacks come from within, from the depths of our very soul. Doubts about our faith seep like cancer into the very sinew of our being. Questions of our worth and value linger in the corners of our minds. Accusations and our past haunt us.
On the other hand, we are in danger physically. Financial woes keep us trapped. Family and relational stress weaken out resolve to even try to reconcile. Health and old age remind us that some of our dreams are no longer accessible.
It’s during these times that the God of Jacob comes to our aid. Jacob, the man who wrestled with God and refused to give up until he was blessed. His blessing carried with it a limp for the rest of his life. A reminder that his battle was huge, but he won. A reminder that his God was a God you could get down and wrestle with over the issues of life.
Jacob, the man who approached a brother that tried to kill him. Jacob was vastly outnumbered. Esau was powerful and heavily armed. Jacobs’s strength that day wasn’t his own; it was the strength of his God.
The Psalmist reminds us in his prayer that we have a God that will listen to our deepest longings and struggles. We are loved passionately by a God who honors those of us who would dare ‘wrestle with him’ into the dark hours of the night. We are protected by a God who put his very life on a cross to guarantee our eternal protection.
Today, whatever trial you face, may you know that the God of Jacob is with you to listen, to protect and most of all to forgive.
PRAYER: Lord I thank you today that you listen to me in my hour of need. I praise you for the protection you offer in my time of physical and emotional danger. Help me to be ever aware of your presence today as I travel this journey. Amen.
“I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NCV
It will happen all across the world today. Some places will have seen it by the time you read this. In a variety of ways, places and circumstances, ‘the ball will drop’. As people watch it drop they will celebrate the dawn of a new year.
Some will use this as a new beginning. Old habits will be left behind forever (or temporarily at least), diets will be started (or restarted), resolutions will be pledged, prayer vigils for world peace, eradication of hunger, and a variety of other causes will be staged.
But in all the hysteria, in all the celebration, lurking in the corner of people’s minds will be the monster called fear. Oh, he may lay low for awhile, a day or two, just to make you think that things really will get better. But he’ll be back. He may come in the way of a terrorist attack or natural disaster for a world-wide effect. He may come more subtly too. You could lose your job this year or a loved one or…the inevitable, this could be the year others lose you.
I don’t mean to be some Debbie-downer and spoil your celebration today. I do really hope that each of you will have a happy, blessed and safe New Year. There is one way we can all assure ourselves of a happy New Year regardless of what goes on around us and that is to claim the promise Jesus gives us.
Jesus was well aware of what lay ahead for his disciples when he made this promise. He is well aware of what is in store for you this year too. When Jesus promises peace his promise isn’t for external peace, but for a peace deep inside our soul. It’s a peace that comes to us regardless of the external events of our lives.
So, while I sincerely wish all of you a Happy New Year, my real prayer for you is that you will have a Peaceful New Year grounded in the fact that Jesus Christ loves you, gave his live for you, and promises that no matter how bad things get in 2012, he knows what lies ahead and promises to walk with us along the rugged, painful and sometimes terrifying journey. Jesus is the only real source of peace you will ever find and ever need.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus you’ve heard all the prognostications for 2012. Better yet, you’ve been there and back. My prayer for this world is that we will find the peace you have promised by putting our trust in you. May each of us live a life of peace grounded in you so others will find the way to peace with you as well. Amen.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21 (NLT)
A group of us were enjoying coffee and dessert. Most of us were college students from a small group at the church I attended, but one couple was middle aged. Both husband and wife were well established in medical careers. They were very wealthy compared to any of us college students!
The very fact that the two doctors were even there seemed out of place. We were sitting in a small apartment in an area of the city that was old, rundown and not very safe. This couple currently lived on a beautiful hobby farm where they had several horses and a beautiful view of the valley.
In the midst of the laughter and meaningless chatter one of our group asked what she thought was a simple question. She asked the couple, “What do you think was the happiest time of your lives?”
I was expecting to hear about the birth of their first child or perhaps finishing school, or getting that first job. When the question was asked the couple smiled and looked at each other. The wife spoke first and after all these years I think I could quote her. Their story went something like this.
“Without a doubt the happiest time of our lives together was when we lived over onthird avenuein a small duplex. When we got married and decided to go to medical school we borrowed enough money from my parents for down payment. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We bought the place and rented out the other side for enough to make the mortgage payment. Even though we had the house ‘paid for’ we really had very little else to our names. We couldn’t afford a TV until we happened to find one in a trash dumpster. It worked okay, but needed a good slap on the top once in awhile.”
It’s been years since that conversation took place but it still reminds me of the important things in life. We measure happiness in life by the number of toys we have, the size of our yard or the amount of money in our retirement account. The words of King Solomon still ring true when he said (my paraphrase) “I didn’t spare myself anything but soon found I had nothing when it came to peace and happiness, I found it only comes from within.”
If your heart is centered on the things of this world like wealth, pleasure and power you will never be satisfied. Your ‘happiness’ will waver depending on circumstances.
But if your heart is centered on building a pure and healthy relationship with God you will find that the things the world finds important for success, happiness and comfort lose their luster. A close walk with God and living in the forgiveness and grace Jesus offers is the only real treasure that will last.
Seek a relationship with the God of Genesis above all others. Cherish the time spent in prayer and Bible study. Seek out those who will help you in your walk. It’s the best way to a healthy heart.
PRAYER: Father God, my own words convict me. There are so many times I’m drawn aside by the desires of this world thinking they will bring comfort and happiness. But their comfort is weak and temporary and often leads to painful consequences. I ask that through the power of your Spirit I would draw closer to you and nurture this treasure I have in Jesus. Amen.
“Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 (NLT)
The little girl let out a piercing scream that brought both parents running to her rescue. She had been playing on her grandparent’s farm and building a ‘fort’ in the wooded area behind the barn. Unfortunately, she’d chosen to build her fort in the midst of a nest of wood ticks! Her parents spent nearly an hour picking ticks off the scared and crying little girl.
After a thorough inspection, a warm bath and a bowl of ice cream on Grandpa’s lap she felt much better. She got down to play but decided to stay near the house and play with her dolls.
“A little scared to go play in the woods?” Grandma asked her gently.
“A little maybe,” was her reply, “But mostly I still feel itchy, like the bugs are still crawling all over me.”
We can all, no doubt, identify with the little girl in the story. We walk through a spider web or discover some insect on us and for some time later still feel it’s ‘presence’ on us.
The same can often be true of sin. We fail to do what we should, or do something we know we shouldn’t. We may even wander far from God and live a lifestyle we know is wrong or become addicted to drugs, alcohol or lust.
Like the Prodigal Son, we come crawling back to God. We confess our sin. We work hard at cleaning up our act. But deep in the corners of our mind is this sense of guilt and shame that we can’t shake. We pray about it. Read Scriptures. We talk to counselors, pastors or trusted friends. Still we are haunted, sometimes day and night by the feeling of guilt on our lives. Much like the little girl continued to feel the wood ticks on her body.
So, why is that? Is God so angry with us that he won’t let us forget? Are the reminders of our past signposts to make us be sure we were sincere? Does God’s forgiveness fall short of our expectations because our ‘sin was so bad’ that he’s going to haunt us for the rest of our lives?
The simple answer to that is a resounding NO! The Bible is very clear in several places that once we confess our sins to Jesus and ask his forgiveness those sins are forgiven. The moment you asked, the blood of Jesus cleansed you from the penalty of that sin. We can still feel guilty though for a variety of reasons.
If you have asked sincerely for your sin to be forgiven and still feel guilty it could be a matter of healing and healing takes time. Sometimes that healing is made longer because people keep bringing up your faults. Sometimes it can be due to constant ridicule. Religion is a great source of guilt as well with constant reminders that we are bad.
The biggest culprit in our struggle with a guilty conscience though is Satan. That great enemy of Christ-followers wants nothing more than to keep you in the prison of guilt and remorse. He’ll lie to you. He’ll use other people to lie about you. He can even use religion to keep you captive. Don’t listen to him. Listen to the words of Jesus. “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. No matter how many times you come sincerely to Jesus he has promised to forgive you. Tell Satan to take a hike. Tell him to get lost. In Jesus Christ you are NOT GUILTY because of the blood he shed on the cross for you.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I’ve been carrying this load of guilt long enough. I now realize that the guilt I feel is a false belief that I’m not forgiven. I renounce the efforts of Satan to keep me in the prison of my soul. From this day forward I’m going to live in the freedom of your forgiveness. Amen.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
One of the great cripplers of society is stress. Stress seems to attack us at ever opportunity, robbing us of our joy, our physical health, our self-image and our relationships with others and God. Divorce, financial ruin and a whole lot of other issues can often be directly or indirectly attributed to stress.
Stress is a complicated issue dependent on each person’s circumstances, perspective and background. However, one of the causes of stress in our lives is our desire to get what we want. Who can fault us for wanting a nice home; for providing for our children or retirement; for having as successful business? But too many times the desire to attain those things leads to spiritual, physical and emotional turmoil…or stress.
The writer to the Hebrews closes his letter with a prayer for his readers and for each of us. He prays that God’s peace would be at work in us. It’s an easy prayer to make. Our Heavenly Father’s purpose for sending Jesus, for raising him from the dead and promising us present blessing and eternal life was to provide peace for us.
Many times, in the dark, honest moments of our lives we need to ask ourselves this question: “Am I doing all this for my good or for God’s good?” God wants to give us things to relieve our stress. God wants to give us peace. God wants to equip us for a successful life. His equipping is so that the things we do are for His glory and not our temporal earthly comfort. Those things may come as a result, but they are not a prerequisite to God’s good work being done through us.
What does God want for you? Peace. Peace gained through doing the things he wants us to do with the gifts he’s given us for his glory. It may be as a pastor or a server at the local coffee shop. The important thing is that you are doing the right thing for the right reason with the gifts God has supplied for you.
PRAYER: Father God, stress seems to be an ever-present part of my life as I strive to survive and succeed in life. I pray that you would help me to use the gifts you have given me for your glory and not my comfort. Place me where you want me so that I can do the work you have for me. Remove the obstacles that cause unneeded stress in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 