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The Lord is a mighty rock, and he never does wrong. God can always be trusted to bring justice. Deuteronomy 32:4
My family and I were playing on the beach near San Diego, CA on vacation. It was a beautiful Southern California day and exciting for us ‘northerners’ to be able to enjoy the surf. My daughters enjoyed racing waves into shore and then, as the wave receded, looking to see what had been washed onto the beach.
It amazed me how each wave changed the topography. Shells would appear for a moment until the next wave washed it away or buried it out of sight. The footprints of my daughters were only momentary dents in the sand erased forever by the next wave. Sand has no chance over the mighty power of the waves.
In so many ways, life is like that. People come into our lives and leave again. In some cases all too soon. Relationships bring excitement for a time, but time also tends to threaten the security the relationship offered. People, places and things we once thought secure can be washed away in a moment.
Whether we admit it or not, the one thing each of us seeks is security. That’s why we look for a good job; why we pressure out kids to get a good education; why we work so hard to get a retirement account that will take care of us when we get older.
The security the world has to offer is like the shifting sand on the beach that day. It is in a constant state of flux and offers no guarantees. Jesus once said that trusting the world was our own strength was like building a house on the sand. When trouble comes, our security gets washed away in a moment.
Near the beach we played on that day was a large cliff. It stood there for years holding back the sea from escaping it’s boundaries. The water’s power was no match for the rock. It stood strong and tall, seemingly oblivious to the water’s puny, relentless attacks.
God is described as a rock in scripture. Regardless of what you throw at a rock, it stands tall and strong. In the same way, when we trust God with our lives, nothing the world throws at us will have any effect.
What waves are crashing against you today? Are you focusing your attention on standing strong on the shifting sand of your own strength or are you standing on the rock that won’t fail and won’t change regardless of the size of the waves?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the fact that you know that battles I’m fighting now and those that will come in my future. When I get discouraged please help me to stand firm on you. Thank you for never letting me down. In your name, Amen.
And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. 2 Corinthians 1:11 (NLT)
My daughter showed her independence at a very young age. When it came time to put her coat on she would refuse help by stating in a very emphatic way “Do Byself” which translated as “I’ll do it by myself!” She had far more confidence in herself than we had. We learned early on to give her a couple minutes to get ready because it took her longer without our help.
As parents the idea of independence can be bittersweet for some of us. On the one hand, we all obviously want our children to grow up to think for themselves and be independent. But on the other hand, in reality, during those times of solitude we have to admit it’s hard to see them get to the point when ‘we are no longer needed’. For example when we see our ‘little girls’ or ‘little boys’ drive away in the car for the first time alone.
Independence is a good thing in many areas and our society applauds it. But there are some times when independence isn’t profitable. In the mid-60’s Simon and Garfunkel made a song popular that celebrated independence. “I am a Rock” proclaimed the gospel of not needing anyone for anything. An Island is completely self-sufficient. A Rock can’t be hurt by feelings of inadequacy and can weather even the most violent storms.
While the words made for a good song, independence in the spiritual realm isn’t profitable or even wise. The Apostle Paul and his troop of missionaries/ministers was going through a terrible ordeal. They were under constant attack to the point where they feared for their lives. In spite of the danger, they survived and Paul gave credit for their survival to the power of prayer and not just the prayers of his men, but the prayers of others that knew of him and lifted him up to the Father.
Somehow in the Christian life we’ve bought into the idea that to ask for help is a sign of weakness. Or maybe it’s the fact that we’ve been burned by ‘well-meaning friends’ who take our private requests and make them public or use them as a soapbox to try to fix us. (If you aren’t sure what I mean, read the story of Job and his ‘helpful friends’.)
Once our trust in others has been damaged by others it’s admittedly hard to ask for help. Especially in the matter of prayer when our requests are sensitive. There is perhaps no one in the Bible with a more fiery personality than the Apostle Paul. He was a man’s man. He was a leader. He was about as independent as they came. However, when it came to spiritual matters, I doubt very much that Paul had a ‘Do Byself’ attitude.
Paul knew the importance of surrounding himself with trusted people who would lift him to the throne of grace for strength, wisdom and protection. Each of his prayer partners had a part in his ministry as he states in today’s verse. It’s as if Paul is saying, “many people will be thankful because you prayed for us.”
Have a struggle coming up that you don’t know how to handle? Not sure what the future holds or which direction you need to turn? Surround yourself with people you can trust to pray for you objectively and without judgment.
PRAYER: Dear God. I don’t always ask for help very well. I have far too much confidence in my own abilities. I hesitate to ask others to pray because I don’t want to look weak. Provide me with people I can trust to strengthen me through prayer. Give me the courage to ask for help when I need it. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
A friend of mine is a pastor in a small rural church. While the church has been in existence for over 100 years, it had fallen on some hard times and had even considered closing its doors. My friend was a ‘last hope effort’ to survive.
Chris, as I’ll call him, prayed for months that God would raise up some of the men to become the leaders the church needed to be an effective witness in the community. One day, his prayers seemed to be answered. A man we’ll call Thomas visited the church a couple times and then came up to Chris one Sunday after church and asked if they could have lunch. Later that week as they sat a table in the local café, Thomas shared his testimony of how he’d found Christ. Then he asked Chris the $64,000.00 question: “I have never been disciple and don’t know that much about the Bible. Would you be willing to meet with me to help me learn how to do that?
You can imagine the excitement Chris felt over the next months. Thomas continued to grow in his faith and became more and more involved in ministry both within the church and in the community. Then came the heart attack.
I looked at my friend Pastor Chris as his countenance fell. “It took the wind out of my sails big time”, Chris continued, “the hopes I had for ministry seemed to come to a complete stop. I found myself trying to fill the gaps Thomas had left behind. I told God he could take me out of this ministry anytime. I was finished.”
Chris shared with me how discouraged he had been over the next months. There were some small glimpses of joy in the ministry, but most of it was gone. Looking back he realized he’d built his ministry more on a person than on Jesus.
Discouragement can come to us in many ways, as it did with my friend Pastor Chris. It can sneak up on us completely unaware and knock us off our feet. Many of the things we once hold confidence in lose their allure.
Usually discouragement is completely irrational. For example, you may do a project for school in which 100 kids evaluate you. If you get 99 high grades and 1 low grade it’s easy to focus on the one low grade and not the other 99 high grades. It’s the way we are wired. We tend to see the negative far more easily than we see the positive.
Discouragement happens when we lose confidence in ourselves and our enthusiasm disappears. It can be the result of personal attacks, failures on our part or the death of someone important to us. Whatever the reason, discouragement leaves us disheartened.
Imagine what it must have been like for Joshua. Joshua was a Bible Character and assistant to Moses as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. As they neared the Promised Land, Moses died and left Joshua in charge.
Imagine how Joshua felt. Moses was the only leader he had ever known. Moses was the one that stood by him, trained him, and encouraged him. Moses made all the difficult decisions. Joshua followed his lead. Now it was his time to lead nearly 1 million people into a land known to be inhabited by fierce and powerful enemies. In the midst of this overwhelming challenge, Joshua receives assurance from God that God would be with him every step of the way.
Discouragement comes when we focus on our own ability and see the solution to our circumstances as being dependent on our own power. When relationships fail we tend to be discouraged because we think we are the only ones at fault when, in fact, relationships can only prosper if all parties are working together.
When we fail because of sin in our lives discouragement sets in because we get the notion that being morally perfect is possible and that God is disappointed in our actions. The fact of the matter is we will never be morally perfect and God is never disappointed or surprised by our actions. He not only knows our weakness, he is ready and willing to forgive us and help us through our weakness and use those weaknesses to make us strong.
We can lose confidence in life situations, or ministry (as Pastor Chris did) or our jobs, or classwork because we’ve neglected to seek God’s help or place too many expectations on ourselves. Confidence is also robbed when we compare ourselves to others rather than reminding ourselves that we are created in God’s image as his masterpiece.
Are you discouraged today? Remember that no matter what you are going through, God knows where you are, how you got there and the best way out.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, right now I find myself in a situation I see no way out of. Please forgive me for not trusting you. Please empower me through your Holy Spirit to see the way you have for my escape. Help me to focus on you rather than my circumstances. In your name I pray, Amen.
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. Proverbs 12:25 NLT
When I was growing up I remember singing an old chorus that went something like, “Why worry when you can pray, trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay. Don’t be a doubting Thomas, trust fully in his promise? Why Worry, Worry, Worry, Worry, When you can pray.”
Cute little chorus and I remember enjoying singing it often. Then life set it. I became a grown-up. I watched the news; I fought valiantly (and often lost) battles with temptation; People let me down, ridiculed me, misunderstood me and put way too many expectations on me. I made stupid mistakes and waited for the consequences to set in. I think that’s why I worry.
Worry is really nothing more than a form of idolatry. Worry says, in a sense, “This is too much for me to handle, therefore it must be too much for God to handle. I’m doomed!”
King Solomon was right when he wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Worry weighs a person down…” Those of us who struggle with worry know the feeling. Worry is like a downward spiral. The more we worry, the more stress we bring on ourselves. The more stress, the more worry. We lose sleep, which causes stress which causes worry which causes stress which…well, you get the idea.
Worry robs us of the joy God intended us to have. Worry affects our relationships. Those who are chronic worriers become ‘Debbie Downer’ type people. Worry can cripple our creativity and steal away our ability to reason wisely.
So, what can those of us who struggle with worry do? First of all (and this may seem obvious to you), Pray. Jeremiah 33:3 says, ‘ Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.’ (NLT)
God repeatedly tells us in his word that we will have struggles. We will be persecuted, mistreated, misunderstood and even killed. But he also assures us that nothing can happen outside of his permissive will. He tells the prophet Jeremiah to ask him and he’ll reveal to him all he NEEDS to know about tomorrow. Key word there is NEED. Jesus says, don’t worry about tomorrow. Work on today. Tomorrow is already taken care of.
When the enemy of worry attacks, what should you do? Here are some things I have tried to do. (I’m still working on these.)
- Is this something that will definitely happen? (Psychologists tell us that nearly 80% of the things people worry about are things that will never happen)
- If Yes, move to step two.
- If no, the chances are unlikely that this will happen, Pray that God will release you from this bondage of worry and help you trust in him.
- If what you are worrying about is likely to happen then ask yourself if there is anything you can do about it.
- If Yes, move to step three.
- If No, Pray that God will release you from the bondage of worry. The enemy wants to constantly question God’s promises to you. (Garden of Eden ring a bell)
- If what you are worrying about is real and there is something you can do about it strategize ways in which to take action. Four areas of your own life to consider in the strategy are:
- Communication: How is my prayer life? Am I really in touch with God on how I should act/respond to this crisis?
- Circumstances: What have I learned in the past about this type of situation?
- Counsel: Who am I listening to? God sends people into our lives to help us through the tough times. The enemy sends people into our lives to mess with our minds. Seek counsel from those you can trust and who have shown by their lives that God is working in them and through them. This may be a pastor, a friend, or if the problem is severe enough, a professional counselor. It’s amazing to me how we are more than willing to go to a medical doctor for physical ailments but those ailments of the heart we tend to think we can heal ourselves. Get help if you need it from a professional.
- Conscience: What does my gut tell me? After you have spent time with God listening and sharing your heart; after you have pondered the wisdom gained through your past; after you have sought godly counsel, there will still be times you need to rely on that gut feeling you have. When you are in tune with God, this is often the Holy Spirit speaking to you.
Why worry? We have a loving heavenly Father that wants to see us through the tough times in life.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my lack of faith and the idolatry that keeps me from trusting you. Thank you that you know my heart, my needs, my fears and my frustrations far better than I do. I pray against the demon of worry in my life and ask that based on your power you remove it from me. Amen.
He was a rookie, not just any rookie but one who immediately made an impact on the NBA in general and his upstart team in particular. The other guy was a seasoned veteran with a couple rings on his finger. He was tough, well-known and confident.
Maybe that’s why he fouled the rookie late in a game in which the upstart team was within seconds of an upset. After a brief time-out for strategy the veteran approached the rookie as he took his place on the lane. The TV cameras caught the exchange. The most novice lip-reader could see the ‘advice’ the veteran gave the rookie: “Don’t be short.”
All eyes were on the rookie who had made several of these shots earlier in the game. This was for the win. This would make the highlight reels. It would have that is unless the ball bounced off the front of the rim. The opposition grabbed the ball, moved it down the floor and shot the winning shot. The problem wasn’t that the rookie missed the shot, the real problem was that he lost his focus. Rather than thinking about the ball going through the hoop, he thought about the ball being short, which of course, it was.
Our focus determines how we respond to life’s circumstances. If our focus is on the negative, or on the problem itself we live defeated. If our focus is on the positive, on working towards or seeking solutions our chances of making it through the crisis are multiplied.
Jesus knew about focus. When he first appeared on the scene that night in Bethlehem his focus was on growing up in faith and maturity. Our only glimpse of him as a child was in the temple where his focus was obviously on learning. Luke tells us he returned home to grow physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.
Life changed dramatically when he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and his focus changed from being Jesus, son of Mary to being Jesus, Son of God and he began a ministry of spiritual and physical healing in the Judean countryside.
However, perhaps the biggest change comes as Luke records it in Luke 9:51 when Jesus turned his face towards Jerusalem. Then his focus changed from Jesus Son of God to Jesus, Savior of the world!
While Jesus remained focused on the task at hand, the same can’t be said for his disciples. While he was healing and teaching their focus seemed to be on their position on the ‘discipleship ladder’ and how they could improve it. Countless times it seems Jesus would take his band of brothers aside to remind them that this wasn’t about their position it was about service.
Not only does focus determine how we respond to life circumstances, focus determines the direction of our motivation. If our motivation is on self-preservation our motivation is on defending what we have (or think we have). If our motivation is based on service then our focus is inevitably on others.
Jesus death wasn’t the result of an angry mob. His death didn’t happen by accident. His death wasn’t unplanned. When Jesus set his heart and mind towards Jerusalem and the cross he did it for one reason and one reason alone – his love for you and me. As someone once said, it wasn’t the nails that held Jesus to the cross; it wasn’t my sin that held him to the cross. It was his love for me that held him to the cross.
John 10:18 says, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
What an amazing statement! Jesus loves me so much that he willingly suffered on the cross for my sin and for yours as well. There is nothing we can do to earn this love. There is nothing more to give, no sacrifice asked for. All that’s required is acceptance of his grace and mercy behalf. What a savior. What a Lord.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus. I’m in awe as I remember the motivation for your trip to Jerusalem. You knew what lay ahead of you, yet you bore the pain of the cross for me because of your great love for me. Empower me with your Spirit so that I can focus my life on serving you by loving others. In your name I pray, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 