Overcoming The Pull Of Our Troubles

Going through a rough time? There are plenty of things in this world and in our life that can be difficult to face. If we choose, we can fixate on these things so they become the major thing in our life. We can know that it is not a healthy way to live but we have no real power in ourselves to turn from it. Often it is like an accident scene on the highway. We don't really want to look but we are drawn to see what happened.

Christians should have an advantage over such things; we have something much bigger to fixate on. When we consider how big our God is everything else should fade away. As we consider such verses:

"Before the mountains were born, before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world - from forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God." (Psalm 90:2)

we are overwhelmed by our God's foreverness. What are our problems compared to his forever glory? But it goes beyond his largeness.

We have a God of great compassion and that compassion is for us. Even before considering Jesus we can see it in the Psalm that follows what we have just considered:

Living in the Most High’s shelter,
    camping in the Almighty’s shade,
I say to the Lord, “You are my refuge, my stronghold!
    You are my God—the one I trust!”

God will save you from the hunter’s trap
    and from deadly sickness.
God will protect you with his pinions;
    you’ll find refuge under his wings.
    His faithfulness is a protective shield.
Don’t be afraid of terrors at night,
    arrows that fly in daylight,
    or sickness that prowls in the dark,
    destruction that ravages at noontime.
Even if one thousand people fall dead next to you,
    ten thousand right beside you—
    it won’t happen to you.

This is the compassion, mercy, grace of our God for those who choose to trust him. Jesus told us not to worry about common things like food and clothes when we seem to be lacking. He told us that our Father knows what we need and will provide such things. So instead of adding worry to our day, chasing after the things Jesus promised, he told us to seek the things of the Kingdom.

Our problems belong to this world but we don't. We are citizens of the Kingdom and our hearts are possessed by the Kingdom. We live by a different set of rules and principles. When we set our heart and mind on these Kingdom things then we will be possessed by the peace Jesus promised he had given to us. And he cared enough to point out that he doesn't give as the world gives.

That sounds great in principle but we have to live the practicality of what Jesus taught. That requires making choices throughout our daily living. We have to choose to trust him, to live by his words, to live in intimate relationship, to be possessed by his joy. Remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength. This means the gladness we have in knowing God will sustain us in whatever we are facing.

The best thing is we can seek his council for action and direction. We are not orphans. We are the children of God and he looks after his own. So instead of staring into the abyss of your troubles, fix yourself on the wonder of our God, allowing your mouth to be filled with praise and watch and see how quick our Father is to act on your behalf.  

O You Troubler Of My Spirit!

Yahweh has always made it clear that it is his desire to bless everyone in the world. He created us to love us and for us to love him. He created us for a wonderful relationship. He doesn't need us because he is self-sufficient. He needs nothing outside of himself. But he chose to create us so that he could pour out his great love on us and he only required our obedience. He gave us a free will so that obedience would be by choice. He knew the risk and he knew what would happen.

Even though it has resulted in disaster for the majority of people on the earth, Yahweh made a way through Jesus, for those who so choose, to return to that loving relationship. His great desire is that everyone would find their way to him, and that's the reason we lift up Jesus, as a beacon to everyone to pass through, to be with Yahweh once again.

However, staying faithful and obedient to Yahweh in a world that is fallen, surrounded by people who don't understand, is a great challenge, especially if we allow the passion of our love to fade. This is where Jesus, our great Shepherd, needs to do things we might not appreciate, to correct us and keep us close. Some people see it as mean in the same way that people in the world see correcting a child as mean. Yet we see the results of tolerant parenting in the world today. Our Father's desire is to have us mature and ready for eternity with him, not spoiled on the pleasures of this earth.

Many of us don't see it this way. Many of us see "hardships" as mean and unnecessary. We don't understand what our Father is doing because we choose not to understand it, in the same way king Ahab refused to accept Yahweh's correction.

Ahab was a rotten king, one of the worse, and the kingdom of Israel prostituted herself to every god imaginable under his reign. Yahweh sent his prophet Elijah to bring correction and to call back to himself his children. Yahweh had always warned that relationship with him required obedience and obedience allowed him to bless his children, but rebellion sealed up his blessings. Yet Ahab saw Elijah only as a trouble maker:

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17)

But Yahweh was not putting up with such accusations and told Ahab through Elijah what the real source of the trouble was:

I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. (v. 18)

Does a child blame his parents for the punishment he brought on himself? Some do but we all have enough intelligence to understand that it is the behaviour that brought the correction. This is not our Father's judgment but his correction. When you encounter hardship, and they are a result of your behaviour, don't accept people saying that it is God's judgment. There is one day reserved for judgment. No, this is the correction of a loving Father who wants to see his children grow up and become mature:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)

It's not all butterflies and daffodils. Life itself can have large rough patches as does our relationship with Jesus Christ. But in it all we must be absolutely convinced of our Father's love because if we love him we will trust him, even when it is a matter of correction. Most of us know when we are being corrected that it is because we have brought it on ourselves. So endure it, learn from it, and grow from it. If you kick against the Spirit in these things it means we will have to learn the lesson over again. Remember, he uses all things for our benefit.

I Want To Be Rich!

Some of us are not meant for riches and fame and others are. Some of us can handle it and others are destroyed by it. Just look to the young "stars" of the world. When they are young and forced to be under the guidance of people with some wisdom they do well, but as soon as they are old enough to make their own decisions and throw away the voice of wisdom, the wheels come off the cart and we get to watch another train wreck. It is no different for us "regular" folk.

Jesus told us that it was hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom. In Fact, he likened it to a camel fitting through the eye of a needle. Why so hard? Because if we are dependent on our own means and never realize how utterly dependent we are on Yahweh we will not understand our need for salvation. This is not something new. The problem existed before Jesus' ministry. Moses even addressed it.

As long as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt they needed Yahweh. As long as Israel was wandering around in the desert they needed Yahweh. As long as Israel was at war with the nations they were to destroy in Yahweh's name, they needed Yahweh. But what about after? What about when they had been established, they had a king and their borders were safe? What about when the crops come in and they had a healthy trade? What about when their houses were big and they had everything they need? Would they still understand their dependence on Yahweh?

In Deuteronomy 8 Mosses addressed this well in advance of the problem and warned the nation not to forget Yahweh, all his commands and all that he had done for them or they would be tempted to say:

 ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ (Deuteronomy 8:17)

Moses declared:

And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (v. 18)

And then Moses gave this warning:

Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. (v.19)

Wealth and contentment itself is not evil but what we allow it to do with our dependence on Jesus is evil, wrong and carries with it consequences.

Jesus warned us not to make the priorities of non-believers our priorities because, as Kingdom dwellers, we have a different system of values. Even Jesus gave us this warning:

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:34-37)

Riches and fame are not a problem when we realize their secondary and lesser place in our lives. Not having riches and fame can also destroy us when obtaining them become our greatest priority. The secret to the whole thing is finding contentment in our relationship with Jesus regardless of where we are in the values of this world. It is Jesus' passion for us and ours for him that matters most in all of eternity. We need him for all things. If we have plenty it is by his hand and not ours because he gave us the means. If we don't, maybe it is because he is saving us from ourselves. Don't get distracted.

When I Find Myself In Times Of Trouble ...

Perspective is everything in life. If we lose it we lose the ability to keep everything in its proper proportion and in its proper place. Our emotions can lead us to the heights and lows of life but a well grounded proper perspective  allows us to experience straight paths. There are some days or even seasons when we feel exactly like the psalmist who wrote:

Why have you rejected us forever, O God?    Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? (Psalm 74:1)

There are so many things that can go wrong in a day, so many disasters that can come upon us. Many will automatically turn and say "Where is your God now?" We may even find ourselves asking that question, "Where are you God?" "Why are you allowing this?" "Have I done something to offend you?"

Our perspective is all messed up. We forget where we are and what battles we face. We think we are in the Garden of Eden and are surprised when bad things happen or when we come across evil. We forget that Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world. It is only natural because it is a troubled world, a fallen world, a world in rebellion against God. He said that we would have trouble but that we are not to let our hearts be troubled by it because he has overcome the world.

That's the point right there; when trouble comes upon us we are not to be troubled by it but instead to trust the one who is over all things. This psalmist understood as he recorded God's message to us:

When the earth and all its people quake,    it is I who hold its pillars firm. (Psalm 75:3)

There is an important point here in the perspective we are to maintain. The earth may shake but it is God who prevents it from overcoming us. He is the one who holds the pillars, who tells the earth how far it can go and no further. He was the one who drew the line for Satan not to cross in his dealings with Job. He is the one who protects us from the worse parts of the storm and tells us to stand firm. However terrible you may think your day is you can be thankful that God has placed limits on it so that you will not be overwhelmed.

God is not raising wimps but warriors. He called the cowardly Gideon a "mighty warrior" and then led him into that reality. Jesus did not die for you so that you would be defeated by the storms of your life. While our Father puts limits on those storms Jesus is providing you with the strength to stand up in it. The Father is training you for eternity and we can praise him that he loves us this much. Hear his words: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." An incredible command and promise.

So have a little perspective in these matters and remain strong, not blaming God but realizing he is putting limits on these things because he loves you. Be encouraged as the "earth shakes" realizing that it is God who is holding the pillars firm. May God be glorified in and through our lives.