Week Five - Observation 2

It's a Saturday - they still feel different than other days even though, at this point in time, they really aren't that much different!  But it's the weekend, and with it comes a little different pace and a different feel.  And we aren't that far from fall Saturdays, which are my favorite - when there is both a cool feel and football in the air.  Love Saturdays with college football on TV, even if I'm not watching closely...that's the way a fall Saturday is supposed to sound!  

Some things are just supposed to be the same throughout our lives.  Some things like having your mama around to talk to whenever you need to hear her voice.  My mama went to heaven a year ago tomorrow after living 96+ years.  It just seemed she would always be here - it still seems she should!  But, like it or not, life changes, and our loved ones die, and we are again reminded that this is not heaven.  Thank goodness that we do know that heaven is in our future and that we have the assurance that those who have gone before, as believers in Christ, are there already.  

So much to be thankful for because of Jesus!  Don't you agree?

Remember our question for this week:  What do we do when we find ourselves in times of trouble, when we are in the middle of our storm?

And our verses for this week:  1 John 5:4-5  "because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

We've got a lot to cover today, so let's get going!

OBSERVATION

Proverbs 18:10  "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected."

Psalm 20:1, 5, 7  

"May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob's God protect you."

"Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests."

"Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God."

Jeremiah 9:23-24  "This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me- that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. [This is] the Lord's declaration."

Psalm 46:10  "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Daniel 11:32b   "...but the people who know their God will be strong and take action."

OK - like I said, a lot to cover today!  But it's Saturday - and maybe you will even want to spend sometime tomorrow landing here for a while.   That's ok, because more than likely another post won't come up until Monday.  So take you're time and let's soak all of this in!

Looking at the first two passages (Proverbs 18 and Psalm 20), what actions do these two passages tell us to take as those who trust in God?  Here's the directions I see:

• Run to the strong tower that is the name of the Lord
• Expect God's answer to our request for help and look to the name of Jacob's God for protection
• Shout for joy and lift the banner in the name of our God when victory comes.
• Take pride in the name of the Lord our God.

All of these are excellent instructions for us to follow in times of trouble, but I find it interesting that they don't just say to run to God, look to God for protection, celebrate in God or take pride in God - they say to do all of these things in the name of God, or in the name of the Lord.  Does that make any difference?  Maybe only slightly - but it's there and worth looking at, don't you think? 

Where these verses state the word name, the same Hebrew word, shem, is used in all.  This word carries with it the connotation of reputation, fame, glory - even a memorial or monument.

An interesting note from our study guide, "The first mention of boast [take pride] in Psalm 20:7 can also be translated as to trust.  The second mention of boast [take pride] means 'to call to mind, to remember.'  Remembering could also involve a public proclaiming of what is being remembered - in this case, the name of the Lord."

                         

We will take pride in the name of the Lord our God - we will remember all that He has done and we will follow these instructions not just based on God and who we think He is, but also based on God's reputation, on His fame, on His glory - on all He has already done that we have testimony of through the Scriptures.  We can run, have expectations, celebrate and take pride in our God who has already done great and mighty things - and because we know He has, we also know He will,  not just for the people of Old Testament Bible stories, but for us - right here, right now!  His name - His fame - is great and good and testifies to His power and His ability to bring us victory!

Jeremiah then tells us a "Thus says the LORD" of what we should not be bragging about, and what we should be bragging about.  Whenever I see a "Thus says the LORD", I pay particular attention!

I find it interesting that the things we are told to avoid talking with pride are exactly what most people today are flaunting:  wisdom, power and wealth.  Someone is either smarter than everyone else, able to exercise greater influence over others than anyone else, or has more money than anyone else --- that's what we tend to hear a lot of, isn't it?  And are we tempted to do the same?  Are we tempted to "strut our stuff" when we receive recognition for our smarts, our power, our wealth?  And as parents I notice that we are very prone to boast about our kids for these things:  their promotions, new homes, and how financially well they are doing.  Not sure those are the things we should be boasting about in their regard either.  

What God tells us that we should brag about is this:  that we understand Him and that we know Him - that we know Him to be a God of faithful love, of justice and righteousness.  God tells us that He delights in these things.  When we are in times of trouble, do we keep talking about these qualities of God, or do we suddenly get quiet?  I think God delights in hearing us tell others of these qualities of His, but I think He especially takes great pleasure in us when we continue to do so in our times of pain and suffering.  That's when He knows that we truly know Him - that's when we can boast about understanding and knowing our good, loving, Father God.

Then looking at the last verses in Psalm and Daniel, we seem to get two conflicting directions:  be still and take action.  Well which one is it?  I think it's both - even at the same time - how can that work?  

I think we can be still ("cease striving" in some versions) when we remember that God is God and that He is over all and will be exalted by all.  We can have complete confidence that He is in control and that we don't have to be concerned about the outcome of our lives or of this world - He is God.  But when we know this about our God and that all is in His all-powerful hands, we can also be strong and take whatever action we are called to take, knowing that He is with us, before us and behind us.  In times of trouble, we can rest in God, but also be ready to do whatever it is that is asked of us - without weakness and without fear - because He is our God and we know who He is in our lives.

Well that was a lot!  I hope it was encouraging to you - it was to me.  We serve a great God - with a great reputation of power and action on behalf of His people. 

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Five - Observation 1

 August 20, 2020 - lots of schools have started for the fall amidst the cloud of COVID.  Kids are kicking off their new classes in a very different manner than usual.  Rather than just new school clothes and supplies, they're having to get school masks, and getting used to restrictions as to how they move around in their school buildings and how they interact with classmates and with teachers.  Isn't it all just so strange?  Isn't it amazing how fast our world can change?  

When changes are pleasant, we embrace them wholeheartedly and thank God for the blessings that have come into our lives.  But when the changes create hardship and angst, do we still thank God for what He is doing?  Do we still thank Him for being good in all ways, even when the changes are seen as trials?  Just as we're asking school kids to adapt and do what is necessary to get through this school year, could our hard times require us to adapt our lives (possibly in ways that they desperately needed) in order to get through and advance to the next class of our life's spiritual training.   Years ago when I was trying to become at least an average golfer, our encouraging expression to each other was, "you advanced the ball."  No matter how little distance made, we were closer to the flag than we were before.  When we come through trials and we have remained faithful and kept open hearts to God's lessons, we're closer than we were before to the person He designed us to be.  Keep advancing!

We've talked about the inevitability of suffering - both for Christ, and as a result of our broken world.  We've looked at the need, and the desire of God, for us to acknowledge our absolute inability to hold up under suffering and God's absolute ability to sustain us.  We've addressed the question of why God allows His children to suffer, the growth and refinement that comes through our times of troubles.  And we've just finished talking about the impact on a believer's life when they come through times of suffering - a more intimate relationship with God our Father and a deeper understanding of His purposes in our life.  

But knowing all of this, when we're smack dab in the middle of life's hardest times, or when we are being persecuted for our faith, or when we are being tempted by the world's charms that dangle before us luring us away from our true goal - what does the practical application of all of the above lessons look like?

That's our question for this week:  What do we do when we find ourselves in times of trouble, when we are in the middle of our storm?

And our verses for this week:  1 John 5:4-5  "because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

OBSERVATION

John 14:1  "Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me."

Psalm 37:39-40  "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress. The Lord helps and delivers them; He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in Him."

Isaiah 26:3-4  "You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You,  for it is trusting in You. Trust in the Lord forever, because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock!"

Well when you read through these passages, you get a pretty clear idea of the first things that God wants us to do when we find ourselves in a time of trouble, a time of distress:  believe in Him, run to Him, trust in Him.  

And what are we not to do - we are not to be troubled.  Easy to say, isn't it?   But that doesn't come naturally, or at least it doesn't to me.  When troubling times come to me, I tend to have a troubled heart.  But Jesus told His disciples, "Your heart must not be troubled."  And why mustn't it?  Because we believe in God, and we believe in Jesus, His Son.  And if we truly believe, then Jesus tells us, don't be troubled.  

Quoting from our study guide, "Troubled in this verse is translated from the Greek word tarasso.  It means "to take away calmness of mind."  It implies an action that strikes a person's spirit with fear and doubt.  Believe is translated from the Greek word pisteuo.  It means "to be persuaded of, to place confidence in, to trust, to rely upon."

When we apply these meanings to the two key words, "troubled" and "believe", how does it expand our understanding?    

Do you ever, like me, find your mind scrambled when things are swirling around you?  When we feel that kind of chaotic turmoil, we need to stop and realize that is not what we are called to.  As Paul tells Timothy, we have been given a spirit of power, of  love and of a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)  So when our calmness of mind is lacking and we feel fears and doubts creeping in, we need to focus on what we believe - of what we are absolutely persuaded of, what we have confidence in, what - no Who - we rely upon.  

                                     

A key thing here is that we have that full persuasion and complete confidence in God our Father and in Jesus our Savior, before our trouble comes.  We have to "know in whom we have believed, and be persuaded that He is able" to bring us through.  (Did you sing it? Are you now? :) )  What do we need to know about our God to be so fully persuaded?

The writer of the passage in Psalms tells us that our God is our Salvation, our Strength and our Deliverer in times of trouble.  Doesn't that describe the One who you would want to be able to run to when you are in troubled times, when your enemy is after you?  We have a fully able Father who is ready to help us - and what are we told to do to access His aid - just take refuge in Him.  Find in Him our hiding place from the chaos swirling around us, hide under His protective wing.  Be still and know that He is our powerful, almighty God.

And then Isaiah closes us out today with one of my favorite passages when I'm not at peace - the reminder that He will keep me in perfect peace when I am dependent, fully trusting, in Him.  I found this passage when going through a previous hard time and I repeated it over and over until I came to the place where I realized God wanted me - desperately dependent on Him.  That's where He wants us when we're in trouble - knowing that we have no one else like our God - our everlasting Rock.  He is the only One who can bring us through our time of trouble.  

When we are there, we need to believe in Him, run to Him and trust in Him.  We have no other place to go - He is our everything.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four- Observation 5 and Wrap Up

We've had some busy days with doctor appointments and some sweet visits with our niece from Richmond VA.  It seems that anything extra thrown in to our routine tends to throw us a little off course for the day!  When you get so used to pretty much nothing going on, anything seems like a lot!  :)  But thankful to report that yesterday's doctor visit showed that Robert's thrush is subsiding.  We have seven more days of IV therapy and, hopefully, we'll be rid of that problem!  Then we hope that we can get back to having a little more energy and feeling better so that we can enjoy the cooler days that we just know are coming soon!

We started this week asking the question of how does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week?  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

Today we're going to be in the book of Hebrews as our final reference to this question.  Let's dig right in!

OBSERVATION

Hebrews 2:18  "For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested."

Hebrews 4:15  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin."

Hebrews 12:1-3  "Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart."

What verses of great support are these passages from Hebrews!  We can feel Jesus walking beside us in our times of trial, and not with a spirit of expectation of perfection, but a spirit of understanding of our weakness - because He knows just how hard it was for Him to go through these hard earthly times.  And He knows that we are so much less.  And He loves us as He walks with us and tells us that He is there to help.  

Make no mistake about it - Jesus was tempted.  Jesus, in His humanity, felt the temptation that satan held out before Him.  What person (and Jesus was a person!) wouldn't prefer to live in a comfortable home with family surrounding them rather than as an itinerant preacher, drawing a scraggly band of 12 disciples as His companions to travel with Him throughout the countryside, with only a stone for a pillow?  What person wouldn't prefer to see his children and grandchildren grow up around them rather than to die at 31 with no heirs to leave behind.  And what person wouldn't prefer to be held in earthly honor rather than to be hung on a cross to die a hideous death in shame?  

Jesus, was a person - He felt these temptations.  And He remembers just how strong those temptations were to Him, as Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Joseph.   But Jesus was also the Son of God, and His divine mission overruled His temptations.  What does that mean to us, as His followers?  It means that we can know that Jesus truly understands and that He is whispering to us, "I'm here - I know - let me help you through this time.  Don't give up, don't give in.  It will all be worth it."

Leading into the next passage in Hebrews, Hebrews 12:1-3.  Here we have that great picture that I love to see in my mind:  all those who have gone before us, cheering us on to the finish line!  I see my parents and grandparents; I see Christian brothers and sisters who have been wonderful examples to me; I see the great pillars of faith from the Old Testament heroes, the Apostles and all the great Bible teachers that have followed since.  I see them all - but most of all I see Jesus standing at the ribbon, holding His arms open wide to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" when I cross that line.  Are there any greater words we can hope to hear?  

When we see that picture, doesn't it encourage us to get rid of everything that we are holding on to that's slowing us down, that's a weight around our ankles as we head toward home?  

Quoting from our study book, "The Greek word for race is agon, from which we get our word agony.  The race of faith can be agonizing.  It demands discipline and perseverance.  Following Christ is not a fifty-yard dash but a marathon - and it demands our all."

We cannot expect to run our this race, this marathon, well if we are still tangled up in the world and the temptations that it continually offers.  When we get tangled up like that, we come to a standstill in our progression towards the finish line.  We have to throw off, lay aside, everything and anything that hinders our progress and run on.  We have to be ready, just as Jesus did, to endure the hostility of non-believers.  And we do this by keeping our eyes on the finish line and the One who stands there - our Jesus, our Friend to the end; the One who is our greatest encourager.  He is cheering us on!  And when we stumble along the way, He is the One reaching down to pick us up and say, "Get back on track and let's go home!"  

                                   

WRAPPING IT UP!

This week we started with Job and ended with Jesus!  Our question was how does suffering change the life of the believer.  How do you feel we've answered that question?  Again, I'd sure love to hear your thoughts!  

Here's what I've come up with:

1.  Suffering establishes God's sovereignty in our lives and allows us to understand both His power and His love in a deeper and more intimate way.

2.  Suffering allows us to prove our faith to ourselves - God already knows our hearts, but sometimes we need to see just how deep our faith really goes.  Faithfulness through times of suffering does just that.  And there is blessing in that knowledge.

3.  Suffering refines our faith - it gets rid of the "fluff and stuff" and allows us to see what faith in God is truly about and what God wants to see in His children.  Trust and obedience.

4.  Suffering shows us that we can rest in God no matter what our circumstances.  When we come to the point that even in suffering we can truly rejoice, then we have gotten to a great maturity level of faith.  That's when we can know that godliness with contentment is GREAT gain! (1 Timothy 6:6)

5.  Suffering reminds us that we do not suffer alone - Jesus is our example of suffering toward the goal of sitting beside His Father in glory. We have many others who have suffered for Jesus and they are all experiencing great blessing now.  We keep our eyes on Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith.  He is our goal!  We will see Him face to face at the finish line!

What else?  I know I haven't covered it all!  Please let me hear your thoughts.  I am so thankful that we are racing together - even when it's hard; no, especially when it's hard!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice