Category: Encouragement

Those Red Sea Moments.

Imagine you’re an Israelite at the time of the Exodus. Your people have been slaves for the last 400 years. Out of nowhere this guy Moses shows up, claiming God has sent him to set you free, and boy does Moses shake things up! You watch as God performs miracle after miracle, afflicting your oppressors with plague after plague.

Before you know it, a final plague hits, and the firstborn of all the Egyptians are killed. The Egyptians are so anxious to be rid of you and your people that they hand over their treasures and practically beg you to leave! You are now part of a massive group of people following Moses out of Egypt to an unknown destination.

It all happened so fast, so unexpectedly! You’re excited because you’ve witnessed God do all these impossible things with your own eyes, but also frightened and unsure about what’s to come.

No (human) way out!

Moses leads you to the edge of the Red Sea, and tells you to make camp along the shore. It seems like an odd spot. There’s nowhere to go except back the way you came.

The next day, you’re wondering, “What are we doing here?” And then, you see something in the distance that makes your heart sink. Egyptian chariots, hundreds of them, are kicking up dust as they charge toward your position. At the rate they’re moving, they’ll be on you by nightfall. You’re trapped! There’s no way out. Game Over.

You have some choice words for this Moses fellow!

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord,

and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

~Exodus 14: 10-12

From your vantage point, things look truly hopeless. You’re about to abandon all hope, but you listen to what Moses says in response:

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.

The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

~Exodus 14: 13-14

So, what do you do now?

One option is to give in to despair. You could accept that the Egyptians are coming, and you and your family will either be slaughtered or enslaved. This seems inevitable.

~Or~

You can think back on the miracles that God did to bring you to this place, and trust that He will somehow get you through this impossible situation.

That night, you witness one of the greatest miracles ever recorded. God parts the Red Sea, and you and your people walk across on dry land between walls of water.

At dawn, when the Egyptians realize something’s up, you are on the other side of the Red Sea. When they try to give chase, they get stuck in the middle of the sea, and the walls of water come crashing down on top of them. God has done the impossible. He has delivered you, just as He promised He would.

Why that way?

As I was thinking about this story (It’s found in Exodus 14, and I encourage you to read it for yourself), it occurred to me that God could have done things differently. He could have killed the Egyptians in a million different ways before they ever got close to the Israelites, or He could have prevented them from chasing after the Israelites at all. But He intentionally set up the scenario in this particular way. Why? So that He could teach Israel (and us) that He is able to do things that are impossible. That He is able to deliver us from any enemy. That He can make a way when there is no way.

Sometimes we face challenges that are terrifying and seem impossible to overcome. We wonder, Why, God? Why is this happening to me?

We don’t always know why, but God often uses these trials to teach us. He puts us in a position where there is no human solution so that He can step in and provide a solution so incredible that we can only stand in awe and say, That was God!

These experiences deepen our faith and help us to trust in God more. They give us confidence that God is good, that He is in control, and that He keeps His Word.

What about today?

We all face “Red Sea moments” in life. Times when we are trapped with no way out. What should we do in those times? Moses gave the Israelites the best possible advice:

Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today (Exodus 14: 13).

At some point, you will find yourself in a Red Sea moment. Maybe you’re in one right now. Don’t lose heart! Think back to the times when God brought you through difficulties, and trust that He will get you through this one too.

Changing Hearts.

I recently finished reading the book of Genesis, and this time through there were two stories that stood out to me. Both stories are about brothers in serious conflict that somehow manage to reconcile. The first is the story of Jacob and Esau, and the second is the story of Joseph and his brothers (especially Judah). In both stories we see that God can change even the hardest of hearts.

Jacob’s Trickery

Jacob was a bit of a snake. In Genesis 25 we read how he acquires his brother’s birthright. He took advantage of Esau’s famished state, and traded a bowl of stew for Esau’s birthright. Then in Genesis 27 Jacob tricked his father into giving him the blessing that rightfully should have gone to Esau.

It’s important to understand the value of the things Jacob took. The birthright entitled the firstborn son to a double portion of the inheritance and status as the head of the family when the father died. The blessing was a way of transferring God’s covenant promise (which began with Abraham) on to the next generation. Acquiring this blessing ensured that Jacob’s descendants, not Esau’s, would flourish and ultimately inherit the land that God had promised.

Esau was understandably upset. So much so that he planned to murder his brother!

From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”

~Genesis 27:41

And so, Jacob fled. He moved far away to live with his Uncle and begin a new life.

Going home.

Eventually God tells Jacob it’s time to return to his homeland (Genesis 31:3). Jacob obeys. He takes his wives, children, and everything he owns back home.

Some twenty years have passed since Jacob cheated his brother, but Jacob fears that Esau’s anger could still be raging.

O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.

~Genesis 32:11

The last we heard of Esau, he was ready to murder his brother. We can easily imagine a scenario where Esau grew angrier and more bitter over the years. He had every right to hold onto his grudge and seek revenge. But somehow, Esau let it go.

Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. 

Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

~Genesis 33:3-4

If you read through the rest of Genesis 33, you can see the extent to which Esau forgave Jacob. God had truly softened Esau’s heart.

Joseph and Judah.

Our second story involves the same family. The theme of brothers at odds continues with the children of Jacob.

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

~Genesis 37:3-4

Clearly Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, and Joseph threw gasoline on the fire by telling his brothers about a dream in which he ruled over them.

One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.

“Listen to this dream,” he said. 

“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

~Genesis 37:5-8

The brothers hated Joseph enough that they seriously considered killing him.

At this point I want to focus in on one brother in particular: Judah. Note that it was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery.

 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.

Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

~Genesis 37:26-27

Judah didn’t care what would become of Joseph, nor did he care about the pain that losing Joseph would inflict on his father. He simply hated his brother and wanted to be rid of him, no matter the cost.

Judah’s transformation.

The Bible chronicles Joseph’s journey from slave, to prisoner, to ruler. Because the story is told from Joseph’s point of view, we usually focus our attention on him. And Joseph’s story is truly an amazing example of how God can take things meant for evil and turn them into good. As we read, we’re encouraged by God’s care for Joseph, and we’re inspired by the way Joseph is able to forgive his brothers for what they did to him.

But I want to shift the focus a little bit and concentrate on Judah’s point of view. Go to Genesis 44, near the end of the story. Joseph is testing his brothers. He has accused Benjamin of stealing a valuable silver cup, and even had evidence planted to make Benjamin look guilty. The fate of Benjamin rests in Judah’s hands, and here’s what Judah says:

“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 

One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 

If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’

“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 

sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 

Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’

“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

~Genesis 44:27-34

We see a transformation in Judah just as radical as the one in Esau. The same brother who had showed no regard for his father and was happy to sell his brother into slavery was now willing to sacrifice himself for the wellbeing of his father and youngest brother. A complete 180!

Application.

These two stories brought to mind this verse:

I [the LORD] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

~Ezekiel 36:26

Take some time to examine your own heart. Maybe you can relate to Esau. Are you angry at someone who has wronged you? Have you let bitterness harden your spirit? Ask God to soften your heart and help you to forgive.

Or maybe, like Judah, you have been callous and cruel toward others who annoy you. Ask God to help you see these people in a new light. Ask him to give you a new spirit so that you can begin to show genuine love and concern for those around you… even the ones that get on your nerves.

God is in the business of changing hearts. Ask Him to soften yours, and He will.

Four Commands And A Promise.

Some verses in the Bible are so rich that they warrant special attention. II Corinthians 13:11 is one of those verses. Here Paul is closing out his second letter to the Corinthian church:

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

~II Corinthians 13:11

In just a few, short sentences, Paul lays out four commands for us. He also tells us what the reward will be for our obedience. Let’s dig a bit deeper into this amazing verse.

Be joyful.

The first command in this verse is to be joyful. People often confuse joy and happiness. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes with circumstances. Happiness is largely out of our control. Joy, on the other hand, is a choice, and it is always available to us.

Joy is deeper than happiness. It comes when we recognize that God is good, that He is in control, and that His love for us knows no bounds.

Joy comes from having a proper perspective: realizing that our time on this earth, and all that we experience here, is just a blip on the scale of eternity.

Joy comes when we believe the promises of God: that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord (Romans 8:28), and that one day we will enjoy eternal life with Him in a restored creation.

We lose our joy when we focus on the wrong things. When we doubt the promises of God. When we lean on our own understanding.

The Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If you feel weak and find your joy waning, check your focus! Put it back on God, and your joy and strength will be restored.

Grow to maturity.

Many Christians live in a state of spiritual infancy. They ask God for forgiveness, they go to church once in a while, but otherwise they go about their lives in much the same way the unsaved do.

Paul talks about this in I Corinthians:

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.

I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

~I Corinthians 3:1-3

So how does one progress from spiritual infancy to maturity? Paul uses the analogy of a baby transitioning from milk to solid food, clueing us in that maturity is a process. This process involves studying the Bible, grasping everything that you can, and continually coming back to what you don’t understand. Over time, with the help of the Holy Spirit, things become clearer. With diligence and perseverance, you begin to grow.

To grow spiritually, do three things every day: read, pray, obey.

Read the Bible and ask God to help you understand what you’re reading.

Pray for wisdom, trusting that God will give it to you.

Obey immediately and completely when God reveals a command from His Word that you’re not currently obeying.

If you do these three things every day, you will grow in Christ.

Encourage each other.

The late Robin Williams once said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Boy is that true! Everyone struggles privately, every day, wrestling with demons that no one else sees. This is why encouragement is so powerful and so necessary.

There are many ways to be an encouragement to others. One simple way is just to offer a kind word.

Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

~Proverbs 16:24

You can also encourage others by helping them in tangible ways, like bringing them a meal when they are sick, or offering to watch their kids when they need a break.

You can encourage others by telling them how much you appreciate them, by pointing out the qualities in them that you admire.

Your encouragement may be exactly what that person needs. It might be the thing God uses to spur that person on to great things.

And when we start encouraging others, something unexpected happens: we get a shot of encouragement ourselves! There is a blessing for both the giver and the receiver.

So if you need encouragement, don’t wait around for someone to give it to you. Instead, go out and encourage others. You’ll find that you get the encouragement you need in return.

Live in harmony and peace.

The fourth and final command in II Corinthians 13:11 is to live in harmony and peace. There are at least two major obstacles to living out this command: quarreling and grudges.

Here’s the dictionary definition of a quarrel: a heated argument or disagreement, typically about a trivial issue and between people who are usually on good terms.

Nothing damages harmony and peace like quarreling. Are you someone who has to be right about everything? Do you argue over petty details? Do you insist that others agree with your opinions? If so, you might have a problem in this area.

If you want peace, learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Learn to listen more and talk less. II Timothy 2:24 puts it this way:

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

~II Timothy 2:24

The second thing that wrecks peace and harmony is grudges. When people wrong us, our sin nature wells up with anger. It wants to see the other person pay for what they did. It wants them to feel the hurt we feel.

When we’re in that state of mind, we don’t even want to look at that person, let alone talk to them or fellowship with them. And the longer we hold onto that grudge, the worse it gets. Nothing good ever comes of it. The grudge is toxic, both to the relationship and to the individual who holds onto it.

Because we live in a fallen world filled with broken people, it’s inevitable that others will hurt us at times, and that we will hurt others. But rather than hold grudges, Christians are called to forgive.

Even when someone harms us intentionally, we are called to forgive. In those instances, Christ tells us to “turn the other cheek” (Mathew 5:39).

We must remember how much God has forgiven us, and extend forgiveness to others, whether they ask for it or not, and whether we think they deserve it or not.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

~Ephesians 4:31-32

So don’t quarrel. Let go of those grudges. This is the way to live in peace and harmony.

The payoff.

We’ve looked at the four commands in II Corinthians 13:11 (Be joyful, grow to maturity, encourage each other, and live in harmony and peace). Now we turn our attention to the final sentence of the verse, which begins with the word “then.” In other words, after you have obeyed these commands, then you will receive the promise. And that promise is:

Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Here we have to let scripture interpret scripture. It is clear from many other passages of scripture that God is always with us (see Psalm 139, Psalm 16:8, Hebrews 13:5, Mathew 28:20, Isaiah 41:10, and many other passages). So this can’t mean that God is only with us after we obey these four commands.

What it is saying is that when we don’t obey these commands, we miss out on the love and peace that God has for us.

And of course that makes sense. How can we possibly feel God’s love and peace when we are not joyful, when we are not growing, when we are not encouraging others, and when we are not living in peace and harmony with each other? We can’t! On the flip side, God’s peace and love flows to us as a natural consequence of obedience to these commands.

I hope you enjoyed diving into this verse as much as I did. I’m personally challenged to do better in these four areas so that I can experience more of the love and peace of God. How about you?

Fragile, Clay Jars.

The older I get, the more I experience human frailty. My aches and pains, my worsening eyesight, my bald head. All remind me that my body is slowly deteriorating. I won’t lie and say that I like it. I’d rather be strong and healthy. But God has His reasons for allowing us to go through this process of slow decay, and we learn what those reasons are by reading His Word.

It helps us stay humble.

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

~II Corinthians 4:6-7

When we fool ourselves into thinking that we are strong and capable, we are tempted to take credit for the good we do.

But when we are keenly aware of our weakness, we are under no illusion that we can accomplish anything good in our own strength.

We must never forget that our very existence depends on God’s sustaining power, for it is in Him that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Everything we have, everything we are is a gift from God.

It ensures that God gets the glory.

God often uses the weakest, most unlikely people to accomplish great things so that there can be no doubt that He alone deserves the credit.

When God chose Gideon to rescue Israel from the Midianites, Gideon said:

…“how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

~Judges 6:15

When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons king, Jesse thought so little of his youngest boy, David, that he didn’t even bring him before Samuel initially. But God rejected the older sons who were big and strong and confident in their own strength, and instead chose the shepherd boy who understood that true strength comes from the Lord.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 

God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 

As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

I Corinthians 1:26-29

God uses the weak and frail so there can be no doubt that the power does not come from the person, but from God.

It allows us to experience God’s grace.

The Apostle Paul knew what it was to suffer weakness. He didn’t much like it either, and he asked God to intervene. But God had other plans:

even though I [Paul] have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

~II Corinthians 12:7-10

We are naught but fragile, clay jars, but that is by God’s design. Rather than despair, rejoice that though you are weak, He is strong. If you remain humble, and give glory to God, He will make His light shine in your heart, and He will do mighty things through you, in spite of your weakness.

Rescued!

The Bible is full of stories of God rescuing His people. He rescued Israel from Egypt, Daniel from the lions, Elijah from Jezebel… and on and on it goes. Psalm 107, tells us that God continues to rescue people from all sorts of circumstances.

The lost.

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.

Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.

~Psalm 107:4-5

These represent people in dire straits. They are aimless and filled with despair. The drug-addict. The alcoholic. The destitute and broken. The people we are tempted to deem beyond all help.

But these are not beyond redemption. God loves them, and if they sincerely turn to God for help, He will answer.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.

~Psalm 107:6

The rebel.

In Psalm 107:10-22 we read about those who have rebelled against God. These refuse to acknowledge their Creator. They mock, and curse, and blaspheme. They defy God to His face.

God knows this path ends in their destruction. Through hardship, He causes them to see the foolishness of their ways. For some, this takes the form of “iron chains of misery” (vs. 10) and “hard labor” (vs. 12). For others, severe illness (vs. 18).

The ultimate purpose of these hardships is not to punish, but to bring the rebel to repentance. And when the rebel turns to God for help, God is there to rescue them.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

~Psalm 107:13 & 107:19

The self-sufficient.

Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world.

~Psalm 107:23

These are rebels of a different sort. They might even pay lip service to God, acknowledging His authority, but their hearts are far from Him. As long as life is good, they are content to go about their business and leave God out of it.

But when trouble comes…

Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.

~Psalm 107:26

You can probably guess their response:

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.

~Psalm 107:28-29

Thank God for difficulty.

We have a tendency (as a result of our sin-nature I believe) to misprioritize God. That is, we place Him somewhere other than first in our lives. God often uses trouble and pain to get our attention. Oh that He could get our attention as quickly with blessings, but we often take those for granted.

Trials and tribulations are an opportunity to refocus on God and His plan for your life. God doesn’t want to break you, He wants to mold you. In times of difficulty, you have two choices: harden your heart and resist God every step of the way, or surrender to Him and cry out, “Lord, help!”

If you haven’t already, read all of Psalm 107. How does it speak to you? Do you need rescuing? God is willing and able!

In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

~Psalm 118:5

From Despair To Hope.

At one time or another, every believer struggles with the questions, “where is God when I’m hurting?” and “if God loves me, why does He allow me to suffer?” These are difficult questions. Thankfully, the Bible isn’t silent on this topic. God’s Word fully acknowledges human suffering, and doesn’t minimize it.

Let’s look at some examples of people in the Bible who suffered greatly, and see what we can learn from their experiences.

Utter despair.

In the book of Job, the following verse really grabbed my attention:

God hates me and angrily tears me apart. He snaps his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes.

~Job 16:9

Wow, Job. Tell us how you really feel!

He goes on…

But it is God who has wronged me, capturing me in his net.

~Job 19:6

With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat.

He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.

~Job 30:18-19

Clearly Job felt unloved, abandoned, and abused by God. He had a valid reason for feeling this way. Virtually every good thing in his life had been taken from him in the blink of an eye.

King David also had times in his life when he felt that God had forsaken him.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

~Psalm 22:1-2

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

~Psalm 13:1-2

Then there’s the Psalm writer, Asaph. He wondered why he had nothing but trouble and pain, while the wicked men around him prospered. Read Psalm 73:1-16, and you can feel how he struggled to make sense of his suffering.

Can you relate to these three guys? Has God ever seemed distant, cold, and uncaring? Have you felt abandoned or even mistreated by God? I have. But our perception of the situation isn’t the reality. As we’ll see shortly, God does care, and He has not abandoned you, nor me.

The importance of a proper perspective.

Before we look at how God ultimately dealt with the pain and suffering of Job, David, and Asaph, let me offer an important reminder concerning who we are in relation to God.

When we’re suffering, it’s tempting to think, “God, You’re not being fair!” But be careful. When Job voiced that complaint, “you forget your place.” was the essence of God’s reply (see Job 38-41).

We must recognize and acknowledge the absolute sovereignty of God. He is the Creator, we are merely His creation. His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

~Romans 11:33

We don’t always know why God allows us to suffer. When that’s the case, the smartest thing we can do is pray humbly, “God, I don’t like this, and I don’t understand it, but I trust that You know best. I trust that You will see me through.”

That’s what Job, David, and Asaph did.

Glorious hope.

We’ve looked at three men who endured great suffering. Now let’s look at how they went from despair to hope:

Job

Job ultimately accepted that he was ignorant and foolish to question God.

“I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

~Job 42:6

Job realized that God had reasons for allowing him to suffer that were beyond his ability to comprehend. Eventually, “the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning (Job 42:12).”

David

As for David, let’s revisit Psalm 22. It begins with, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” but ends this way:

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

~Psalm 22:23-26

David realized that though he had felt abandoned, God had never left him. God had not ignored him, nor turned his back on him. As a result, he praised the Lord, and his heart rejoiced with everlasting joy.

Asaph

Finally, Asaph ended Psalm 73 this way:

Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.

I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.

But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

~Psalm 73:21-28

Here’s what we can learn from these three examples:

  • It’s ok to cry out to God when we are suffering and tell Him how we feel.
  • We should humble ourselves, and remember that our suffering has a purpose, even if we can’t see it.
  • We should trust that God is faithful and will see us through.

So, if you’re suffering right now, I encourage you to trust God, and lean on the following promises from His Word:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

~Deuteronomy 31:6

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

~Romans 8:18

God is with you. He’ll get you through it.

Process.

Most things in life require a process. For example, if you want to make a chocolate cake, you must go through a specific process. You have to gather the ingredients, properly mix and assemble them, and finally bake the mixture in an oven.

What would happen if you decided to leave some ingredients out, or add wrong ingredients in? What would happen if you didn’t mix the ingredients, and just threw everything into the oven? Would the end result be good? Of course not.

Like it or not, you have to follow the process or you won’t end up with a chocolate cake.

Instant gratification.

A lot of times we don’t like process. We want what we want… and we want it now! (Which is why many of us go to a bakery to buy our chocolate cake.) We’re always on the lookout for shortcuts. We like instant results. We want fast food, fast communication, fast travel… forget the process, just give me the end result! It’s the finished product I’m after.

Don’t get me wrong, I think modern conveniences are great, but I wonder if in our quest for instant gratification we haven’t lost something along the way. Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination.

Why does process matter?

Going through a process has many benefits. We gain knowledge, experience, and satisfaction that we just don’t get when we take shortcuts. Going back to the chocolate cake example, you can eat and enjoy a cake you buy from the bakery, but that won’t teach you anything about how to make a cake. To learn that, you’ve got to go through the process.

When we take too many shortcuts, we deprive ourselves of opportunities to learn and grow.

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this. It will hopefully make sense in just a moment, so bear with me.

At the bottom of my prayer list, there are five things I pray for everyday: wisdom, guidance, strength, patience, and courage. I thought the answer to my prayer was going to be something like: “**Poof!** Here you go, Seth!” Turns out, God had something else in mind. He’s answering my prayer through a process.

Process can be painful.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “no pain, no gain.” For our bodies to get stronger, muscles have to stretch and strain. It can be extremely uncomfortable.

Sometimes a process requires sacrifice. If you’ve ever gone through the process of losing weight, you’ve probably had to sacrifice some things (like chocolate cake).

The process I’m going through right now includes both pain and sacrifice. But God is helping me to develop strength, patience, and courage through it. As I trust in Him to guide me, He’s developing the very character traits I’ve been praying for! I wouldn’t say it’s a piece of cake (that’s my last cake reference, I promise), but I know that the end result will be worth it.

There is always hope!

Perhaps, like me, you’re in the middle of going through a difficult process. Don’t lose hope. Ask God what He’s trying to teach you through it. Trust that God can take your pain, your struggle, your difficult situation, whatever it is you’re going through, and use it for good.

I’ll leave you with five Bible verses that are helping me through my process. I pray they will encourage and inspire you as well:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

~Romans 8:28

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.

~Psalm 118:1

[God] You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.

~Psalm 119:114

Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.

~Psalm 131:1

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

~Deuteronomy 31:6

Be Like Josiah.

You’ll find the story of king Josiah in II Kings 22 -23. Josiah was a good king. His story inspires me in many ways.

Josiah was his own man.

Josiah became king at just eight years old. If you look at his lineage, you will see that both his father and grandfather were wicked rulers. It would have been easy for Josiah to follow in their footsteps, but he chose a different path. He looked to his Godly ancestor David as an example, and did what was pleasing to God.

[Josiah] did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

~II Kings 22:2

Josiah’s story reminds us that no matter what circumstances we’re born into, no matter how bad the influences around us, we can still choose to do what is right.

Josiah had a tender heart.

In his mid twenty’s, king Josiah decided to restore the Lord’s Temple, which had been neglected for decades. During the restoration, the high priest, Hilkiah, found the Book of the Law (i.e. the first five books of The Old Testament).

Look at how Josiah responded when the scripture was read to him:

When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: 

“Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”

~II Kings 22: 11-13

Josiah didn’t ignore God’s Word. He listened intently and took it to heart. We ought to do the same. We should let God’s Word convict us, guide us, and shape us.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Hebrews 4:12

Josiah took action.

James 1:22 says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

Josiah was a doer. When he realized that he and the nation of Israel were not following God’s law, he made sweeping changes. Much of what he did is recorded in II Kings 23, but here’s a summary:

  • He read the scripture to the people, and reaffirmed the covenant between God and Israel.
  • He had all pagan articles in the Temple removed and destroyed.
  • He got rid of all the pagan priests appointed by his predecessors.
  • He got rid of the shrine prostitutes at the Temple.
  • He banned priests who had served at pagan shrines from serving at the Temple.
  • He destroyed numerous altars and shrines to false gods.
  • He got rid of mediums, psychics, and household idols.
  • He reinstituted the Passover celebration.

That’s a pretty impressive list, no!?


I’m motivated to be more like Josiah. I want to be focused on God, even when the people around me are not. I want to listen carefully when God speaks to me through His Word, and let it transform me. Lastly, I want to be a “doer”, not a “hearer only.”

Four Promises In Romans 8.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading and meditating on Romans chapter 8. For those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, there are at least four, wonderful promises of God in this passage of scripture.

1) Freedom.

We are all born with a sin nature. Sin enslaves us (John 8:34), and damns us (Romans 6:23), but there is freedom for those who come to Jesus.

In Romans 8 we see God’s promise that through Christ we are free from sin in two ways. First, we are free from the penalty of sin. Second, we are free from the power of sin.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

~Romans 8: 1-2

Christians no longer stand condemned before God because Christ took our punishment upon Himself. We are no longer slaves to our sinful desires because we have the Holy Spirit within us. We are truly free!

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you…

~Romans 8: 9a

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.

~Romans 8: 12

2) Life.

Worldwide, it’s estimated that two to three people die every second! Death is inevitable. One day, it will be your turn. Are you ready?

The Bible tells us that death is not the end. After death, we face judgement (Hebrews 9:27). Those who reject Christ will be condemned (John 3:18), but those who trust in Christ as their Savior will enjoy eternal life (John 3:16).

This brings us to the second promise found in Romans 8: Those who know Jesus will be resurrected with incorruptible bodies, never to die again.

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

~Romans 8: 10-11

the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

~Romans 8:21

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

~Romans 8:23

3) Relief.

Suffering is a part of life. The Bible never says that we won’t suffer (in fact, there are many places where it says we will suffer), but Christians are promised that our suffering is temporary, and that it pales in comparison to the glory that awaits us.

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

~Romans 8: 17-18

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

…

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

~Romans 8: 35 & 37

God also promises that He will take all things (including our suffering) and work them together for our good.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

~Romans 8: 28

Are you a Christian that’s suffering right now? Hold on! Relief is coming.

4) Security.

This fourth promise from Romans 8 is one of my favorites. Most things in life are fleeting. Youth, health, success, money, fame… all of these things eventually slip away or get taken from us. But there is one thing a Christian can always count on, and that is God’s love.

When you become a child of God you are forever secure in His love.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Through Christ we are promised freedom from sin, life everlasting, an end to suffering, and love that’s unshakable. Set aside some time a few days from now to read Romans 8 again, and reflect on these amazing promises.

Faith Misplaced.

People put their faith in lots of different things. Some put their faith in money, believing that wealth provides security. Others put their faith in charismatic leaders, trusting them to have all the answers. Many put their faith in science and technology. The list could go on and on, but the point is, we all put our faith in something. The question is, when that moment of crisis hits, will the thing(s) you have placed your faith in actually deliver?

A hard lesson.

In I Samuel 4:1-10 the Israelites learn the hard way what happens when you put your faith in the wrong things.

Israel is at war, and it’s not going well:

The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men.

~I Samuel 4:2

After this crushing defeat they asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?”

The Israelites had expected to win. Instead they were soundly beaten, losing thousands of soldiers. Why? Because they weren’t trusting in God to give them the victory, they were trusting in their own strength.

An incorrect correction.

The Israelite leaders realize they need a new approach. But rather than turn to God for help, they put their faith in an object: the Ark of the Covenant. At first it seems to work! When the Ark arrives on the scene, the Israelites are inspired, and the Philistines are terrified. The Israelites march forward, confident that this time they will be victorious. But things do not go according to plan.

So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

~I Samuel 4:10

Once again, the Israelites had misplaced their faith. They failed to realize that without God, the Ark of the Covenant is nothing more than a fancy box. Israel paid a heavy price: tens-of-thousands dead, and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant.

The details about what happens to the Ark of the Covenant are found in I Samuel 5-6, but the short version is that God forces the Philistines to return it to Israel.

It then takes twenty years before Israel is finally ready to acknowledge and remedy their mistakes.

The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.

~I Samuel 7:2

Getting it right.

Finally, when the Israelites are ready to listen, Samuel instructs them:

Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”

~I Samuel 7:3

Samuel issues a challenge and a promise to the people of Israel.
The challenge: put your faith in God alone.
The promise: God will rescue you.

Now read I Samuel 7:4-11 and see what happens when the Israelites turn back to God and put their faith in Him.

How about you?

Take a few moments to examine your own life. What are you putting your faith in?

Put your faith in God alone. Trust that He will keep the promises in His Word. When that moment of crisis hits, you can count on Him to deliver.

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