Troubles, Trials, Woes

“In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.”
Deuteronomy 8:16 NASB

The word “good” translated from the Hebrew literally means “make well” and figuratively is said to mean “happy, successful, right.” There, in this passage, is the element that it seems to me is so often forgotten: “to do good for you in the end.” So it follows if we forget that part when trouble comes upon us, as it will always do, we despair, and lay down in our discouragement. Rather ought we not rise up to the occasion to glorify G-d despite troubles, trials, woes?

What does it mean to glorify G-d in our times of darkness but to heed the imperative to practice righteousness, to love. (1John 3:10). Practicing righteousness is the demonstration of our faith. We don’t earn the good that is ours “in the end.” We walk in righteousness as a result of the salvation freely received, not based upon our merit—a salvation we did not earn.

This walk, this demonstration of our faith is written of by John: “. . .let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:18 NASB) Deed means work, performance in a continuing manner. It means not just doing once, but to continue in our doing. This is why we say to “walk with MessiahChrist.” We don’t simply come to know Y’shuaJesus as our Lord and Savior then sit and wait for our end. We walk.

This walk requires us to go beyond ourselves and our immediate circumstances, our trials and even our joys. A song from the American Sixties speaks of this looking beyond ourselves, quoting a Persian proverb “I wept because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.” This comparison helps us put ourselves into perspective. We can, despite our circumstances, put on a friendly face, offer at least a smile. We dwell not on our lack of shoes, not even on the other person’s lack of feet, but upon the graciousness of the Lord who loves us both.

There is a relative thinking that pervades America these days comparing ourselves one to another without going beyond certain boundaries. It echoes a sentiment from another American Sixties song: “Oh, Lord, won’t You buy me a Mercedes Benz; my friends all have Porches and I must make amends.” I see this in a family of four (a husband and his wife, and two children) who recently sold their house because it was too small for them. The had a four-bedroom home with four bathrooms, a two-car garage, a family room, a living room, a dining room, and a large kitchen with another dining area. They compared themselves to friends with larger homes, with recreation rooms in basements, and more garage space, and more bedrooms. Not far from their home lived several families of similar size each in trailer homes. These trailers have perhaps two or three bedrooms, a kitchen with dining area, and a living area, and one bathroom and a dirt area to park a car.

I believe we ought to go far beyond ourselves and our immediate trials, beyond our circle of friends, to trials of others, our neighbors. Then we ought to ask the question of what our response should be. Perhaps we are to be content with our situation. Or perhaps we are to extend help to another in greater need. The answer, to continue on the American Sixties music trend, isn’t just “blown in the wind.” It is found in prayer.

Thank you, most gracious Lord for Your love and Your strength as we stumble and fumble along on this journey, this walk with You. Amen.

L-RD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Unbound!

“Hang in there!” isn’t something one wants to hear after sharing a particularly severe trial or painful ordeal. It’s usually said as the person walks away, perhaps as an afterthought. Clearly the person doesn’t relate, doesn’t understand the pain, or can’t deal with it. And then there’s the time someone gets all scripture-quoting with advice, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 is a great verse, but does it really apply to our particular need or stance?

Being pretty literal in my approach to life and scriptures, I think of it in terms of stopping all action. I think in terms of taking time to plan next steps, or regroup from a previous event. It’s less physical, slowing down. Or I suppose it could mean simply to calm down. It’s a plea to consider G-d’s input on a particular direction. I stop and look around, and promptly get nervous after a short time wondering if when I am suppose to act next. I come upon a plan, a particular desire that has set upon me, and want to go, go, go.

One particular time I remember being totally unable to do anything to move ahead and out of a particularly bad situation in which I found myself. Change was needed, but it felt as though I was stuck in a bucket of cement. I had the means to literally move away, and into another job hundreds of miles away. But I felt totally unable to move. In the end, someone else took it upon themselves to act on my behalf; things came together and the change was thrust upon me—the cement fell away. I fretted too much the whole time, unfortunately. Take a look at how Peter handled things.

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. Acts 12:6-9

Bound is what I’m talking about. Sometimes there are emotional chains that bind. For Peter, it was literal chains that bound him. What did Peter do? Fret about it? Nope! He fell asleep between two soldier while more soldiers guarded the prison doors. I like this next part a lot. A light illuminates the cell. Peter continues to sleep. The only way to wake Peter was getting stuck in the side. Then he’s ordered to dress, wrap his cloak around himself and to follow the angel. Peter thought he was still asleep, having a vision, so he got up and followed.

Peter wasn’t in a boat in the middle of a stormy sea. It wasn’t a matter of calming the waves and getting the strength to continue rowing. Peter was bound and needed rescuing. The Lord sent help. And Peter was unbound.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

At the Helm of a Small Boat in a Storm

At the helm of a small boat in a storm. Or maybe it was when I was a very young child, at night trying to sleep, and the monsters attacked. It’s all the same, really. I am fearful. I cry out in distress. It is my mother that pops her head in the door, light shining into my dark world. I can’t really scream, but simply gasp.

“Oh, dear, it’ll be okay. Go back to sleep,” she’d not say. Would she? If she did say that I can picture the scene in my head.

“Don’t you see them,” I’d gasp, barely able to cry out. I can imagine the terror of monsters crawling toward me as the door closes and my mother walks away.

“It turned out nice again, didn’t it?” she’d say as she walks away. That is what she always said when unpleasant things happened. But despite that, my mother still wouldn’t walk away.

I remember one time when I was maybe six or seven years old. I felt sick and had a nightmare. My mother gathered me into her arms and carried me into the living room. She and my Dad were watching the “Phil Silver’s Show” on their first television. It had a smaller screen than an iPad and was in black and white. I remember being wrapped in a Welsh wool blanket, and sat between them for the remainder of the show. Then, calmed and feeling a bit better, I was carried back to bed.

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Mark 6:45-50

Those guys were in a major panic. Waves taller than their boat was long threatened to toss them into the water. The wind whipped them about, trying desperately to turn the boat broadside to the wind, where it would capsize with the next wave. Were they exhausted trying to row against the wind, the waves? I am sure they were.

“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

“What are you talking about?” they’d try to scream if they could catch their breaths. “You’re just a spirit and can’t drown out here alone in this awful water.” What comfort are words in a time of distress. Sure. Y’shuaJesus sent them out into the water, and now saw their distress. He came to them, too, across that water. All he’s going to do is peak at them through a closed door and say, “Don’t worry, dear.” That it?

I read a short devotional in which the well-meaning author wanted us to understand that when we are in the midst of trails and don’t feel the comfort of the Lord in our lives, He will see us, come to us, speak to us. When I read it it bothered me. It was too open ended. The Lord says everything’s fine. Don’t worry. Go back to those waves that look like they are going to consume you, and just relax, don’t be afraid. Those disciples must have known that’s not the end of the story. Our Lord, our G-d, isn’t going to leave us stranded in the middle of a raging storm. My mother didn’t shut the door and say sleep tight.

And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. Mark 6:51

That, like Paul Harvey said at the end of his radio broadcast, “Is the End of the Story.”

When the LORD sees I am in great distress, He comes to me, speaks gently to me, AND gets right next to me in my storm-tossed boat and wraps His arms about me. I close my eyes and my storm is calmed, my wind ceases, the wrath toward me is ended.

The LORD is One, The LORD is G-d. Thank you LORD.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .