Impatience may be our most defining national trait. We borrow against future income. We run red lights to save 30 seconds. We fret if a church service runs a few minutes late.
But we aren’t alone. The Israelites were impatient to remove the threat of the violent Assyrians. As a result, their diplomats scurried south to make an alliance with the Egyptians, the only other Super Power. But God was not pleased:
"Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord,
to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
who go down to Egypt without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh's protection,
... but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.
Why is my natural response in large and small storms to seek my own counsel first? Why do I wait until the Egyptians disappoint me before I turn to God?
As I was writing this post I became frustrated with how it was being expressed—and then remembered that I had been struggling with words rather than depending on the Word! Amazing--even when I write about dependence I find it difficult to depend.
Rather than rushing to correct a child with a bad attitude, rather than taking the first job offered after being fired, rather than whining to others about how a best friend hurt us, rather than bolting to a new church when a pastor disappoints us, our first response should always be to turn to God.
The great news is that we have a Father who is committed to guiding us down life’s bumpy roads:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Prov.3:3,4)
Showing posts with label HardTimes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HardTimes. Show all posts
2006/08/28
Surviving Our Troubles: “Life’s Imbedded Thorns”
“Life’s Imbedded Thorns”
You think you have problems, listen to the Apostle Paul’s list: He was imprisoned frequently, stoned ruthlessly, flogged repeatedly, and shipwrecked tragically. He lived always on the edge: “in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.” This sounds more like the script from an Indiana Jones movie than the life-story of an itinerant gospel preacher!
Unfortunately, many of us expect the Christian life to be a picnic with a few minor irritations like flies in the potato salad or a few bug bites -- we don’t expect a hungry lion lurking in the bushes. But Paul’s life reminds us that life is a battle against an Enemy who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Paul was nearly devoured by his “thorn in the flesh.” When he first received the thorn (a physical ailment?), he called it a “messenger of Satan.” But by the time the thorn had worked its way deep into Paul’s soul, it was something he would “boast” about because it taught him that God’s “grace is sufficient,” that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness.” (II Cor.12:7-10) Why won’t God heal a broken relationship with my sibling? remove my financial struggles? restore my child’s health? Not all of my problems are designed to be wholly solved. These thorny problems remain to keep me humble, dependent on God’s power.
God answered Paul’s prayer for relief from suffering with a resounding “NO!” What was Paul’s agenda? He wanted the thorn promptly removed. What was God’s agenda? To leave it firmly imbedded. He leaves painful barbs in our lives to remind us that life is too much, that we are too weak, that our problems are too overwhelming--if we don’t rely on Him.
You think you have problems, listen to the Apostle Paul’s list: He was imprisoned frequently, stoned ruthlessly, flogged repeatedly, and shipwrecked tragically. He lived always on the edge: “in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.” This sounds more like the script from an Indiana Jones movie than the life-story of an itinerant gospel preacher!
Unfortunately, many of us expect the Christian life to be a picnic with a few minor irritations like flies in the potato salad or a few bug bites -- we don’t expect a hungry lion lurking in the bushes. But Paul’s life reminds us that life is a battle against an Enemy who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Paul was nearly devoured by his “thorn in the flesh.” When he first received the thorn (a physical ailment?), he called it a “messenger of Satan.” But by the time the thorn had worked its way deep into Paul’s soul, it was something he would “boast” about because it taught him that God’s “grace is sufficient,” that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness.” (II Cor.12:7-10) Why won’t God heal a broken relationship with my sibling? remove my financial struggles? restore my child’s health? Not all of my problems are designed to be wholly solved. These thorny problems remain to keep me humble, dependent on God’s power.
God answered Paul’s prayer for relief from suffering with a resounding “NO!” What was Paul’s agenda? He wanted the thorn promptly removed. What was God’s agenda? To leave it firmly imbedded. He leaves painful barbs in our lives to remind us that life is too much, that we are too weak, that our problems are too overwhelming--if we don’t rely on Him.
2006/06/08
Surviving Our Troubles: Expecting Hardships
How would you like to sign up with two million other travelers for a several-month camping trip through a blistering desert? Oh, and by the way, you will do this without the benefit of modern camping equipment or known food and water sources. Ouch!
God’s people embarked on such a trip after being rescued from the oppressive Egyptians. But a journey that God designed to last about half of a year, became a nightmare that lasted nearly half of a century. During this time, the Israelites were crushed by challenges that were designed to strengthen them.
Why were they staggered by each new hardship? I believe they failed because they believed their hardships were all behind them. They had survived the plagues that devastated Egypt. They had been released from their bondage. They had miraculously crossed the Red Sea. They had seen the dreaded Egyptian army drown in that same sea. And now they were experiencing God’s visible leading in the pillar of fire and the cloud. “Promised land, here we come!”
But their prior troubles were only the birth pangs of trouble. In the desert they predictably ran short of food and water (there were no catering services in the Sinai!). But they also had unexpected problems with their leader (Moses disappeared for 40 days) and with new enemies (e.g., the Amalekites). But whether their adversities could have been anticipated or not, they responded to all of them with robust grumbling and whining. At one point they became so irate and irrational that they contemplated a return to Egypt. (What were they going to do -- re-enlist as slaves?!)
Trouble is as much a part of this life as breathing. Life is filled with financial, relational, emotional, physical, and familial troubles. We think problems are momentary interruptions which will soon pass -- when this conflict at work is resolved or my child’s health improves or I get out of debt then normal, trouble-free living will return. But trouble will dog us throughout this life. Jesus warned us: “In this world you will have trouble.” That’s a promise. Serious conflict in your marriage will be followed by a nagging health problem which will be followed by a layoff from your job which will be followed by a broken relationship with your brother which will be followed by your teen’s poor report card which will be followed by the loss of a best friend ... and on and on.
The Apostle Peter warned his friends: “Do not be surprised at the painful trial your are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” Problems shouldn’t shock us. They are opportunities to trust God for wisdom and strength to deal with these daily battles.
How would you like to sign up with two million other travelers for a several-month camping trip through a blistering desert? Oh, and by the way, you will do this without the benefit of modern camping equipment or known food and water sources. Ouch!
God’s people embarked on such a trip after being rescued from the oppressive Egyptians. But a journey that God designed to last about half of a year, became a nightmare that lasted nearly half of a century. During this time, the Israelites were crushed by challenges that were designed to strengthen them.
Why were they staggered by each new hardship? I believe they failed because they believed their hardships were all behind them. They had survived the plagues that devastated Egypt. They had been released from their bondage. They had miraculously crossed the Red Sea. They had seen the dreaded Egyptian army drown in that same sea. And now they were experiencing God’s visible leading in the pillar of fire and the cloud. “Promised land, here we come!”
But their prior troubles were only the birth pangs of trouble. In the desert they predictably ran short of food and water (there were no catering services in the Sinai!). But they also had unexpected problems with their leader (Moses disappeared for 40 days) and with new enemies (e.g., the Amalekites). But whether their adversities could have been anticipated or not, they responded to all of them with robust grumbling and whining. At one point they became so irate and irrational that they contemplated a return to Egypt. (What were they going to do -- re-enlist as slaves?!)
Trouble is as much a part of this life as breathing. Life is filled with financial, relational, emotional, physical, and familial troubles. We think problems are momentary interruptions which will soon pass -- when this conflict at work is resolved or my child’s health improves or I get out of debt then normal, trouble-free living will return. But trouble will dog us throughout this life. Jesus warned us: “In this world you will have trouble.” That’s a promise. Serious conflict in your marriage will be followed by a nagging health problem which will be followed by a layoff from your job which will be followed by a broken relationship with your brother which will be followed by your teen’s poor report card which will be followed by the loss of a best friend ... and on and on.
The Apostle Peter warned his friends: “Do not be surprised at the painful trial your are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” Problems shouldn’t shock us. They are opportunities to trust God for wisdom and strength to deal with these daily battles.
2006/05/21
Surviving Our Troubles, Part 1
Surviving Our Troubles: “Solution Talk”
One day when Jesus was in Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts, he took a side trip to the pool of Bethesda -- a pool that purportedly had healing powers. (Tradition said that on occasion an angel would stir the waters and the first one in the water after that stirring would be healed.) As a result of the pool’s reputation and its covered colonnades, it became a gathering place for a “great number of disabled people -- the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.”
One of the pool’s patrons was a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Standing over the cripple, Jesus asked him: “Do you want to get well?” Jesus’ question -- which deserved a hearty: “Of course!” -- was answered with a weak complaint: “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” This man, who was broken in body and in soul, kept returning to the pool out of habit, not out of hope.
Why did Jesus ask such an obvious question? Because not everyone wants to get well. As I was recently waiting in a doctor’s office, I overheard two women try to top each other’s stories from their medical history -- “Well, I had surgery one time and had to stay in the hospital for 3 months!” I could tell that they both relished telling their painful stories. But were they interested in getting well? I’m not sure.
Why don’t sick people want to get well? Because solving problems is hard work. It is easier to whimper over your friend’s rejection than to forgive her and seek reconciliation. It is easier to moan about your fatigue than to develop an exercise program that will restore your energy. It is easier to commiserate with the complainers than to enlist with the committed. It is easier to discard a dying marriage than to learn how to love again. It is easier to stay depressed than to change the thought patterns that feed your sadness. It is easier to criticize the ministries of your church than to join one of those ministries and try to make a difference.
Psychologist and author Mary Pypher’s counseling philosophy is based on “solution talk” rather than “problem talk.” The person who wants to get well is the person who fixes his eyes on solutions: “Lord how should I view this situation differently? What actions can I take to begin solving this problem? Don't let me merely fuss or fret. Show me how to survive this ordeal.”
One day when Jesus was in Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts, he took a side trip to the pool of Bethesda -- a pool that purportedly had healing powers. (Tradition said that on occasion an angel would stir the waters and the first one in the water after that stirring would be healed.) As a result of the pool’s reputation and its covered colonnades, it became a gathering place for a “great number of disabled people -- the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.”
One of the pool’s patrons was a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Standing over the cripple, Jesus asked him: “Do you want to get well?” Jesus’ question -- which deserved a hearty: “Of course!” -- was answered with a weak complaint: “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” This man, who was broken in body and in soul, kept returning to the pool out of habit, not out of hope.
Why did Jesus ask such an obvious question? Because not everyone wants to get well. As I was recently waiting in a doctor’s office, I overheard two women try to top each other’s stories from their medical history -- “Well, I had surgery one time and had to stay in the hospital for 3 months!” I could tell that they both relished telling their painful stories. But were they interested in getting well? I’m not sure.
Why don’t sick people want to get well? Because solving problems is hard work. It is easier to whimper over your friend’s rejection than to forgive her and seek reconciliation. It is easier to moan about your fatigue than to develop an exercise program that will restore your energy. It is easier to commiserate with the complainers than to enlist with the committed. It is easier to discard a dying marriage than to learn how to love again. It is easier to stay depressed than to change the thought patterns that feed your sadness. It is easier to criticize the ministries of your church than to join one of those ministries and try to make a difference.
Psychologist and author Mary Pypher’s counseling philosophy is based on “solution talk” rather than “problem talk.” The person who wants to get well is the person who fixes his eyes on solutions: “Lord how should I view this situation differently? What actions can I take to begin solving this problem? Don't let me merely fuss or fret. Show me how to survive this ordeal.”
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