But he who listens to
me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil. Proverbs 1:33
Reassurance
is the act of removing doubts and fears.
Most people like reassurances. It
comes in many forms. At times it’s the
emotional reassurance of having a close relative or friend who walks with us in
difficult times. It may be a legal
document that spells out our rights or claims to anyone who needs to know. Another example is a simple receipt that we
hang on to as proof of sale. All of
these and many more offer some form of comfort that allow us to live, work,
own, or exchange without fear of being harmed or cheated. However, when it comes to true reassurance,
we look to our Sovereign Lord who is the ultimate authority in all matters of
faith and life.
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The Lord’s
lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your
faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
As we study scripture, we learn about God. It is one thing
to intellectually understand God’s faithfulness, His promises, His character, the
sacrifice and intercession of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, etc.; however,
it is something altogether different to experience them. Knowing that Christ died for our sins does
not save us…it is accepting His atoning work on our behalf that provides
salvation. Similarly, knowing about God
intellectually does not develop a relationship with Him. Rather, it is through reliance on Him throughout
our life experiences, recognizing His work in our lives, and seeking to live
for Him alone that we develop a relationship.
It is experiencing God that takes us from an intellectual understanding
to a relationship that allows us to mature in faith. Further, when we acknowledge God at work in
our own lives, we provide edification and encouragement to others. To experience
God and not share that fact with fellow believers would be remiss. Consequently this week’s post is about
testifying to God’s faithfulness as an experience.
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Our soul waits for the
Lord; He is our help and our shield. For
our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
according as we have hoped in You. Psalm 33:20-22
When Marie
and I first moved to Chattanooga, we lived on Lookout Mountain. With respect to the greater area, it was
known as the place where “old money” lived; that is, those with established
wealth resided there. While not everyone
was wealthy, there were plenty of large houses and mansions as well as
expensive cars. Consequently, when we
purchased a home, we chose to move into the valley which not only allowed us to
purchase a better home for less money, but also made it easier to be content
with what God had provided for us.
While I recognized at that time that coveting and the resulting lack of
contentment were weaknesses of mine, God has used the various trials of life, especially
my illness, to teach me about contentment and that it is, in fact, a
choice. When it comes to that choice,
there are three options that can cause us to readily abandon contentment:
entitlement, anger, and worry.
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But now, O LORD, You
are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work
of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8
As I write, facilitate support groups, council, and discuss
my own situation, the subject of God’s work to refine, shape and equip is always
a significant topic. While I certainly
don’t enjoy the pain and suffering associated with my health issues or the
negative impacts of them on my family members, I rejoice in what I have endured
due to the changes that they have brought in my life…especially my spiritual
life. Whether it is physical, spiritual
or mental pain, I know that God is at work refining me and perfecting
me…especially when I choose to cooperate with the process rather than fighting
it. I rejoice because God desires that I
be more like Christ and adequately equipped for each task that He has planned
for me. God in His love and mercy is
continually at work to mold me into the man that He envisioned before
time. (Ephesians 1:4) I also trust that He is doing the same for
you.
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God is God. He knows what he is doing. When you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.
Now may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
When I got out of bed this morning it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Anyone who knows me understands that I hate
winter. Having confessed that fact, God
is also working to remove my complaining spirit with respect to cold weather as
He has convicted me that the weather is ordained by Him and is one of those
things that requires that I trust His wisdom.
That said, this time of year I still long for warmer weather and look
for indications that it’s coming. The
first sign that gives me hope of more agreeable temperatures is the appearance
of snowdrops (shown above). They are the
very first flowers to blossom and snow does not bother them. My Aunt Margaret was the first to introduce
me to them and they have been a staple in my garden since then as they provide
the hope of spring and a reminder of the loving relationship that I had with
her. The next hopeful sign is the sound of birds
chirping in the early morning and the appearance of Robins. Finally, the crocuses and daffodils not only
allude to warmer weather but provide color that lifts the spirit. As much happiness as the expectation of
spring brings with it, there is no lasting joy or peace as I know that winter
will in fact come again. In contrast, my
spiritual hope is a different matter altogether as my hope in God brings with
it joy and peace.
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We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
Merriam-Webster defines encumbered as impeded, hampered or
hindered with respect to functions or activities. A reality of my life and the lives of others
dealing with chronic illness and pain is that we are encumbered in everything
we do. Those of us are encumbered with
respect to our ability to function are also, by definition, encumbered in our
activities. Often it’s not just the
physical issues but also the mental ones.
It takes so much energy to accept and manage our physical problems and
limitations that we are also mentally encumbered. Further, the problem is not limited to those
with physical or mental problems, but also extends to those who are grieving,
have relationship problems or are enduring some other trial. These may also find themselves encumbered as
they attempt to accomplish the tasks set before them. Despite our struggles, God still calls us to
complete tasks for Him. It is not ours
to question or deny but rather to complete with aide of our Heavenly Father.
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If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road – abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow.
Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Reasonableness is a common thread of our culture. In law, the reasonable man is used as a
starting point to determine negligence and liability. In accounting, a reasonableness test is used to
evaluate the various line items of the financial statements to determine how
much needs to be reviewed or tested. In
culture, we use “average behaviors” to determine what is reasonable. Christ tells us to lay all of our concerns
before our Lord and Paul adds that we should come boldly before God. While our church culture or past experiences
may encourage us to be reasonable or polite in our prayers, scripture dictates
both by instruction and example that we should, in fact, take a bold approach.
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If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.
