EmmDev 2021-06-30 [God's help in Tough Times] Redeemed

Redeemed

Isaiah chapters 40-55 apply to the Exiles in Babylon. They had lost everything. Their land, their temple, and their identity. In the first chapter of Daniel we see that the Babylonians even gave them idol-honouring names instead of their Hebrew God-honouring names. They were surrounded by hardship and the future was bleak...

How would God speak to them?

1. He affirmed their identity. Their circumstances did not define their identity. Nor did the names the Babylonians gave them. Their identity was wrapped up in the One who made them, claimed them, and called them. They had dignity and purpose because God claimed them as His own. Because He was passionate about them!
   
   
2. He assured them of protection in hardship. He does not promise that there will not be waters, rivers, flames, or fire. He promises that we will not be destroyed. We don't know what purposes the hardships will serve and we don't always understand what we must learn in our struggles, but one truth is as clear as the lighthouse signal on a stormy night: - He is in ultimate control and with His help our problems will not overcome us. 
   
   
3. He assures them of Redemption. He opens the passage with this thought and reinforces it at the end. To be redeemed is to be bought back from slavery. When the Persians defeated the Babylonians and set the Israelites free, they also conquered Cush, Seba, and Egypt. The picture is that God, working in the history of the nations bought Israel back through these conquered nations.

Taken further, this thought leads us to another redemption, where God gave much more than a nation in our stead. He gave His only Son. We are worth very much to Him and even though He allows us to go through hardships, our identity is wrapped up in the designer label that says "Made with loving care by God who created the Universe." And although troubles may surround us, He wants to redeem us - to buy us back from our brokenness. 

He is so committed to us that He sent Jesus to take the brunt of our pain so that it is He and not us who are broken and He turned His face from His Son so that we could be bought back from sin and never be alone! 

But now this is what the Lord says - He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; The flames will not set you ablaze For I am the Lord your God - the Holy One of Israel I will give Egypt for your ransom; Cush and Seba in your stead." (Isaiah43:1-3)

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EmmDev 2021-06-25 [God's help in Tough Times] God my Song

God my Song

People who know me, know that music is a big part of my life. From when I wake until when I go to sleep, I'm listening to music. There are thousands of gospel songs in my playlist and songs of worship and songs that wrestle with living God's life in a complex world are my favourites.

So, I'm fascinated by the idea that God can be our song...

This idea is mentioned three times in the Old Testament. First by Moses and the Israelites after they'd crossed the Red Sea. Then by an unknown Psalmist in Ps 118 who celebrates God's rescue. The third one is Isaiah who celebrates the idea that God saves even those who have failed and fallen short.

We sing when we're happy. We teach children to sing when they're afraid. We sing when our hearts are full. We sing when it is good to be together. Songs make us smile and cry. They calm us and they make us think. They touch our lives and grab our throats.

We have "fight songs", "happy songs", "comfort songs", "memory songs" and songs that "say it better than words can."

Moses, the Psalmist and Isaiah all combine "my song" with "strength" and "salvation". The Lord is my strength, my song and He has become my salvation. 

What a beautiful thought - God's love, presence, strength and deliverance can become our song. What that means for me is that no matter how beautiful a piece of music might be, the God who gave us music and the ability to create it, is even more wonderful and He gives me more fight, more comfort and more happy than a song ever could!

In these hectic and depleting times, let's learn to make God our song.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. (Isaiah12:2 )

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EmmDev 2021-06-24 [God's help in Tough Times] Focus in the Frenzy

Focus in the Frenzy

In Psalm 27 David faces treacherous enemies. He finds himself in "a day of trouble." He describes it as "enemies trying to devour him" and "an army besieging him."

There's a lovely cartoon of Garfield where he's looking all bedraggled and over-run and the caption says: "I normally deal with one day at a time, but a couple have jumped on me at once!"

Sometimes we find ourselves in the kind of place where there is chaos on every side and it seems like trouble will never end. David had his fair share of those and in this psalm he formulates the way through it.

Here are the key thoughts:

1. I will only get through with God's help. "The Lord is my light, my stronghold, my salvation"

2. David doesn't want to lose his sense of connection with God in times of trouble. This is what he means about the temple of the Lord. (Elsewhere he uses other words like house / dwelling / tabernacle.) It's about experiencing God's presence at all times.

3. There is the crystal clear hope that brokenness and darkness do not have the final say. He will see God's goodness "in the land of the living" i.e. not pie-in-the-sky-one-day-when-you-die, but real peace that defies circumstances here and now.

4. But patience is needed. We must "be strong and take heart and wait for God." We have to surrender our desire to be in control and courageously hang in there for God's answers. Someone once said: "God isn't always there when I want Him, but He's always right on time."

The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? ... 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. ... 8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. ... 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalms27:1-14)

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EmmDev 2021-06-23 [God's help in Tough Times] Pride makes worry worse#2

Pride makes worry worse#2

Yesterday we looked at how anxiety takes on a life of its own and becomes an escalating loop. We saw that humility was needed: It's not my life and we need to trust God's mighty hand of providence.

Today we come to the third aspect of humility in the face of worry and this is the humility to "let go and let God." The verb that Peter uses for "cast" is a past participle which implies an ongoing process that has almost become a background activity - it implies a lifetime and lifestyle of entrusting our burdens to God. 

There's the well-loved poem by Loretta P Burns that reads:

As little children bring their broken toys in tears for us to mend

I took my broken dreams to God because He was my friend

But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried, "How could You be so slow"-

"My child," He said, "What could I do? You never did let go."

The other time the New Testament uses this verb in this form is when the disciples "cast" their cloaks onto the colt that Jesus rides into Jerusalem for the Triumphal Entry. Think about the significance of that moment - it was the start of Jesus' journey to the cross. And He did not falter until he could say: "It is finished." When we "cast" our burdens on to Him we can know that He will see it through.

We have a replica of a Good News Bible picture by Annie Valotton at the front of our sanctuary. It's a picture of people leaving their burdens at the foot of the cross and walking away renewed, restored and healed.

It's a helpful picture:
The cross is our reminder that He cares for us.
But it also reminds us not to circle back and pick our burdens up again...

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1Peter5:6-7)

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EmmDev 2021-06-22 [God's help in Tough Times] Pride makes worry worse#1

Pride makes worry worse#1

Sometimes our anxiety takes on a life of its own and can become even greater than the thing we are worrying about. 

This is what happens when someone has a panic-attack: It is the sound of their own beating heart, the shortened breath and the increased blood pressure that dumps a load of adrenaline into the system triggering a flight or fight response that is even greater than the initial triggering event.

It's like that high pitched whine one sometimes gets when someone is using a microphone. The microphone picks up a sound from the loudspeakers, the sound system amplifies it, the microphone picks it up again, a little louder this time, and it becomes an escalating loop. A sharp tap on the microphone will stop it, but ultimately the microphone must be pointed away from the loudspeakers, or the volume must be lowered.

Sometimes we get an escalating loop in our heads... 
This happens all too often when we are trying to face our challenges on our own.

The scattered congregations in Asia-Minor were experiencing escalating levels of persecution. It was a tense and unpredictable time. Before he advises them to cast all their anxieties on God, Peter urges them to be humble...

This humility has two facets:
Firstly, I need to recognise that I am not the "sole-proprietor" of my life. Bon Jovi sang "It's my life" but it's not true. I belong to God - and while it takes some humility to accept that, it is also a relief. I am "soul-response-able" but I don't have "sole-responsibility"!

The second facet of humility is that we are under God's mighty hand of Providence. This means that God may allow things to happen that I may not like, and that I may find difficult, and my life under Him may take turns that I find difficult, but God is ultimately in control and He is ultimately good. 

I will have to learn to trust Him.

(Tomorrow we'll look at the second part of this passage...)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1Peter5:6-7)

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EmmDev 2021-06-18 [God's help in Tough Times] Timidity and Realism

Timidity and Realism

At times like we are in at the moment, there is a fine balance between fear and realism. Some become paranoid and others irresponsible.

It seems that Timothy was prone to reticence and struggled to assert himself in the sense of fulfilling his calling and duty. 

Paul is remembering when they laid hands on Timothy (probably in some form of ordination). As he did that, Timothy was filled and renewed with the equipping of the Holy Spirit.

There are two important things to say about this:

1. Paul likens the equipping power of the Holy Spirit as a fire: it must be fanned into flame. As a physical fire needs a steady flow of oxygen to burn brightly, so the Holy Spirit's work in our lives needs a different kind of oxygen to thrive. That "oxygen" is spelled a-v-a-i-l-a-b-i-l-i-t-y.

At the end of the day we can be talented and resourced but still useless if we are not available. The Spirit is ready to work powerfully in those who without conditions and without "if's or buts" say: "Here am I Lord, send me."

2. The Spirit's presence in our lives helps us to overcome fear. We can overcome nagging doubts, fear of failure and even outright terror through the equipping and transforming power of the Spirit. His equipping takes three forms:

• Power: (Greek=dunamis from where we get dynamite and dynamo - I prefer the latter as a picture of the Spirit's work.) He gives us the power to transform, the power to become better people and the power to overcome fear and sin.
• Love: Love is the key strategic weapon in our mission to reach and change the world. Our own capacity to love is fairly limited. Continued closeness to God increases our capacity to love.
• Self-Discipline: Our sinful nature is like the law of entropy: we are subject to ongoing personal decay. It is the Spirit who helps us to improve and transform our lives.

As we make ourselves available to God's service, we, like Timothy, can be equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Are you willing to put aside the rush of your own agenda and say "OK Lord, here I am! Use me"?

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2Timothy1:6-7)

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EmmDev 2021-06-17 [God's help in Tough Times] Worry Wart?

Worry Wart?

It is very easy to become a worry wart.

I imagine the term comes from an itchy wart which becomes even more itchy when one scratches and worries it. Paul is addressing this very human tendency to turn our problems over and over in our minds to the extent that they dominate our existence!

Anxiety: That chest-tightening panic-inducing condition which, in the short-term, pushes us to fight or flight and, in the long-term, wears us down and impacts our health. We need to avoid anxiety and Paul gives us a clue as to how to do it...

The secret lies in becoming a person who really talks to and listens to God. The problem with anxiety is that it is a never-ending circle in our heads. Most of the counselling I do is listening while people unpack their problems. When there is someone who listens and asks perspective-giving questions, then the circle is broken and the solutions come. God is the best listener because He knows us best.

When we make real, truthful, sincere dialogue with God a daily part of our lives, and we begin to share our feelings, joys, fears, and dreams with God, then He begins to answer by giving us His wisdom, strength, and perseverance and His PEACE.

It is a bit like photography. God is the light, our hearts are the film, and prayer is the shutter that opens up so that the light can shine in and leave God's image on our hearts.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians4:6-7)

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EmmDev 2021-06-15 [God's help in Tough Times] Thorns, Weakness, Strength

Thorns, Weakness, Strength

Our passage for today comes from a section in 2Corinthians where Paul has been "boasting" about the things that make him seem weak.

In today's passage we get to the very heart of why he's doing this:

Paul knows that it's not about him!

He knows that there is more to life than his own achievements, his own glory and his own ego.

With incredible self-insight and self-awareness, Paul shares a story of weakness - a "thorn in the flesh".

We don't know exactly what this "thorn in the flesh" was - the best suggestion was that he had an ailment with his eyes - a debilitating disease that caused his eyes to fester and impeded his vision. It wasn't nice to look at and meant that Paul needed the help of scribes and it made people feel very sorry for him.

• He could have felt like a victim - like life was unfair - he was serving God wasn't he? So why should he have this "thorn?"
  
  
• But Paul says it so well: "God's grace and strength shines through my weakness."
  
  
• His weakness caused him to trust in God's grace and He has realised that when he is weak - he is strong.

When it is all about us then it always needs to go well.

But when we get beyond ourselves, then there is room for God to work in mysterious and mischievous ways - bringing grace and strength out of weakness and even out of pain.

May we discover that when we are weak - He is strong. 

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Corinthians12:7-10)

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EmmDev 2021-06-11 [God's help in Tough Times] Deeper Peace

Deeper Peace

On the night of the Last Supper it became clear to the disciples that Jesus would not be with them forever. They were devastated. 

Jesus consoles them with the promise of rooms in His Father's house, but He also made it clear that this would not happen immediately. In fact, as we saw yesterday, He warns them that "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world." Then He promises them the help of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Helper, Comforter or Paraclete - the One "called alongside."

But Jesus also promises peace - peace that will sustain them in the waiting and in the hardship. This is not peace as the world gives - that kind of peace is simply the absence of trouble. Jesus promises a deeper peace.

One of the privileges I have is to be with families in times of terminal illness and bereavement. One of the things I convey in words, example and attitude is a simple phrase: "We can be sad, but we're not going to be afraid."

Death, and its henchmen - frailty, sickness and suffering - are bullies. They try to tell us that God isn't there - that our circumstances mean that God has left the building. When we buy their lies and threats, we start waiting for God to arrive. But He never left! He's not only in the building, but He is in our suffering. Jesus carried it on the cross - He is at the epic-centre of all human pain and heartache.

Although we don't always understand why, we sometimes have to drink the Gethsemane Cup.... When we do, we discover that there is another cup we drink: the cup that came to us with the words, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood..."

Our peace is not the peace of "absent trouble", but the peace of a "Present Saviour" who has seen the worst of trouble and overcame.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John14:27)

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EmmDev 2021-06-10 [God's help in Tough Times] Contentment is a super power

Contentment is a super power

I want to continue yesterday's theme... 
For some reason, many Christians, particularly those in the economic middle and upper class, have begun to believe that they are entitled to a pain-free life...

This is not the picture that the Bible paints:

• "In this world you will have trouble" - Jesus
• "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials" - James
• "...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." - Peter
• "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." - Paul
• "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble. " - Moses

But Paul reminds us that we can find contentment in difficult circumstances. This amazing ability comes to us through our faith and trust in Christ, who is no stranger to hardship. He experienced the ultimate heartache: the God-forsakenness of the cross.

So, what is contentment?
It is knowing that despite our outward circumstances - "It is well with our soul." In his letter to the Corinthians Paul puts it like this: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2Cor.4:16-18)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians3:12-13)

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EmmDev 2021-06-09 [God's help in Tough Times] When our problems don't disappear...

When our problems don't disappear...

When times are tough, we pray...

But there are times that it seems that God didn't hear us, because our problems are still there.

David has another perspective on this: God doesn't always answer by taking our problems away - Sometimes, oftentimes, He answers by making us bold and stouthearted. 

God is able to fill us with boldness: the ability to see and face the bullies around us.

We can be David saying to Goliath - "You come with spear and sword and javelin, I come in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom (by the way) you have defied." 

We can be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saying: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

And God makes us stouthearted. (Don't you just love the feeling conveyed by "stouthearted"?) His Spirit strengthens us from within and makes us resolute, determined, faithful, persevering and unshakeable. Paul reminds Timothy: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

Sometimes the best way is not around or out of our problems but through them...

When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. (Psalms138:3 )

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EmmDev 2021-06-08 [God's help in Tough Times] Understood...

Understood...

"Nobody understands me!!!"

This cry of angst is often found in the wails of spoilt teenagers who don't understand why their parents won't buy them some overpriced fashion item.

But we should not underestimate the extent to which many people feel really and utterly alone. Alone in betrayal or abandonment. Alone in a tough diagnosis at a really bad time. Alone in a web of toxic relationships. Alone in the soulless grind of an unfulfilling job. Alone in a world that seems to be growing more and more callous and cynical. And I could go on...

The writer to the Hebrews is celebrating Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God and Saviour. 
Greater than the Angels.
Greater than Moses.

Greater than the Priests of the Old Testament who were too broken to carry anything but their own failures. 

He presents Jesus as the "Great High Priest" who has "gone through the heavens" which means that His sacrifice was accepted. 

But this High Priest, in His perfection, has the capacity to fully understand our brokenness and darkness, and, because He is untainted by it, is more than able to help us.

You are not alone.
                               He understands your pain.
                                                                            Perfectly.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews4:14-16)

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EmmDev 2021-06-02 [God's help in Tough Times] Comfort... now... and then...

Comfort... now... and then...

In troubled times like these we struggle with all that is happening and often our struggle is on two levels... Firstly we struggle on a justice level. We see the weak oppressed by the strong, we see governments not only fail, but abuse the people they are meant to serve, and we struggle with the chaos and heartache that greed and selfishness unleash. Secondly, we wrestle with pain on a personal level, we experience loss, grief and heartache and our manic technological society seems  unable to bring peace to our souls.

King David is the author of this Psalm, and as you read it, you can see how he wrestles with the brokenness of the world, but also how he finds comfort in God.

This is beautifully reflected in verse 9-10 which addresses our pain on the levels we described in the first paragraph...

Firstly, David is convinced that God will balance the scales. Whether in this life of the next, God is at work to bring righteousness and justice. If does feel like chaos at times, but God is at work. It is not always in our time or on our terms, but David believed fervently that "God's got this!"

Secondly, David experienced comfort in the moment. I love the phrases he uses to describe God's care for him: "Refuge", "Stronghold" and "Never Forsaken". And he uses those phrases with regard to the oppressed, to those in trouble and those who trust Him and seek Him.

If you're struggling, these words are for you...
"God's got this..."
"God is with YOU..."

Read these beautiful verses and take comfort in His Love.

The LORD reigns forever;     he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness;     he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,     a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you,     for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Psalms9:7-10)

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EmmDev 2021-06-01 [God's help in Tough Times] Lashed to the Mast

Lashed to the Mast

There is general agreement that our passage for today was written in 716BC just after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the miraculous narrow escape of the Southern Kingdom. The Assyrians had been encamped on Jerusalem's doorstep and then miraculously withdrew. Four lepers went to surrender to the Assyrians only to discover that the Assyrians had fled in haste! It was a tumultuous time.

This verse is part of a hymn celebrating God's goodness and it urges  people to put their trust in Him. Peace is available to those who will steadfastly trust in Him. It is not about Bible knowledge, theology, good behaviour, church attendance, or church activities. It is about trust.

The common conception of peace centres on the idea of absence. We have peace when trouble is absent, when conflict is absent and chaos is absent. But God's peace does not work like this. God's peace is different. It is a concept of presence. In the midst of trouble, conflict, and chaos God is with us.

Our steadfastness in faith is like the sailor who lashes himself to the mast in a storm. The storm rages, but the sailor is secure. When we fasten ourselves to God-with-us then we will experience peace in the midst of our storm. He is determined to be with us and carry us through. Peace is ours if we will look beyond the circumstances and trust that He wants to be with us and help us. Look not at your circumstances but to a God who will do what it takes to be with us.

If you ever doubt it - just look at the cross!

You will keep in perfect peace     those whose minds are steadfast,     because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever,     for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah26:3-4)

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