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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EmmDev 2021-05-28 [God's help in Tough Times] Strength in weakness

Strength in weakness

So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah41:10)

"I am with you"

Even when it does not feel that way and even when we feel like we have failed.

Even when we have wondered away and fallen down.

Paul says: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38f)

"Do not be dismayed for I am your God."

Have you ever experienced an eclipse? Sometimes our circumstances are so "in our faces" and so intimidating that they get between us and God like the moon gets between the earth and the sun. But He is always God. We should never allow our circumstances become a god. His light will always shine, and even when we feel like we're in the shadow, the Light is always there! Put another way: There can only be a shadow if there is a light behind it! God is always greater than our trouble.

"I will strengthen you and help you"

Elsewhere Isaiah says: "Those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint." (Isa40:31) Paul reminds us that the power of the Holy Spirit who is at work in us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

"I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"

God's hand reminds us that His care is personal and intimate. He is with us and involved in our circumstances. And some 2000 years ago the One who sits at the right hand of God - His only Son - suffered and died to give us life.

We are dearly loved - so do not be afraid! 

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EmmDev 2021-05-27 [God's help in Tough Times] When everything is being SHAKEN

Hi Everyone,
In view of the third Covid wave which is reaching our shores here in South Africa and in view of the tiredness and discouragement that many are experiencing, I'm interrupting the Exodus series for a little while to spend some time on a bunch of passages that just put things in perspective for us in these crazy times.
Hope it's meaningful and grounding!
Blessings and Love,
Theo

When everything is being SHAKEN

Some people throw their hands in the air whenever trouble comes their way and complain "Where is God!???" Unfortunately their theology is too shallow: their picture of God is that His job in life is to make our lives easy and keep trouble at bay.

Not the Psalmist! He has experienced trouble:
Foundation-shaking,
mountain-sinking
and wave-swamping trouble.
He has experienced the dark night of the soul, the panic of nations in uproar and the horrors of war and yet he is completely convinced that God will see him through.

This trouble has not overwhelmed him. His faith is in God. His strength comes from above. If we read the whole psalm we find the psalmist recognising the following Divine Attributes:
- God is a Refuge and Fortress: When the storms rage, we can find peace.
- God is our Strength: We don't have to face the troubles on our own.
- God has a plan and a promise: In the Psalm this is Jerusalem, maybe in our context it is the Church.
- God is at work, He will ultimately judge and balance the scales. He will ultimately be glorified.

But how can we know and experience this?
The psalm gives us a clue in verse 10: "Be Still and Know that I am God."

The trouble with trouble is that it troubles us! 😂 Experiencing God as our Refuge and Fortress takes courageous trust on our parts. We cannot allow our circumstances to dominate our thoughts and faith. We must quieten our hearts, put things in perspective and remember God.        

God is our refuge and strength,     an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,  though the earth give way   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,    though its waters roar and foam     and the mountains quake with their surging.     Selah. (Psalms46:1-3 )

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