EmmDev 2021-07-08 [God's help in Tough Times] Contractions

Contractions

One of my favourite interpretive keys for Revelations and all things eschatalogical (to do with the end, end-times, and God's Plan) is what Jesus Himself said about the "End Times" when He described it like a woman in labour.

Just to recap the key elements of this idea:

1. The end times began when Jesus ascended. (We've been in the "end-times" for 2000 years).
2. As in a mother's labour, in the "end-times" there are cycles of contraction and relief... contraction and relief...  Moments of struggle and hardship, moments of relief and growth. History has seen a number of contractions where the saints cry out "Maranatha!" which means "Come Lord Jesus!" and we wonder if this contraction will be the one that brings about the arrival of the Second Coming. 
3. In these times of contraction we are drawn towards passages like Revelation, the latter half of Daniel and Peter's admonition "the end of all things is near" (1Pet4:7 onwards).

In our passage for today, Peter gives guidance for contractions:

1. He warns us that evil is rife and tries to suck us in. 
2. We'll need to stand firm, secure in the knowledge that we are not alone in  our suffering
3. We must remember that God's Plan is sure and secure - the labour will come to an end.
4. Even if we should lose our lives, there is Eternal Glory awaiting us.
5. If we do come through it, we will have endured because He will make us strong, firm and steadfast.
6. The glory belongs to Him

Let's take comfort in the fact that the church and world have seen contractions before and let's pray that as we "push" through this contraction, we will grow strong, firm and steadfast. 

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1Peter5:8-11)

---

EmmDev 2021-07-07 [God's help in Tough Times] Bagpipe Heart

Bagpipe Heart

Today a conversation with a friend reminded me of an old EmmDev which I think is relevant today...

Some time ago, I wrote an EmmDev on Soul Care. I quoted Henry Drummond who said that the heart is an "an elastic chamber that expands with God in it, or shrinks without Him." A colleague and mentor, Calvin Cook, who is now in Glory, responded to it. Here's what I wrote in response...

Picking up on Henry Drummond's quote of the heart being an elastic chamber, my friend Calvin suggested that we have the choice between being vuvuzelas or bagpipes. The key difference is not only in the mono-tone of the one compared to the variety of the other, but in the bag, which, when filled, allows the piper to play a much longer note than the human lung can blow the vuvuzela!

Isaiah records God's Word to those who think they can keep going in their own strength. In these very unpredictable and turbulent times we will not last if we try this vuvuzela style. We'll run out of breath...

In repentance, rest, quietness and trust is salvation and strength.

The Afrikaans word  for "bagpipe" is "doedelsak" and it is  so onomatopoeic!

Soul-care means we fill the "sak" (bag) of the "doedel" (tune or ditty) with the breath of God.

The old hymn says it best:

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Breathe on me, breath of God.

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou dost love,

And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,

Until with Thee I will one will,

To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Blend all my soul with Thine,

Until this earthly part of me

Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

So shall I never die,

But live with Thee the perfect life

Of Thine eternity.

                               (Edwin Hatch 1878)

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!  (Isaiah30:15-16)

---

EmmDev 2021-07-06 [God's help in Tough Times] How to handle bad news

How to handle bad news

When one starts reading Psalm 112, it feels a bit like something the prosperity preachers would say:
That if we fear the Lord and delight in His commands, then
Our children would be mighty and blessed (v.2)
Wealth and righteousness will endure (v.3) 

But there is a deeper balance than simply promising prosperity.
It also talks about how we should be generous and conduct ourselves justly. (v5)

But what strikes me is the promise of assistance in trouble. 

It doesn't promise a trouble free life.
Even those who fear God and delight in His commands experience trouble.

There's a clear implication that there are times of darkness. 

And there are times that bad news comes around. (Another version translates: "evil tidings") 

All of us can remember a moment we received bad news.
- A phone call out of the blue about a loved one's stroke, accident or heart-attack

- A doctor's serious demeanour and measured words.

- The teacher calling a meeting about your child.

- The slip from the ATM saying "Account Overdrawn."

- An announcement about retrenchments.

- The President calling a family meeting.

- The sms with test results.

I see people fall apart at bad news and I see people dig deep and find faith.

We are not promised a trouble-free life. 
We are promised a relationship. 
A God in Whom we can trust.

He is both Shepherd and Guide
He walks with us in Death Valley.
He serves food on Enmity Plain.
He secures our souls at Eternity's Bridge.

Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord,     who find great delight in his commands. 2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,     and their righteousness endures forever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,     for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,     who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;     they will be remembered forever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news;     their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (Psalms112:1-8)

---

EmmDev 2021-07-02 [God's help in Tough Times] Find Rest

Find Rest

Psalm 62 is a composition of David which comes, either from the early part of his life when he was fleeing from Saul, or possibly from later in life in the wake of the plots of Absolom and others... 

When talking about this Psalm the NIV Study Bible says: "No psalm surpasses it in its expression of simple trust in God."

One gets an inkling of David's pain when he writes:

"How long will you assault a man?

    Would all of you throw him down--

    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place;

    they take delight in lies.

  With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse." (Ps.62:3-4)

But in the midst of his own insecurities ("leaning wall", "tottering fence") , the threat of enemies and and the presssure of poisonous words, David chooses to put his faith in God:

Read the verses below and make them your own in these turbulent times...

(I've underlined the verbs...)

My soul finds rest in God alone;     my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation;     he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. ... Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;  my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation;     He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God;     He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people;     pour out your hearts to Him,     for God is our refuge. (Psalms62:1-8)

---

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)

---

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 )

---

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)

---

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)

---

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)

---

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)

---