2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Friends,
There are times when our troubles seem to weigh us down, bedevil us, play havoc with our having a positive outlook, and test our faith. This happens at times of loss, disappointment, strife, and other forms of trauma. When we give in to this negativity in life, the adversary’s purposes are served. It would hardly be appropriate to the calling God has given me to say ignore the feelings you have at times like these. That’s how people get ulcers, get overcome by their suppressed feelings, and act out in antisocial ways. So the question arises, “what is the most constructive and God-directed way to deal with these negative trials that are a part of everyone’s life at one time or another?’ These times are when our loving Abba wants us to obey the teachings He reveals to us in the Scriptures on how to handle them and reveal Himself as our Advocate and Intercessor. He wants us to know that even at the times which our circumstances make us the most vulnerable, Satan can be defeated, and our Abba is equipping us to work our way out of the pain they cause. Let’s look at some of the Scriptures that deal with this issue.
Most of you know the story of Job in which Satan and God enter into a bet that Satan can cause Job, a wholly faithful man, to lose that faith by bringing a series of losses, illnesses, and trials to him. Most of this revealing book is a discussion between Job and his friends as they react to the difficulties Job is having. Toward the end of it God reveals His outlook. JOB 16 is in a passage where Job is speaking to God. Job is worn out from losses and God’s long silence in response to his prayers. (Your author can definitely relate to this right now). (6-8) “But nothing I say helps, and being silent does not calm my pain, [Job complains]. You have worn me out, God; You have let my family be killed. You have seized me; You are my enemy. I am skin and bones, and people take that as proof of my guilt. “ (18-19) “On earth, do not hide the wrongs done to me! Don’t let my call for justice be silenced! There is Someone in heaven to stand up for me and take my side.” When you look at these statements, you can see that Job is speaking out of his pain. In my humble opinion, he really doesn’t mean that God is his enemy, anymore than we mean every word we say when very angry or in pain. Job’s humanity is showing here, but you can see the conflict between his faithful inner self and his fleshly outer self. His statement in (19) is very revealing to us, because even without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ, he knows he has an Intercessor in heaven!
David, who himself knew plenty of trouble in his life, dealt with this issue in several places in the Psalms. PS 32: 6-7, “So all Your loyal people should pray to You in times of need when a great flood of trouble comes rushing in, it will not reach them. You are my hiding place, You will save me from trouble. I sing aloud of Your salvation, because You protect me.” David is not saying he will never experience trouble here. He is saying that his faith in God is strong enough that he knows God will not allow his troubles to defeat him. How many of us have that kind of faith? David is not only praying for himself, but he is praying for the nation he leads. How many of us take the time to pray for more than just our own personal concerns? It helps us to deal with our own concerns when we spend time dealing with the needs of others. David’s remarkable relationship with God is really shown in his confidence about God’s loving and caring nature. Look at PS 68:5-6, “God Who lives in His sacred temple, cares for orphans and protect widows. He gives the lonely a home to live in and leads prisons out into happy freedom, but rebels will have to live in a desolate land.” Look how the compassion of our Advocate and Intercessor in heaven is revealed by this. We should never feel abandoned, alone, or unloved.
There are certain chapters of Bible books that I view as special gifts to us, for example, JN 14, RO 8, and HE 11. These are chapters that are major faith-builders. RO 8:26-34 gives us a unique picture of how God’s third person, the Holy Spirit, pleads for us. (26-27), “In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit Himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. And God, Who sees into our hearts, knows what the thoughts of the Spirit are, because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of His people and in accordance with His will.” (33-34) “Who will accuse God’s chosen people? God, Himself, declares them not guilty! Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, Who died, or rather, Who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with Him for us!” Job, David, and Paul are all men of faith, men who don’t lie. That is why when they all tell us the same basic message, we can believe that God inspired each of them and wanted this message repeated for those of us who are troubled to hear over and over again. Tomorrow, I will share some of the clearest Scriptures showing how God reveals Himself as our Advocate and Intercessor of all. For now, join me in this prayer:
PRAYER: O Lord, You know that there are times when we are tempted by the enemy or in the throes of pain from loss, disappointment, or other trauma. At those times we are vulnerable and sometimes say things to You know that we don’t mean. Maybe some of us have even blamed You for our problems in moments of weakness of the flesh. Yet, You don’t abandon us. Instead, You offer Your wide shoulders upon which we are to place our problems. You want us to know that we are not alone and provide not only Your enormous love and compassion for us, but supply loving friends to be angels in our lives to help us through our difficult times. You reveal Yourself in the Scriptures in an effort to help us see Your perspective on what troubles us through people like Job, David, and Paul. For all of this You deserve our eternal obedience, worship, love, adoration, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
God’s power is beyond human understanding. Even when our Abba is choosing for His own reasons to be silent in response to our prayers, He does this for righteous reasons and has not abandoned us. We can’t always understand the fullness of His perspective on our lives, but we can, through real faith in Him, know that He wants what is best for us and for those with whom we come in contact. I can personally testify to this even though all my own prayers haven’t been answered yet. I hope that you feel God’s loving presence in your life experienced through your own faith and obedience to Him every day. Peter joins me in sending you our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn