Trust

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Beyond Fear

“. . . for the believer, fear is always God-forgetful. If God is sovereign and his rule is complete, wise, righteous, and good, why would you fear?” – Paul David Tripp

How do you think God reacts when we are constantly stressed and worried? When I go to him with my troubles, I often find soothing words in the Bible, or I sense his tender care toward me. He responds to our fears, but I found out recently that, at some point, he seems to think we should develop enough spiritual confidence to get beyond fear.

I had been lying in bed worried about stuff (you probably understand). Then I prayed, giving it over to God. And I fell asleep. About two hours later, I was wide awake – thinking about everything that challenged me and assuming the worst possible outcomes.

Before I could even begin to pray about it all (again!), I sensed these words in my head, “Don’t you dare be anxious. After all I’ve done to prove my presence in your life, you have no right, no cause, to be anxious.” Hey, where was that tender touch, that reassurance, that sympathetic response? God was challenging me to grow up spiritually. To learn to really trust him.

Then I remembered when Jesus and the disciples were in a boat and a violent storm came up. When the men called frantically to the sleeping Jesus, he didn’t say “Don’t worry, guys, I’ve got this.” No. He said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Kind of what he said to me. He wants us to grow up spiritually. And the true test of that is whether we really trust him or not.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise-
in God I trust and am not afraid.”
– Psalm 56:3-4a

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Looking for change?

“It’s much less demanding to think about God’s will for your future than it is to ask him what he wants you to do in the next ten minutes.” – Francis Chan

Do you realize how often in the Bible we read stories of instant change?

Think of the man born blind who was made to see. Do you think he thought that would happen when he woke up that morning?

Or of the Samaritan woman who, after just one conversation with Jesus, announced him as Messiah to the people of her town who had condemned her life choices. He even came into the village with her and stayed for a few days. She went from outcast to heroine instantly.

Or of the people of Israel, under enemy siege and out of food, barely surviving on scraps. Two lepers found the enemy camp hastily deserted, leaving an abundance of food behind. They went from starvation to plenty in one instant. From despair to joy. No one saw that coming.

As we look back on our lives, we sometimes can identify meeting someone who changed our life. Or making a small decision that had big consequences. Or having an opportunity we never could have anticipated. These turning points have happened to all of us.

So if you are feeling stuck now or in a rut or disappointed with the way things have turned out for you, don’t despair. God can intervene. We just need to watch for his hand and his guidance as we go through our days. Sometimes God’s changes are slow, sometimes fast, but there’s always a turning point. Today may be the day when everything changes!

“Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:1

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True or False?

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” – Blaise Pascal

I read once that when law enforcement officers train business owners to recognize counterfeit bills, they don’t spend any time looking at the counterfeits. Instead, they study a real bill, implanting every detail in their brains. Why? Because if they know what the real thing looks like, feels like, and smells like, they won’t be fooled by something that’s close, but counterfeit.

It’s one thing to be deceived about the validity of paper money; it’s quite another to be misled about matters of eternal consequence. The place we go to for truth we can rely on is God’s Word. The Bible is God’s revelation of ultimate truths about our purpose in this world, his character and standards, how we should relate to other human beings, how and why we should take care of the earth, and life after death. It really matters that we get those things right!

There are many theories out there about these issues, but there’s only one source of truth by which we measure everything else we hear, see, or read. If the message syncs with what God says, it’s truth. If it varies, even a little bit, it’s false. It’s of ultimate importance to know the difference.

The only way not to be misled, is for us to immerse ourselves, first of all, in reading and studying God’s Word. Then we can supplement that by listening to trusted biblical teachers and reading reliable Christian authors. When we have the truth firmly implanted in our minds and hearts, it will be easy to see and discard the counterfeits.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:5

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The True God

“Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle . . . will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination.” – Timothy Keller

Sometimes when we’re reading a Bible passage, we just have to stop and say, “What?” I feel that way when I read about God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, who was supposed to be the one through whom God would fulfill all the promises he had made to Abraham. What could God be thinking?

Then I realize that the fact that we don’t know what God was thinking reinforces his deity. His thoughts are way beyond any we could think. His purposes are often hidden and we don’t understand what he’s up to. He is far beyond our human ability to imagine or understand.

God has revealed a lot about himself in the Bible. But not everything – not even close.

We read about other gods like those in mythology. These are gods that are like exaggerated humans, with human characteristics and idiosyncracies. We can see how a human could imagine a Zeus or a Hercules.

The God we know is different from gods of human imagination. He’s not like a giant or exaggerated human. He is, as the theologians say, totally “other” – different from us in every way. And because mere humans could never have dreamed up a god like our God, that makes his reality more trustworthy. Not being able to understand him completely is part of our assurance that he is the real, the revealed, the only God of the universe.

So, instead of objecting to his decisions or direction, I am learning to trust that he is God. And he is good. That may be enough to know for now.

“. . . great things he does, which we cannot comprehend.” – Job 37:5

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Too much to do?

“Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.” – Elizabeth Elliot

It’s that time of year when, in addition to our standard job and family responsibilities, we add Christmas preparations: shopping, sending cards, cooking/baking, concerts, church programs, parties, school celebrations, and on and on. Result: stress!

How do we do it all? Here are a few practical suggestions:

First, pace yourself. Start early to avoid crowds and to spread out the work.

Second, be organized. Put everything on your calendar, including reminders along the way. Make every shopping trip count by planning ahead for what you will need for each event in the month.

Third, solicit help. If you have a family, make sure the kids are included in the work, as well as the joy, of this season. Share the load: It will be lighter for you, and they will learn to be part of the team. Talk to your spouse, too. See what you can do together to streamline the “to do” list this season.

Finally, trust God. I heard a speaker on the radio say this years ago: “You have time to do today everything God wants you to do.” That hit home to me. I knew it meant that, if I was overwhelmed, I must be doing things God had not put on my list. So, a big way to avoid stress this season is to ask God every day what he wants us to do that day. Then we trust him and do with all our might the things he places before us.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2

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He sees.

 “An intimate encounter with Jesus is the most transforming experience of human existence.” – John Eldridge

Have you ever tried to avoid someone and then found yourself face-to-face with that person in a situation from which you couldn’t escape? It’s happened to all of us!

I think Zaccheaus in 1st-Century Jericho may have found himself in that predicament. The crowds were great and Zacheaus was not a favorite among the people because he collected taxes for the hated Romans. Apparently he had a curiosity about Jesus and wanted to know more, but only from a distance. He climbed the sycamore tree because he wanted to see, but not to be seen.

But, this is Jesus, right? He doesn’t miss anything! Of course he sees this little man in the big tree and is not going to let him get away with hiding. He calls him down from the tree. And, if that’s not scary enough, he then invites himself to Zaccheaus’ house for a meal. Zaccheaus couldn’t hide from Jesus, but he did get to know more about him! And his life was tranformed forever in that one encounter.

We don’t have to hide our struggles. Jesus sees. We don’t have to be embarrassed about our doubts. Jesus sees. He sees our joy, too. When we are kind or generous, he sees. When we are afraid or anxious, he sees. He even sees us when we’re trying to hide.

He invites us to come out of hiding, and he waits for our response. Jesus always sees. And he looks on us with grace, love, and forgiveness.

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” – Psalm 139:2-3

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In the Middle of the Muddle

“Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” -Andrew Murray

This morning I woke up early, processing events of the past week – things I didn’t like. The processing had been going on for a couple of days and was more like what I call a “muddle” rather than coherent thoughts. I wanted to go back to sleep, but couldn’t, so I began to ask God to come into my muddle. I specifically asked him to give me a verse to think about. In a nanosecond, I recalled, “In everything give thanks.”

I had an assignment from God himself, so I began to thank him – first for the basics like we all do, then for some specifics related to the events that put me in a muddle in the first place. My heart felt lighter. I began to feel less stress, less frustration, less worry. I started to realize I had been making everything about me, when he wants me to make everything about him. I felt in my deepest being that he is in control, he loves me, and he will give the answers to the problems I’m trying to solve.

I have a feeling I’m not the only one who muddles. Sometimes muddling is our “go to”, and we need, instead, to turn to Jesus instead of our own incoherent thoughts. Occasionally we need a reminder of that. I had that reminder this morning, now I’m passing it along just in case you need one, too.

May you get out of the muddle and into the praise today. It’s happier there!

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:5

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Light in the Darkness

“How good the Savior is to me! He not only helps carry my burdens, he carries me also.” – Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch woman who, during World War II, sheltered and hid Jews to keep them from being sent to work camps or to execution. Eventually she and her family were found out, and Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father were themselves arrested. Corrie and Betsie ended up at Ravensbruck, one of the cruelest and most lethal concentration camps of all.

They suffered as all the others did – hard work, little food, winter cold, filthy and infested living conditions, and impossible demands. They began praying with other women, most of them Jews, and holding quiet Bible studies after the guards had gone at night. In all their suffering, they felt Jesus beside them, comforting, leading.

Betsie and Corrie talked about what they would do if they were ever released. Betsie said this, “We have learned so much here, and now we must go all over the world to tell people what we now know – that Jesus’ light is stronger than the deepest darkness”

Betsie died soon thereafter, and Corrie remained in Ravensbruck until, through a clerical error, she was released. After recovering from her ordeal, she did travel the world telling the story well into her 80’s. And what did she tell? Her hate for her captors? No. She told of the miserable conditions, but always directed her audience to the presence and power of God – to the light she had because he was with her in this dark place.

Are you in a dark place right now? You are not alone. Reach out to Jesus. You will find light in the darkest of nights.

“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” – Matthew 4:16

Source: The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis, published March 2023

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Risky

“By his word and Spirit he guides us, using even our mistakes to bring blessing.” – Edmund P. Clowney

Has anyone ever asked you to take on a service responsibility, and you reacted in fear? You knew you were qualified to do the job, but what if you failed? It’s safer to say “no” than to risk letting people down.

There are a lot of us who want to play it safe, but, you know what? Living the Christian life in all its fullness requires risk.

I was recently asked to take on a responsibility I wasn’t expecting. When I began to pray about it, it wasn’t long before God reminded me of the Parable of the Talents. The master was going on a journey and gave money to three servants to invest for him. When he returned, two of the servants were commended for their faithfulness because they doubled the money by wise decisions and, probably, some risk-taking. The third servant, though, was so afraid of losing the money, of making a mistake, that he buried his allocation in the back yard to keep it safe until his master returned. The master was not happy about his safety-first choice!

As I read that story, I realized two things. First, God had given me talents that could be put to good use in the task I was being asked to do. And, second, God seems to be more pleased with my willingness to try than with my fear that I’d fail.

Do you have any God-given gifts that you’ve buried? Maybe it’s time to dig them up, dust them off, and put them to work. It’s worth talking to him about.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. . .” – 1 Peter 4:10

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But, I don’t understand.

“You need not cry very loud; he is nearer to us than we think.” – Brother Lawrence

Meet our cat, Abi. She likes everything to always be the same. She likes her Amazon box. She loves to be brushed.

She does not love being put in her carrier to ride in the car. Scary. Might end up at the vet. And her cries are like prayers asking us to set her free.

If you have a pet, you can relate, right? Have you ever thought that our relationship to our pets might be somewhat parallel God’s relationship to us? He knows what we like, but there are times he put us through something equivalent to getting in the carrier to go to the vet. We don’t understand how what he’s doing is for our good. For us it’s just scary and uncomfortable, so we cry out to him in prayer.

Can you imagine how infinitely more God loves us than we love our pets? He faithfully walks with us as we suffer, but his love is too great to give us the relief we pray for. Relief won’t come until he has accomplished his purposes for us and maybe for those around us.

We cannot understand that kind of love from a human perspective. We can only find glimpses as we ourselves cause necessary pain to someone we love even though they can’t understand why.

Know this: God loves us infinitely. He’s always working for our good. And he walks with us through the struggles.

Sense his presence. Trust his love. Something good is happening even when we can’t see it.

“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.” – 1 Peter 5:10