A Nap and the Not so Nice Times....

Have you ever just had enough and wondered, whether silently or aloud, what in the world God is doing? We've all been there, and some of us are right there now (self included). I had the privilege to learn something from my son on how to handle and deal with uncertainty, and I wanted to share that with you. As part of that discussion, take a look at Psalms 23:13-14. Read over these two verses a couple of times and really think them through before following along below.

Verse 13 says "I would have lost heart," but something restrained the Psalmist from doing that. What was it? Simply, faith that the Lord would keep His promises to His children (see Romans 8:28). This verse indicates just how close the Psalmist was to giving in to his frustration. He, just like we all do, whined when not getting his way and was struggling. God knows what is best for us; so instead of "bucking" this opportunity for learning, we should embrace it. Yes, I know, that is easier said than done; but more on that later.

Verse 14 shows us the solution to this time of uncertainty: waiting and taking courage. Waiting references an eager expectation, meaning that we know God is working and that we look for His fingerprints in the situation. Taking courage is an interesting word that means being sore. Huh? Yep, you read that right; so just think exercise. We all know that it is good for us but it produces pain in our muscles that is necessary to build new ones. That strengthening is exactly what God does to us and for us during the times of uncertainty that we all dread. If you doubt me, continue reading the verse and see what it says. Yep, you read it right -- "He will strengthen your heart." Just in case we missed that first part about looking for God's handiwork, the Psalmist reminds us one more time to wait. So, do you think the Psalmist believed it was important??

Let me share you an example of how my son reaffirmed this in my heart. The whole way home from church today, he was fussing. Why? Well, he's gotten up WAY TOO early the last two mornings, and he was tired. After eating lunch and changing his diaper, it was nap time. He wanted nothing to do with it and began his whining thinking that would change the situation. When I finally got him in the bed, he continued to stay awake by playing with his toes or belly button or the wall or anything else; and he was resisting his chance at rest. Then, it happened -- he snuggled up to his daddy and got still. The longer he laid still, the more you could witness that rest coming upon him as his eyes slowly closed and then reopened only to close slowly again. He finally succumbed to sleep because he knew that his dad was right there beside him and felt secure in that knowledge.

What was the end result? See the picture below to understand what we as Christians can experience, and should be experiencing, in times of uncertainty. That picture is one of perfect peacefulness....





Lessons to be learned from my son: (1) whining doesn't change anything other than making your attitude a sour one; (2) resisting the rest provided to you by God does not harm Him but it sure does take a lot out of you; (3) getting close to your Father through the Scripture will calm you, thereby, changing your perspective because He knows best; (4) we are secure only in the Lord's will not our own; and (5) it is when you are rest, even in the most difficult of times, that you are strengthened for the next task God has for you.

Robert Murray McCheyne, a 19th century Scottish preacher, once said: “Oh, bretheren, could you and I pass this day through these heavens, and see what is going on in the sanctuary above. Could you see what the child of God now sees who died last night? Could you see the Lamb with the scars of His five deep wounds in the very midst of the throne, surrounded by all the odors? Could you see the many angels round the throne, whose number is ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, all singing, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain”? And....lo, there He is upon the throne of heaven; consider Him, look long and earnestly upon His wounds – upon His glory - and tell me, do you think it would be safe to trust Him?”

As I conclude, I have paraphrased the Scriptural passage into something that makes abundant sense to me; and I don't believe that it is outside the bounds of Scriptural intent. For me, Psalm 27:13-14 reads: "If I did not believe in the Lord's promise to show us goodness in this life, then I would have given up in frustration. Instead, that faith gave me the ability to wait on the Lord and be encouraged because He will strengthen me just like He has always done. Still, because I'm heard-headed, I need to hear this one more time -- wait on the Lord!"

Who Are We?

As I continue my reading through the New Testament, I came upon Romans 1:1 this morning -- "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel." While it is a short verse, it has two power-packed phrases.

"A Servant of Jesus Christ" -- the word servant literally means a slave; so Christians are to be slaves of Jesus. That means that we live our lives in recognition of several key elements: (1) we belong to someone else, (2) we do His bidding as explained clearly in His Word, (3) we are to work long and hard for our Master because we owe a debt that cannot be repaid, and (4) anything that we produce is for the Master's glory and not our own.

The unfortunate part is that most Christians are not living that way. We have become accustomed to the American dream; so instead of denying ourselves, we indulge and deny Jesus. No wonder, as David Kinnaman in the book unchristian found, the world views Christians as hypocritical and judgmental. If you have not read this book, get a copy. He works for the Barna Group and did a three year study on how people outside the church view Christianity. It is a sobering wake up call to those of us who claim to follow Christ.

"Separated unto the Gospel of God" -- in Christian circles, you will hear very quickly that we are to be separated from this world. Those outside the church will pick up that as "secret code" for the existence of a long list of dos and don'ts. The world knows more of what we stand AGAINST (i.e. abortion) than what we stand FOR; and that is a huge problem!!

When Christ was asked about the greatest commandment, He made two statements in Matthew 22:36-40: (1) love God with everything that you have and (2) love neighbors like you love yourself. If we do not love God with ever fiber of our being, then it is impossible for us to love others unselfishly. Getting closer to God everyday through prayer and reading His Word will give us pause as we realize how bad we really are. As His Word permeates our lives, that will produce a love for others so that we give of ourselves for their benefit. It is unconditional love to those that hate us, dislike us, or know nothing about us that will allow them to see Jesus in us. At that point, they will ponder what is different in our lives and then the conversation begins.

My youth pastor, Doug Roberts, used to always say: "People won't care how much you know until they know how much you care." I believe we, in Christianity, have missed the boat in our evangelism. We want to argue with people's heads and completely neglect touching their hearts. If we get others to see the love we have for them (because of the love Christ has for us), then we WILL have the opportunity to share the faith that we cling to. Typically, though, we express verbally the fact that we love others and will help them; however, our actions rarely meet those words.

So, in sum, you are a servant of Jesus and others MUST see Jesus in you. Without that fact, you are not truly His servant and others will continue to see a watered down version of Christianity. Remember what's at stake here -- the reputation of Jesus Christ as exhibited in your life! That, my friends, is very sobering....