Becalmed and waiting?

 In the mid-Atlantic, there is an area of becalmed waters about 700 miles across and 2000 miles long! It is called the Sargasso Sea. All around that area there are strong ocean currents, but nothing in it!  Much of it is covered with seaweed.  In modern times, plastic garbage that does not disintegrate collects there in tangles. Even the salinity of the water is higher than the ocean that surrounds it.  In the Doldrums, sailing vessels often sat at the edge of the Sargasso Sea for days making little or no progress.  What a metaphor for a life, becalmed!  Not a life of calm, nor one of peace, but one where our ship is stalled without wind in her sails.

Do you ever feel stuck in life, like the wind of the Spirit has stopped blowing;  in a place surrounded by the flotsam of life?   Alan Jamieson wrote that in such times, "the old ways of prayer, worship, Bible reading become dry and stale. The church worship and preaching that used to encourage us, teach us, and inspire us becomes barren ground.  God seems to extinguish one means of feeding our faith in order to make us hungry, even starving, for new ways. ... Now that the way is void and empty, God comes to us in new ways, if only we can perceive them. When we are becalmed, we learn to wait."   Perfect Storm, Abingdon, 2008

Are you becalmed, more like stuck, in some place -  waiting, wondering, watching?   The winds of the Spirit may be blowing, but it seems to from your point of view He moves around you, but not over you. We wonder when our ship will catch that Wind and resume forward progress, don't we?   The temptation may be to try to stir up something of God in ourselves! Weary of waiting, we may ‘just do something’ without His leading, without His power.   We need to remember that we are moved by Self, Satan, or the Holy Spirit.  Only the Spirit accomplishes the purposes of God. Even our best intentions, apart from God’s direction, cannot produce the will of God.

Remember Abraham, the father of the faithful?  God’s promise came to him.  “You will be father of many nations.  All the world will be blessed through you.”  At advanced age, he was still childless. Becalmed, as it were, in life he chose make something happen. He fathered a child by his wife’s servant. It was a different time, don’t be thrown by morality of that choice. (Genesis 16)  His true error was not waiting on the Lord.  Hagar’s son, Ishmael, became a problem in the household, rather than a blessing.  God, in His time, fulfilled His promise with the birth of Isaac. "The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would." (Genesis 21:1-2, NLT)

The Psalmist's prayer is one for those who are becalmed.  "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  O Israel (people of God), put your hope in the LORD,  for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."  (Psalm 130:5-7, NIV)

Jesus' words to the disciples at the birth of the Church teach us about earnestly, expectantly, and patiently waiting for the Spirit to lead.  "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." (Acts 1:4, NIV)  “Wait,” He said, “don't rush off, go do something half-prepared, or try to stir up a revival.”  In God's time, the Spirit moved on them. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:2, NIV) "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4, NIV)  Those men and women set sail to change the world!

Waiting on the Lord requires deep faith. Others may see the choice as laziness or lack of enthusiasm. Others will claim to have a vision for you. 
Here’s the word from the Word.

“But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

They’re created new every morning.  How great your faithfulness!

I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.

It’s a good thing to quietly hope,  quietly hope for help from God.

It’s a good thing when you’re young  to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.
Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:  Wait for hope to appear.”

-The Message, Lamentations 3:21-29

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Patched up or wholly new?

For years, due to lack of funds, necessary repairs to the buildings were put off or done in the cheapest way.  Systems were disabled instead of being fixed.  It was a maintenance plan of “bubble gum and band-aids.” In the short run the strategy seemed to work.  The systems were running, although not well or efficiently.  In time, however, there were huge costs for the neglect.  The only remedy was complete replacement.

Is your life in need of repair?  Are you trying to ‘fix’ the things that are broken with minimal cost to yourself?  Jesus offers each of us a whole new life!  He will, if invited, transform us from the inside out. He won’t just patch us up. He will not just tinker a little with this attitude and that habit so we can cope.  He does radical surgery – giving us a new heart, a new mind. Sounds great, right?  We need to know that the process disrupts everything.  Here’s how He put it. "Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  … He told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined." (Luke 5:31-37, NIV)

The Gospel is not given to us as an easy fix, a patch on our present way of life.  God’s good news is about a new way  of life that completely replaces the old one. The result is something beautiful – eternal life,  deep and authentic love, hope that overcomes every trial.  So why don’t more people receive Christ and His message in the fullness?  Jesus finished the passage about new wine in new skins with this rueful statement: "But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” (Luke 5:39, NLT)   Change is so hard that many choose the inferior old ways just because of their familiarity.

The story of a young wealthy nobleman found in Luke’s Gospel is particularly appropriate for us at this time.  The man came to Jesus wondering how he could find eternal life. He was sincere and he was a good man, morally upright and religiously devout.  But, he had a heart problem!  He loved his stuff – his status, his wealth, the security he found in his familiar way of life.  Jesus did not meet him half-way or ask him to change a little. “Then there’s only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go." (Luke 18:22-23, The Message)  The Gospel is only good news to those willing to become disciples.

Disciples are followers directed by another. Self surrenders. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life a will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26, NIV)  Jesus did not leave the Father’s glory, become a Man acquainted with grief, and die on the Cross just so He could give us a little better quality of life.  He came to defeat the power of sin and to open up the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

So what are you seeking from Christ?  Are you asking only for a little remodeling, some help in coping with life?  Do you want to be patched up or made wholly new? Are you ready for a real change? 

Here’s the word from the Word - "Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." (Matthew 19:27-30, NLT)

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You need not be a victim!

News broke at 7 PM yesterday that comedian and actor, Robin Williams, died, a suicide.  One of the reporters mused, “He had everything; money, fame, family … what happened?”  Williams openly admitted his struggles with addictions. After 20 years of sobriety, he started abusing alcohol again 5 years ago and his second marriage ended. He regained his sobriety, but friends reported a man who was broken, ashamed, and depressed.  

Depression is a much misunderstood illness.  It is much more than being sad!  True depression steals the future and leaves a dark hole of despair. It can creep up on a person as a result of past choices and experiences, but it can also show up when there is an unexplained shift in brain chemistry.

What can we do to minimize our vulnerability to depression?

1. Stay rested! Exhaustion- emotional, spiritual, and/or physical-- can push us to the edge.  Rest is not just a good night’s sleep. It is being networked, having people who share life, and trusting God. There are times in every one of our lives when problems come like a storm. Wherever we look, we see problem waiting to be solved.  Trying to carry that kind of load alone can crush us from the inside out and depression can creep in. Actively create times of rest.

2. Stay right with God!  Guilt is a toxin in our lives. If we sin, and we all do, God prescribes this remedy - repentance and confession. (Psalm 51) David, the poet-king, got it right. "When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long." (Psalm 32:3, NLT)  Watch out for perfectionism, trying to everything right all the time.  That is a trap. But, when God’s Spirit speaks, when your conscience is active, respond.   

  

3. Know yourself. Do not ignore major changes in your mood. Our brain chemistry can get scrambled. These complex bodies produce too much of this, not enough of that, and our thoughts can become confused. Yes, Christian, it happens to people of faith, too!  If you are finding yourself with dark thoughts, unable to find your way to the Light of His Presence, do not let shame control you. Find a faithful friend. Talk with a counselor. Seek your Pastor’s advice. Where necessary, use the gift God gives us with medicine!  Thank the Lord, we are blessed with physicians who can work with us to restore the balance.

   

4. Deal with anger before it turns into consuming rage.  People will disappoint us. Unfair circumstances will overtake us. Rejection is part of life, sadly. Anger, like guilt, is one of those emotions that many Christians find unacceptable so they refuse to admit they are upset.  They cover their anger with polite words, Bible quotations, or even songs.  But, anger does not go away when ignored. It simmers and can finally boil over into rage that can feed irrational or self-destructive thoughts. Suicide is sometimes the ultimate 'get even' choice. That's why the Word tells us to settle our issues so the Devil cannot find a foothold in our life! "Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life." (Ephesians 4:26-27, The Message)

   

Depression often has a spiritual dimension, too. "The Devil prowls looking for prey," Peter tells us. The enemy's goal is our destruction. If he can rob us of hope, keep us from experiencing love, cause us to live in shame and/or guilt, he accomplishes his mission.  

There is JOY in serving Jesus, but that joy is sometimes delayed! Yes, there will be suffering in the lives of the best of Christians. Peter wrote those who are being chased by the darkness of despair. He says, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world." (1 Peter 4:12-13)

In this broken world, suffering is all too common. We cannot escape it, but we can stand up in the times of trial. "So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:19 NIV)   God did not design us to be alone, to try to serve Him by ourselves, to manage life like the Lone Ranger. IF you're in God's waiting room seeking healing from depression, ask a friend to wait with you, to pray with you - until the joy returns.  REACH OUT and tell somebody how much you're hurting! Don't try to wrestle the demons of despair alone. Gather prayer partners who will gently embrace you with their love and point you in the direction of someone who can help you choose life.

Most of us will never experience the depth of despair or rage that makes suicide a considerable option, but we will have friends, even people of deep faith in the Lord, who do. We must be our brother's keeper. Be proactive in listening when you are with your friends. Care enough to ask the hard questions, but gentle and loving so that you will invite those who are suffering from despair to share their heart.

Our word from the Word comes from Psalm 73.  This song is about a man who lost hope.
Life turned upside down, nothing made sense. He despaired of life until he turned to the sanctuary of God’s Presence.

Spend some time meditating on this passage. It’s a beauty!

"When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

‘till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. …

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

(Psalm 73:16-17, 21-26, NIV)

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Stand By Me

When the storms of life are raging, stand by me!

When the storms of life are raging, stand by me!

When the world is pounding me,

Like a ship upon the sea,

Lord, who rules the wind and water, stand by me.

In the midst of tribulation, stand by me.

In the midst of tribulation, stand by me.

When the hosts of hell assail,

And my strength begins to fail,

Lord, who never lost a battle, stand by me.

In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me.

In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me.

When I've done the best I can,

And my friends misunderstand,

Lord, who knows all about me, stand by me.

Charles Albert Tindley

© Words: Public Domain

"Been There, Done That"

“Familiarity breeds contempt” we are told. There is some truth in that. When we get close to a person we have admired we see all of their personality  and character.  It’s one of the hazards of young love.  He looks like Prince Charming until the third date when she discovers just how irritating his terrible manners can be. She is his dream girl until he realizes that she turns every situation into a major drama. In a past era, many of our relationships with ‘professionals’ were formal, a distance maintained that allowed them to appear almost god-like.  For example, our physicians, in their starched white coats, addressed only as Dr. Jones, were unquestioned in their judgment.  A younger generation rejected that distance and wants their family doctor to be on a first-name basis, but being that close steals much of the mystique of the all-knowing doctor.  There is an upside to familiarity, too.  It creates intimacy, takes away the need to pretend, and allows us to accept others and love them deeply.

Familiarity can have a destructive result in our faith. The people of ancient Nazareth could not see past their preconceptions about Jesus and thus did not enjoy the blessings that others found in Him.  "Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13:54-58, NIV)  They saw only what they wanted to see – the hometown kid.

There is a very real danger in becoming so ‘churched,’ assuming we know who Jesus is and how He works, that we lose our ability to see Who HE really is and the faith to allow Him to do what He wants to do our lives. In recent weeks I have had a couple of conversations with Christians whose faith is old, but stale. They are so familiar with ‘Jesus,’ that they no longer are able to trust Him fully.  Their attitude towards prayer, worship, and godly things is one that is weary, that says ‘been there, done that.’

But, I also know many Christians who have walked with Jesus for decades and their familiarity with Him supports a wonderfully deep and amazingly intense faith.

So what makes the difference?  We must mature in faith.

Just after coming to Christ, finding forgiveness, discovering a new set of friends who share our faith – we are full of excitement. We just love Jesus! And, that is good.  But, soon we come up against some situation where we pray and He does not answer us as we desire. Disappointment overtakes us.  “Why, Lord?” we wonder.  In that moment, we have a choice to grow in faith.  And our love for Jesus takes on some routine, just like any relationship.  I deeply love my wife of 39 years but remember those first weeks after I met her in June, 1974 when I just thrilled to her every word.  After raising our children, working together, building a life we really know each other.  We have not allowed our familiarity to make love go stale.  In the last few months as we experienced illness, we have found a new dimension to our love we could not have even imagined existed when we were dating all those years ago.

Have you become so familiar with Jesus (you might want to substitute ‘become so religious’) that you are no longer capable of loving Him?  Is your faith stale, your prayer routine, your worship empty of passion, your heart cold?  Jesus is still there and loves you intensely.  You can re-discover Him, too.  It won’t likely be the same as it was when you first came to know Him!  Do not try to make that happen.  Instead, grow and love Him as He is and you are right now.  Pray simple prayers.  Abandon the ‘whys’ and look instead for what He desires of you where you are.

Ask Him to let you see Him with fresh perspective.  Choose to be child-like as you come to Him.  In our word from the Word, Jesus says,  “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom." (Matthew 18:3-4, The Message)

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10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.

It's time to sing Your song again!

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger,

Your name is great and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing,

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul!

Worship His holy name.

Sing like never before,

O my soul,

I'll worship Your holy name!

And on that day when my strength is failing,

The end draws near and my time has come;

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,

Ten thousand years and then forevermore.

Worship Your holy name,

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name!

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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