When I feel like God has abandoned me

We all have moments when life turns inside out, when nothing is going right.  We are tempted to wonder, “Have I done the right thing? Did I make a fatal mistake?”  Crisis can shake us down to the foundations of our life, raising questions about ourselves and even  our God.  Recent developments in Bev’s health has produced such an angst inside of me that even my muscles ache.  “But, what about faith,” you may ask?  Can I say that I always sense God near?  No, and yet I know He’s there. The thunderstorm in my emotions, the whirlwind in my mind, sometimes obscures His Presence.  I am so very grateful for His Word that remains unchanging and for those who walk with us in prayer and love to steady us. 

All of God’s saints will walk through deserts from time to time.  
The Bible is filled with stories of godly people who lived through intense tests, deep sorrow, and terrible suffering. 

Jesus pled with His Father to ‘let this cup pass from me,’  as he anticipated the anguish of bearing the sins of the world.  From the cross He groaned, “My God, why have You forsaken me?”  God had not abandoned Him, but He felt that same alienation we feel and it crushed Him!

Job endured terrible anguish! In the depth of his suffering he said, “I’m given a life that meanders and goes nowhere— months of aimlessness, nights of misery!  I go to bed and think, ‘How long till I can get up?’  I toss and turn as the night drags on—and I’m fed up!”  (The Message, Job 7:3-4)  He lost sight of God’s purposes, for a moment, yet God loved him still. 

Elijah won a great victory for the Lord on Mount Carmel and then he collapsed into a terrible depression, fled to the desert, and asked God to let him die! “He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: “Enough of this, God! Take my life—I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave!” (1 Kings 19:4).  The Lord did not write the prophet off as a failure. He sent angels to comfort him and to restore him to his ministry to Israel.

David walked in the dark, too, but as a result of his own sin. He said, “ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice … Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:8, 11-12, NIV)  Even though he sinned terribly, God was not finished with him.  From the wreckage of his life, David emerged to write many of the Psalms that guide the prayers and songs of the godly to this day!

With such company walking before us in the ‘dark night of the soul’ (St. John of the Cross, 16^th century) we realize that our experience is not unique. Peter points the way and he does not write of immediate relief. With a godly wisdom, he urges us to stay steady. "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, NLT) The night will not last forever!

"So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you." (1 Peter 4:19, NLT)  Keep on doing right! What a practical word. God, though unseen for a time, is still Lord of all.

Are you struggling, wrestling with doubt, disappointment, fear, pain, or temptation?
Don’t quit. Don’t take a shortcut to relief.  Choose joy, keep on doing right, and trust God.

Here’s the word from the Word. "And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children." (Revelation 21:5-7, NLT)

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Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters,

The great unknown, where feet may fail.

And there I find You in the mystery,

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves,

When oceans rise,

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

For I am Yours and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters,

Your sov'reign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me,

You've never failed and You won't start now.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.

Let me walk upon the waters,

Wherever You would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior.

I will call upon Your name.

Keep my eyes above the waves.

My soul will rest in Your embrace.

I am Yours and You are mine!

Joel Houston | Matt Crocker | Salomon Ligthelm

© 2012 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use.  All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

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How to be the happiest Christian in your church

When missionaries showed up at our little church in Iowa, it was always a special Sunday for me!  Their stories about far away place, the things they laid on the table at the front of the church –  pottery, animals skins, musical instruments, and hand-made tools captivated me.  Most set up a projector and screen where pictures  appeared that transported me to some African nation or Asian island!  Their work included fording raging rivers, holding great revivals, and helping to heal the sick!   In my mind, they were the great Christians, God’s Special Forces, with a higher calling than the rest of us.  More than one Sunday night, during the prayer time that always ended the meetings, I felt a mixture of fear and thrill as I asked God, in deep sincerity, if He wanted me to be a missionary when I grew up.  (By the way, even though I am all grown up these 50 years later, I still admire missionaries who leave friend and family to follow God’s call!)

 God’s calling is not only to Zimbabwe or Uzbekistan!  All of us who are in Christ are commissioned to tell the Story!  People in desperate need live in my town, and yours, too.  Efforts that bring Christ’s good news to people who look and act like us may not be as dramatic as those missionary stories of old but the need is just as great.  Familiarity often blinds us to the ‘lostness’ of our next door neighbor.  Jesus urged his disciples to take another look, with eyes that saw what God sees- “As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! ” (John 4:35, The Message)

Bringing the Gospel to our neighbors probably won’t involve a big tent filled with a thousand people like the missionary’s pictures showed.  We won’t have to cross flood-swollen rivers in a dug-out canoe to preach to a remote village or face the hostility of a local chief!  (Writing this, I remember those stories like I heard them yesterday!)   Reaching our neighbors will be much more ordinary – praying faithfully for people to know Him, living a life that is remarkable for the beauty of His holiness, really caring for those in need, maintaining hope when others are despairing, and learning when and how to wisely point to Jesus, the Way to life.

It’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking that America is a “Christian” nation since there are churches along our highways, preachers on our TV’s (that’s a whole different subject!), and crosses dotting the landscape.  The reality is that we are a lost people – inundated with pornography, enslaved by greed, and deceived by pleasure worship.  Our political system is broken, our justice system is nearly a joke especially for the poor, our prisons are overflowing.  Many of our churches are lifeless, religion is everywhere, but God is absent.

Into this kind of need, God sends us as people of hope, entrusted with the words of life. Believe me when I tell you that helping someone find Christ, turn their life around, and start living as a follower of Jesus is an experience like no other. For all the ‘church work’ that I do, what really keeps me going as a pastor are those moments when another person is born again, baptized, and changed by the Good News of God’s love!  You can be a disciple-maker.  Forget the stereotypes of street preachers yelling about God’s impending judgment or the Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on your door to hand out literature.  Be a friend! Live the Gospel. Pray every day for a few people that you know need God.  And, live the Gospel before you speak the Gospel.  You are a missionary.

Here is the word from the Word – Jesus’ direction for us. “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, The Message)

When you have prayed with your friend, your children, your neighbor, your parent and helped them to find the Light, change their eternal destiny, and real hope – you will be the happiest Christian in your church!

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We’ve A Story To Tell To The Nations

We’ve a story to tell to the nations

That shall turn their hearts to the right

A story of truth and sweetness

A story of peace and light

A story of peace and light

We’ve a song to be sung to the nations

That shall lift their hearts to the Lord

A song that shall conquer evil

And shatter the spear and sword

And shatter the spear and sword

We’ve a message to give to the nations

That the Lord who reigneth above

Hath sent us His Son to save us

And show us that God is love

And show us that God is love

We’ve a Savior to show to the nations

Who the path of sorrow has trod

That all of the world’s great peoples

Might come to the truth of God

Might come to the truth of God

For the darkness shall turn to dawning

And the dawning to noonday bright

And Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth

The kingdom of love and light

Henry Ernest Nichol

Public Domain

A Most Common Sin

Do you ever find yourself wondering, “why him, not me?” It is a common sin called envy.  The dictionary defines envy as “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or situation.”  It creeps up on all us, at least occasionally, when we look around and compare ourselves to others. We like to think that there is a direct connection between cause and effect. Solomon says what we all know, but do not like to acknowledge: "I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives." (Ecclesiastes 9:11, NLT)

From our perch on the timeline of history we could conclude, as Solomon did, that it’s all just ‘chance.’  We could, and many do, become bitter when the evil prosper and the good suffer. No one can explain what looks like ‘luck’ to us.  Yes, we know that there is the principle of the harvest – that what a person sows, he will reap. Generally it is true, but we have observed exceptions; seeing very bad people escape the consequences that should be their due, or someone who has not been very diligent enjoying recognition he has not earned!  What we often fail to account for in such circumstances is the final accounting before God. 

Here is something I do know. Envy is a deadly sin of the soul! Repeatedly, the Bible warns against allowing envy to own us.  "Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others— it only leads to harm." (Psalm 37:8, NLT)  "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (Proverbs 14:30, NIV)  "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." (James 3:16, KJV)  Jesus includes envy in the catalog of human sins right alongside of greed, lewdness, deceit, and arrogance. (Mark 7:22)  Paul says that envy lives among things we would call the grosser sins; things like witchcraft, orgies, and debauchery! (Galatians 5:21)  Though we may excuse our comparing and coveting as ‘just being human,’ in fact God says that envy is a serious issue, a sin of great consequence that we must overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit.  It of such consequence that the 10^th commandment addresses it: “Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.” (Exodus 20:17, NLT)

So what can we do about this all too common response to life?

Stop excusing envy and confess it as the sin it is.We cannot gain mastery over any weakness or failure by our own determination alone. But, when we agree with God, His Spirit will work within us for change. When you feel that surge of envy, when you wonder, ‘why him, not me?’ meet it with a prayer of confession that names it as sin.

Look up, not around.Comparing ourselves to others is something we do almost without conscious thought. “Where do I fall in the order of things?” we wonder.  “Who is winning, who is losing?” is a question we frame in many different settings using all kinds of measuring sticks.  I remind you that the only measure that matters is God’s!  " I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We look to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal." (Psalm 123:1-2, NLT)  Our horizontal view is too limited by the boundaries of time to understand what is so apparently unjust or unfair. So, we must trust God, always looking up and taking this day from His hand.

Choose contentment.Paul’s words inspire me. “I have learned to be content,” he says, “whatever the circumstance.”  (Philippians 4: 12)  This contentment grows out of a habit of thankfulness that focuses on God’s promise.  We need not deny our present reality, be it pleasant or miserable. We are not required to become stoics, living above all emotion.  We laugh, we cry, we mourn, we rejoice – all in the course of life. But, in it all, we refuse to surrender to the toxic sin of envy that says, “He has more and I deserve it!”

Are you gripped by envy today?  Is this sin destroying you from the inside out, causing you to see only what you lack, not what you possess?  Are you letting days pass by when you could know the contentment of being exactly who God desires you to be, in the very place that He has prepared for you at this present time?

Here’s the word from the Word. "So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. You’ve had a taste of God. Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God." (1 Peter 2:1-5, The Message)

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Beneath The Cross Of Jesus (Saint Christopher)

 Beneath the cross of Jesus,

I fain would take my stand.

The shadow of a mighty rock,

Within a weary land.

A home within the wilderness;

A rest upon the way,

From the burning of the noontide heat

And the burden of the day.

I take, O cross, thy shadow

For my abiding place.

I ask no other sunshine than

The sunshine of His face.

Content to let the world go by,

To know no gain nor loss.

My sinful self, my only shame,

My glory - all the cross.

Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane | Frederick Charles Maker

© Words: Public Domain

HOPE that nothing can steal

There is no replacement for hope.  Despair, and its cousin, depression, grow like weeds in modern minds because of a lie that is told and retold in our time. In our songs and our science we are told that only what we can see, touch, taste is real. The realm of spirit is the stuff of imagination,  good for literature and poetry, but not for actual life.  Even people of faith frequently maintain a clear separation between what they believe about the ‘spirit world’ and the rest of life. (We even have words for these two distinct worlds – Sacred and Secular.) Sunday songs are disconnected from Monday labors.  We are taught to love life, to pursue personal fulfillment and happiness relentlessly.  “Faith,” if it exists at all, is reduced to a working morality, a philosophy of ‘nice’ designed to keep us from killing each other.  So what’s wrong with that?  Simply stated - those who live only for ‘here and now’ will inevitably fall into despair!

Hope flourishes where the Spirit of God is invited into this world of work and play. Hope is sustained when we believe that we are more than a complex assembly of carbon atoms that will eventually deteriorate and die. When we form what we think and how we act around the knowledge that we are body and spirit created in the image of God and destined for an eternal home, hope is restored.  Hope gets us up in the morning. Hope allows us to love in spite of the risk of being rejected. Hope does not avoid ‘reality!’  Instead, informed by One greater, hope looks at terrible things and says, “it can be made better and I will try.”   And, ultimately, hope gives us reason to face the ‘last enemy’ (death) courageously.

Peter says "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:3-6, NIV)  Go back and read that again, slowly.

Hope cannot be obtained by positive thinking.  It is not to be confused with that wonderful trait enjoyed by some called optimism. It is not choosing to ‘look on the bright side.’  Hope is a gift of God, available to us because of Christ who bridged the gap between this world and eternity with His resurrection!  He ‘disappeared’ into death and then, by the power of God, came back to assure us that there is more to life than feeling secure, finding our next meal, enjoying sexual pleasure, and getting a good night’s sleep!!  Hope rests on God’s gift of an ‘inheritance,’ what I possess because I am His child, of salvation.  My mind is enlarged, by faith, to take in heaven. “In this you greatly rejoice!”

No matter what the present situation is in your life – the deep sorrow of divorce that apparently has ripped away the future; the cancer diagnosis that brings mortality onto the visible horizon of time; the loss of friend that breaks your heart; the reversal of fortune that changes everything about tomorrow – you can be hopeful, in Christ.  

This Monday morning, bow down and look up!  Take this prayer as yours: "I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, save me." (Psalm 31:14-16, NLT)   Return to the Resurrection and bridge that ‘gap’ that we have created between the eternal and the present, the Spirit and this world, with faith.  Hope will return and with it will come joy.

Here are words from the Word.  I pray that they will strengthen you in hope.

"Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" (Psalm 31:23-24, NLT)

"So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13, NLT)

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