Run and Hide?

Maybe it’s just that I’m old(*er) or that I have experienced more of life, but sometimes I grow fearful.  It’s not just the scare-mongering of the media that makes me want to run somewhere and hide. It’s feeling like I’m stuck in a car barely under control barreling down a winding road at 90 MPH, driven by a fool. The world teeters on the edge of the ‘awful’ with war just a blink from reality.  Those who are supposed lead us into the future turn out to be addicted to their own power, incapable of true leadership.

And then there are the personal challenges that come at us - non-stop. Our friends get terribly ill suddenly.  Our church goes into disarray without warning. Our kids make choices that leave fearful for their future.  Our job becomes ‘iffy’ because of an economic shift.  Our spouse turns into a stranger without explanation. Need I go on?

Knowing just how vulnerable I am in this crazy world, I exercise a limited kind of risk management. I try to reduce the impact that the unplanned and the unforeseen can have on my life and yet I am quite aware that the unforeseen can ambush anyone of us.  At no time did I grasp the limitations of controlling outcomes better than that day in March, 10 years ago, when we received my late wife's cancer diagnosis that rewrote our family history in a few short months. 

You probably have your own story of disasters you never saw coming your way, right? 
Smart people sometimes fail! 
Good people sometimes get cancer!  
Hardworking people sometimes go broke!  
Truth is there is no place in this world to run and hide.

But there is a refuge! The Psalmist describes the threatening world and then declares - "But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge." (Psalm 94:22, NIV)   David, a man who knew something about treachery of others and his own dumb choices reminds us of true hope- "The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? … For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." (Psalm 27:1,5, NIV)

Faith is our anchor.  I’m not talking about the phony ‘faith’  summoned with the ‘right’ words in times of crisis. Nor am I describing the ‘faith’ that tells us that IF we profess to believe the right things or go to the right church or manage to live the right kind of life that we will avoid human pain and suffering. The faith that keeps us from fear is rooted in the Person of God, in the declaration that He is the One who knows the end from the beginning, the way through the darkness, and Who holds our lives in His hands both now and beyond this world.   This true faith knows that unless He is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.  

The story of Job, one of the more unpleasant books in the Holy Scripture, tells us of a really good man who went through the worst of circumstances.  His faith was shaken to the core. He grew angry with God. He lived with the misjudgements and accusations of friends. And he chose faith - trusting in God-  in spite of evidence that seemed to say that God was fickle and cruel. After pouring out his questions, God spoke, never explaining, but pointing to His majesty and mystery.  Oh that we would adopt Job’s faith which moved him to say “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.” (Job 40:4-5, NIV)  That is not giving up, that is hanging on!

Now the question comes to you and me - will we trust Him with all things? Will we argue for fuller explanations, demand that He make His plans, even for tomorrow, crystal clear? Or will we hear Him say, "Fear not!" and choose to live faithfully, just for today?  Jesus says to us “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27, NLT)

He is Lord of history, Lord of the spirit realms, Lord of both the world and ME.  He asks us to know this about Him- "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." (Isaiah 55:8 NIV)  He says"For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people." (Isaiah 51:15-16, NIV)

Here is His promise to those who choose trust in Him, not a specific outcome but in His eternal goodness.
"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6, NIV)

Still want to run and hide?
_________________

(Video of this blog at this link)

Through It All

 I've had many tears and sorrows
I've had questions for tomorrow
There've been times
I didn't know right from wrong
But in ev'ry situation
God gave blessed consolation
That my trials come
To only make me strong

Through it all through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God
Through it all through it all
I've learned to depend upon His word

 

I've been to lots of places
And I've seen a lot of faces
There've been times I felt so all alone
But in my lonely hours yes
Those precious lonely hours
Jesus let me know that I was His own

 

I thank God for the mountains
And I thank Him for the valleys
I thank Him for the storms He brought me through
For if I'd never had a problem
I wouldn't know that He could solve them
I'd never know what faith in God could do

 

Andraé Crouch

© 1971 Manna Music, Inc.

CCLI License #810055

I Can See Clearly Now

“I can see clearly now the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, it's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!”  Remember that catchy little tune?  You might need to be as old as me since it was first published about 50 years ago.  (YouTube link below) As I was reading the Word this morning, it popped up into my consciousness, making me smile. And, yet, it is true for those who, by faith, live in the Light!

Over the weekend there was a great deal of angst around the world over the godlessness on display in Paris at the opening of the 2024 Olympics. No, I didn’t care for it but I see it for what it is - the work of those who are stumbling in the darkness of human depravity.  Jesus said it this way. “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” (John 3:19-21, The Message)

We do not blame the person who trips and falls because they cannot see their way in the darkness, do we?  Instead, we provide a light, helping them to see the way. Nobody likes to stumble around a dark room tripping over the furniture, do they? We turn on the light and walk confidently. Spiritually, the lesson holds. Apart from God, revealed in Jesus, we are ‘in the dark’ about the realities of our existence. Oh yes, we may make a living, enjoy a relationship, create families, but at the core we wonder – ‘What’s it all about? Who am I really?’  Jesus answers that.  He restores us to our place in the family of God, sets eternity in our hearts, and removes the sense of futility that creeps up on so many apart from His love.

There is a terrible darkness that causes millions of people to stumble around. God’s good gifts are twisted inside out. Created things are turned into objects of worship.  To mock faith is viewed by many as a kind of sophistication, humanity having evolved beyond the need for God.  The results of that spiritual poverty are ugly. Without God, without the understanding that we are eternal creatures, humanity descends into sensuality. 

Food, sex, comfort, wealth, image, reputation, and power become little gods that ultimately destroy those who worship them.  The response to all of this by those who know Christ, who are living in the Light, cannot be offense. We cannot wish the world to ‘go to Hell!’  This is the exact opposite of what Jesus did and what He asks of us. Jesus said - “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12, NLT)  And He says, “let your light shine before this world, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NIV)

Christians, if we live in communion with the Spirit, transformed by the love of Jesus, we will enjoy a clarity about life that cannot be found elsewhere. We will find release from the grasp of Self and Sin so that we can choose a life of love.  We will be so resourced and secure that we will not be consumed with our own needs nor will we feel the need to take offense.  Through the love of Jesus, we will live with generosity, extending loving care for others, hating violence and seeking peace!  In Jesus, we have hope that extends beyond this moment in time and faith that leads us through those inevitable times of disappointment.  We will live ‘on purpose’  not stumbling from one poor choice to another.  We will commit ourselves to the Truth that God reigns, that we are His Creation, that we are responsible to Him and thus - we will live in the full light of day.

Are you living in the Light? Take some time to think about that. The theme is a recurring one in the Scripture.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? " (Psalm 27:1, NLT)
"Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.  They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness." (Psalm 89:15-16, NLT)

Have you received Him by faith, my friend? Do you live as a child of God, experiencing His transforming love?  He will make those filled with the Spirit a light in the world.  This wonderful passage summarizes the promise - "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (living in the light!) For we read on that,  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, (radiance and brightness) the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:12, 14, NIV)  Paul says "you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:8-11, NIV)

Let’s live in the Light! He has shined on us. Open your mind, your heart, your life to Him and let in His brightness.  This is a word from the Word, a promise for you, for me.  "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." (Proverbs 4:18-19, NIV)

____________

(Video of this blog at this link)

___________

I Can See Clearly Now

 I can see clearly now the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

 

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

Here is that rainbow I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

 

look all around, there's nothing but blue skies

Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies

I can see clearly now the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Here is that rainbow I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

 

Bri-ri-ri-ri', bright, (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day, yeah, eh

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day, yeah, na

It's gonna be a bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny day

Bri-ri-ri-ri', bright (bright)

Bright (bright) sunshiny...

 

Songwriters: Johnny Nash