Let Go Of Worry

Jesus talked to His first followers about worry and anxiety. It is obvious He spoke to them about these struggles because they were a regular part of their lives. The more I study and understand the world of Jesus’ day I can understand why worry and anxiety were common traveling partners. The average person faced life and death daily. What might be called “medical care” was primitive and mostly ineffective. The woman Jesus healed who hemorrhaged for years spent all she had “suffered a great deal from many doctors” and “spent everything she had to pay them” but she got “no better.” Taxes were squeezed out of people to finance Rome’s quest to increase power and breadth. Those in power grew wealthier, those paying the taxes became poorer. Men with religious authority and power manipulated the people for personal gain. “They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” Matthew 23:4 (NLT) Jesus looked at the crowds of people and “had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NLT) Listen to Jesus “… I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 (NLT) “Why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” Matthew 6:28-29 (NLT) “Don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” Matthew 6:31-32 (NLT) As we say, “Easier said than done!” What did Ole’ Baloo say? “Forget about your worries and your strife.” Or, as the Apostle Paul wrote: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Take a deep breath, tell Jesus about it, then let go of it and breath in the peace He offers.

Find Shelter In The Midst Of Life's Storms

Multiple storms are converging on the world. Their winds are creating levels of uncertainty. The clouds of racial, economic, political, mental illness, drug abuse, violence, war, family breakdown, and moral division are unleashing rain from every direction. In a storm, there is no better place to be than in the “shelter of the Most High.” Unfortunately, there is no avoiding the storms of life. Storms will wreak havoc on everyone. The big question is, “Where will you find shelter?” David included in the Psalms a song from Moses about sheltering in a storm. “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty … He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings…. His faithful promises are your armor and protection … If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter … he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. The LORD says, ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.’” Psalms 91 (NLT) God never promised a life without storms. He promised, “I will be with them in trouble.” Never go through a storm alone. Run into the shelter of the Most High. God will “shelter you with his wings” and “His faithful promises will be your armor and protection.” When the winds of financial uncertainty blow your way, run to the Lord. When winds of health struggles approach, snuggle under God’s wings. “Jesus, I can’t face this storm alone. I don’t want to face this storm alone, HELP! Jesus loves that kind of prayer!

Grief and Hope

I know I’ve written about grief and grieving at other times, but I’ve been thinking about grief again. Grief is a funny emotion. Grief has characteristics that make it unique. Everyone who walks through grief experiences it differently. For some, grief is very emotional, while for others, grief has a numbing effect. Grief isn’t just felt at the time of physical death. People experience grief over losing health, businesses, relationships, jobs, pets, homes, dreams and aspirations can all produce grief. Grief has multiple sub-feelings and mindsets that accompany it. Often swirling around grief is anger, regret, shock, and denial. As the grieving subsides, people move towards acceptance of the new reality. I have been thinking about a few different scriptures from the Apostle Paul. To the church in Thessalonica, he wrote: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (ESV) Followers of Jesus grieve loss. God made people to grieve. God grieves losses, and He made us in His image so naturally people grieve. Mental health research has revealed the necessity of grieving losses and the toll failing to grieve takes on a person mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Followers of Jesus grieve, but not like those “who have no hope.” We have hope because God comforts those who turn to Him. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT) We also have hope because “death,” is not an ending. Someone has rightly said, “Death is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.” Death is a move to a new chapter in a believer’s life with God. Paul also wrote, “We are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NLT) People often say to someone who’s loved one has died “I’m sorry for your loss.” Those who trust in God experience a loss, but the loved one is not “lost.” We know right where they are: “At home with the Lord.” Yet, we feel the loss, the emptiness, and the temporary disconnect. I’m telling myself, “Grieve, it’s good for you!” I’m at the same time striving to remember that buried below grief is HOPE and comfort.

Rest For My Soul

The Genesis account of creation details God creating a body out of dust of earth, and then breathing into the body the breath of life. When the breath of life flowed into Adam’s body, he became a “living soul.” The soul is the integration of the outer physical man and the inner man. When the outer person is hurting, the inner person hurts too. When the inner person is hurting, the outer person often experiences the effects of the inner turmoil. King David described the connection between the inner person and the body. “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.” Psalms 32:3-4 (NLT) David was experiencing physical effects because of unconfessed sin. The connection between the body and the inner person is undeniable and unbreakable. No one can escape the cause-and-effect connection. Undealt with anger produces stress. Stress produces physical consequences like hypertension, insomnia, and digestive issues. Hypertension, insomnia and digestive problems affect a persons’s emotions, ability to process information and make healthy decisions. Physical struggles impact a person psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. David again described the soul, the connection of the body, and inner person. “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalms 32:5 (NLT) Jesus is an expert at restoring the soul. David declared in Psalm 23, “He restores my soul.” Jesus said, “Come to Him … he will give you ‘rest for your souls.’” Jesus cares about your soul. He wants you to have a healthy soul. Keep turning to Jesus.

The Lord Is Peace

I have been writing about the Hebrew names of God. The various names of God reveal God’s character and His behavior. People don’t address God by chance, they address God in line with his character and actions. Gideon, and the people of God, were under the constant stress and fear of the Midianite army. The Midianites were terrorizing the Jews with violence and plundering. Many of the Jews were hiding in seclusion in the mountains and caves around their villages. Fearful of terrorist attack, Gideon was threshing grain in a winepress, hidden from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord visited Gideon with instructions to lead the Jewish people in battle against the Midianites. The angel reminded Gideon that the Lord had been with them and delivered them throughout their history. The angel also assured him that the Lord was with him, and He would deliver His people. Gideon was beside himself with awe because of the angel and his instructions. He worshipped God and named the place “Jehovah-Shalom” – “The Lord is Peace.” This is the first time that the name Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is Peace appeared in writing. The truth that God is Jehovah-Shalom became a constant source of strength and stability to God’s people. God is not just Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is Peace. He is and does more than that. The Messiah, Jesus, was to be called “Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) God promises “perfect peace” to those who trust Him and focus on Him. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) David declared: “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.” Psalms 119:165 (NLT) The Apostle Paul gave these instructions to the believers in Philippi: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Life is full of turmoil, uncertainty, instability that all create stress. Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is Peace, is the solution for the stress. The Lord is Peace – is the Prince of Peace who promises perfect peace, great peace, and peace to guard your hearts and minds. Jehovah-Shalom’s peace “exceeds anything we can understand!” So, turn your gaze towards the Prince of Peace. Focus in on Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is Peace.

God Is Our Provider

If you’ve attended Sunday School, Young Life, a church or read through even a portion of the Bible, you’ve probably heard a few unusual Bible stories that made you scratch your head. One story that I have questions about happened to Abraham and his son Isaac. About 1,800 years before Jesus walked the earth, God gave Abraham and his wife Sarah a son. Abraham and Sarah could not conceive. In their old age “when they were nearly dead” Sarah conceived, and Isaac was born. Isaac was a miracle child. The story gets interesting and perplexing when Isaac was a young man. God instructs Abraham to take Isaac up on a nearby mountain and sacrifice him. Yep, you read that sentence correctly. Isaac carried the firewood up the mountain, while Abraham carried the fire. Isaac asked his dad where the animal for the sacrifice was and Abraham said Jehovah-Jirah, “The Lord will provide.” When they got far enough up the mountain, Abraham bound Isaac and prepared to kill him. At the last moment, God stopped him. In a nearby thicket there was a ram caught by his horns. I won’t try to explain what was going on. I can describe the event and details, but I struggle to make sense of what was going on. My list of questions would be substantial. I have way more questions than I have answers! But I do know one of the important lessons we can learn from this account. When Abraham found the ram in the thicket, he sacrificed it. Abraham named the place “Jehovah-Jirah” or “The Lord will provide.” Jehovah-Jirah is one of the important names of God. God was known as Jehovah-Jirah by the Israelites for 1,500 years and the name has been important to Jesus’ followers over the last 2,000 years. The Apostle Paul said: The “same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NLT) Jehovah-Jirah. Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT) Jehovah-Jirah. God has been faithfully meeting the NEEDS of His followers since He created Adam and Eve. What is your NEED? He will provide. You can trust Him to meet your needs. Provision doesn’t always come the way we anticipate, expect, or want…but He WILL provide!

Defeating Hopelessness

As I’ve been studying hope, I’ve come to see that hope and the lack of hope (hopelessness) are linked to and fed by what a person focuses on. Prisoners in the concentration camps and prisoners of war experienced and wrote about focus as a tool of hope. Their experiences and those of their fellow prisoners reveal that those who focused on the future suffered differently than those who focused on their circumstances. In the first century, a church leader wrote a letter, known through history as “Hebrews”, found in the New Testament. The letter was written to encourage a group of Hebrew followers of Jesus. This group of disciples were suffering persecution. The hardship and suffering were enticing them to denounce Jesus as the Messiah and to return to traditional Jewish practices. Their leader encouraged them: “We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:2 ERV) The church leader encouraged the disciples to focus on Jesus. Jesus, the leader and completer of their faith. The author of the letter points to Jesus as the model of focus. Jesus “accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing,” because of what he could see out in front of Him. Jesus didn’t focus on the circumstances of his arrest, trial, beatings and execution. He focused on the joy waiting for him. Jesus was full of hope because of the joy he could see awaiting him on the other side of the events he was about to endure. On the other side of His arrest, trial, beatings, execution, death, and burial was the resurrection and the birth of the family of God, the church. Look beyond your trials, testing and hardships. Look beyond the instability and uncertainty of these days. Look out on the horizon. Look to Jesus. “We must never stop looking to Jesus.”

Resilience and Perseverance

I have been thinking about the resilience, perseverance and endurance that you and I need in our life. Every day something happens that threatens to deflate us emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. In my almost 40 years of leadership and ministry (33 years at SWAG,) I have never experienced a prolonged season like we are in right now. Resilience is the quality of “bouncing back.” Resilience is taking a punch and getting back up. Resilience crashing your bike and getting back on. Resilience is “getting back on the horse.” Resilience and perseverance are more than “simply holding on to the end.” (Oswald Chambers) Resilience is one reason Job has been an example over the centuries for those in a season of trials. After losing his children, property and health, he declared: “Even if God kills me, I'll still put my hope in him. ... No matter how things turn out, I'm sure I'll still be saved.” (Job 13:15-16 NIrV) Job was convinced that his life was in God’s hands and that ultimately, he would see God face to face. He understood that God is sovereign, and that life’s future is in God’s hands. It was his trust in God that he could bounce back from one blow after another. Resilience and perseverance is developed over time and through trials. Jesus’ brother James encouraged early believers who were in the midst of a long season of trials. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NLT) This is a once in a century opportunity to allow resilience, perseverance and endurance to grow in our lives and even be “fully developed.” Rejoice in this season of hardship. Don’t give in. Like Job, declare “even if God kills me, I’ll still put my hope in him.

Find Peace

I have been thinking about a statement by Corrie ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp survivor, that is pertinent to what we are currently going through. I hope that her statement will encourage you and give you a needed nudge in the direction of Jesus.

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” Corrie ten Boom

The 24-hour, minute-to-minute, news cycle makes it hard to not look at the world. Just going to the grocery store and seeing everyone waiting in lines to get into the store, wearing masks, and avoiding each other is enough to cause distress.

“Sheltering in”, not interacting with people you work with, play with or share life with can lead to depression and loneliness. Especially for those who live alone!

Twenty-seven hundred years ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote of peace that comes from focusing on Jesus. He wrote: “You, LORD, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NCV)

Push away the view of what is happening in the world, push away the view from the inside, look to the Lord, depend on him, put your trust in Him and peace, “true peace” will be yours.

Jesus, teach us to depend on you and trust you! AMEN