Can you repeat that? 

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who ridiculed certain modern worship songs due to their repetitious lyrics? It doesn’t seem to come up quite as often as I remember it happening in years gone by, but I’d like to pop that little discussion bubble with a pretty loud BANG!

This year, in our Ladies Bible Study I am going to be teaching a series on ‘Reflecting God’s Character’. We will be looking into Godly character traits and how we can work on becoming imitators of Christ for his glory, our good and the good of others.

While studying this out yesterday, I began to work through the first character trait we’ll be learning about. Love. A beautiful and foundational one to begin with and one that we could all improve on, I’m sure.

While taking notes and reading considerable amounts of scripture on this topic, I was reminded of a beautiful Psalm.

And if you’re wondering where I was going with my reference to repetition and bubble popping, well, here it is.

Take your Bible or open up your Bible app with me and read the whole of Psalm 136. It’s only 26 verses. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now, I must confess, up until a few years ago, when I first looked deeper into this Psalm, I had never really studied it as I tended to get caught up in the “his mercy endureth forevers” and gloss over the rest of the Psalm as I drifted off into a daze over the repeated phrases.

But one day, I actually READ it. Like REALLY read it. It’s amazing how God’s Word can come alive to you if you just take the time to read it, open your heart and let it speak to you.

Did you notice the repetition in this Psalm? Yeah, so much for only modern worship songs repeating themselves! This Psalm was most likely written in approximately 1004 B.C. That was a good many years ago!

Bear with me as I delve into this Psalm and try to make sense of what’s going on here.

Firstly, I want to explain a little about why there is so much repetition in this Psalm.

We see that in each verse the phrase ‘his mercy endureth forever’ is sung. This is a beautiful example of what was called responsive or antiphonal singing.

It was a call and response type singing by two choirs or singers.

In this particular Psalm, as God’s people gathered together to worship, a Levite, or song (worship) leader, would call out or sing the reason to give God thanks, and then the congregation would respond with, ‘his mercy endureth forever’.

In Jewish tradition, this particular Psalm was called the Great Hallel or Great Psalm of Praise. It was a worshipful time of rehearsing God’s goodness aloud and a time when God’s people were encouraged to praise him for his love and mercy.

What an amazing sight it must have been and what a beautiful sound would have echoed through the air, to hear God’s people singing God’s praises with all their hearts. Praising him for his goodness to him. Back and forth the song went. Call, response. Call, response.

What a pity we don’t have many songs like this in our church services today.

We don’t know exactly who wrote this Psalm, although many attribute it to King David. We do know that it was sung many times in history. One instance was at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. (2 Chronicles 7:3,6) It was also sung in David’s Psalm of praise in 1 Chronicles 16:7,34.

It was also used at least 4 other times in scripture. It was a popular hymn among God’s people. Maybe it was like the favourites we sing in our church services today. The ones that get picked every Sunday night and are sung loudly and played enthusiastically by over excited pianists (not mentioning any names)!

Whatever the case, it was a song of worship and one full of truth.

We see it again in Ezra 3:11. Here, it was sung at the dedication of Ezra’s temple. But notice, that whenever it was sung, it was always in the context of public praise or declaration.

The word translated “mercy” in the original language means “loyal, steadfast, enduring love.” The refrain “His mercy endureth forever” is also translated, “His faithful love endures forever” and “His steadfast love endures forever”. Mercy, or loyal love, is one of the most prominent attributes of God’s character. By His very nature, He shows limitless, everlasting mercy and love to all, even though we don’t deserve it.

Keep your Bible open as you read through this Psalm with me and I’ll give you a quick summary of what I found when I studied through this one afternoon while sitting in a noisy truck stop in a Darwin roadhouse, scribbling madly on a scrap of paper.

In verses 1 to 4, we read of who God is.

We learn something of his character. He is good. He is God of Gods. Lord of Lords. He does great wonders.

In verses 5 to 9, we see his work as Creator.

By wisdom he made the heavens. He stretched out the earth above the waters. He made great lights. The sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule by night.

In verses 10 to 15, we read of his mercy to his people.

He smote the firstborn child of the Egyptians and brought the Israelites out of Egypt with a strong hand and a stretched-out arm. He divided the Red Sea and made Israel pass through the midst of it. He overthrew Pharoah and his army.

In verses 16 to 22, we see God’s mercy from the wilderness to the promised land.

He led his people through the wilderness. He smote great kings and slew famous kings even Sihon, King of the Amorites and Og, King of Bashan. He gave their land for an heritage.

And lastly, in verses 23 to 26, we see God’s mercy and ongoing deliverance to the people of Israel.

These last 4 verses tell us that he remembered the people in their low estate and redeemed them from their enemies and gave food to all flesh.

The Israelites had so much to praise God for. He had come through time and time again and he had shown his might and power in such astounding and miraculous ways, that there was nothing to do but to praise the Lord. His mercy really did endure forever. Despite their failings and shortcomings, God’s mercy and love was still present.

And it is still true today. We could replace the reasons the Israelites gave with our own reasons and end with the phrase, ‘his mercy endureth forever’. We would have our own personalized worship song to sing unto the Lord!

How awesome would it be if some of our creative modern day hymn writers were able to pen a Psalm of praise like this, that really resonated with our modern life, and we were able to sing it worshipfully to God in our song services?

A reason to give God thanks would be sung out and the congregation would answer with a declaration of praise to God. Call and response. Call and response. A beautiful, praise song full of adoration for our great God!

We have our own stories of deliverance in this present day and age. God still works in the lives of his people today and his mercy is still enduring and will endure til the end of time when we will fall at his feet, humbly, awestruck and worshipful, giving all praise to him. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to sing a wonderful song of praise to him in person, repeating over and over “his mercy endureth forever”!  

Psalm 136:26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Take some time today to praise God for his mercy and love to you. Look back over your life and reflect on all his goodness to you. Remember where he brought you from and where you are headed. We have so much to be thankful for! God is good!

 

 (Please read the interesting story below relating to Psalm 136 found in the pages of history)

“One night in February 358 A.D. the church father Athanasius held an all-night service at his church in Alexandria, Egypt. He had been leading the fight for the eternal sonship and deity of Jesus Christ, knowing that the survival of Christianity depended on it. He had many enemies – for political even more than theological reasons – and they moved the power of the Roman government against him. That night the church was surrounded by soldiers with drawn swords. People were frightened. With calm presence of mind Athanasius announced the singing of Psalm 136. The vast congregation responded, thundering forth twenty-six times, ‘His love endures forever.’ When the soldiers burst through the doors they were staggered by the singing. Athanasius kept his place until the congregation was dispersed. Then he too disappeared in the darkness and found refuge with his friends. Many citizens of Alexandria were killed that night, but the people of Athanasius’s congregation never forgot that although man is evil, God is good. He is superlatively good, and ‘his love endures forever.’” (Boice)

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Years Resignations – I Quit!

 

New Years resignations. Yes, you did read that right.

As I write this, we are already at the end of the second week of January. It’s hard to believe that the new year is progressing so rapidly and that before we know it, a month will have passed.

I wanted to speak to you about a thought I came across recently that left its imprint in my mind and heart.

What if the key to this year being a year of change for the better is QUITTING?

Now before you all jump to conclusions about the downfalls of being a quitter, take time to think about what I’m saying.

Have a look at these verses in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV - That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Now, this post is not going to be a deep theological one, but I do want to point out the importance of four little words in these verses.

Put off. Put on.

Many years ago, I heard a sermon where the preacher called this the Po-Po principle. It has always stayed with me and as I read my Bible and come across examples of what we are to put off and what we are to put on I am reminded once again of how important it is to make sure we are not only adding to our lives but also subtracting from them.

We all understand the importance of adding things to our lives, like mercy, compassion, grace, patience etc. But did you know that walking the Christian walk and growing more like Christ is also about subtracting things that weigh us down. Taking away things that distract us or hold us back from being all that God wants us to be or what God wants to do in and through us.

New Years resolutions often involve putting a new practice into our lives that will help us physically, mentally or spiritually. And they often mean adding to.

When dieting, you’re not only rejecting the bad foods, but you are adding in healthy, wholesome foods.

When making goals to save money, you’re purposing to add to your savings, little by little by the choices you make.

When deciding to grow in your spiritual walk, you are choosing to add more scripture reading, more prayer and more devotion to God into your daily life.

Maybe it’s time to make some New Years resignations. Maybe it’s time to quit. Maybe some of the goals you need to set this year need to be goals that include letting go. Putting off the weights that are holding you back from God’s perfect will. Resignation vs Resolution.

I was talking to one of my daughters the other day, and we were discussing the prevalence of the victim mentality in today’s world.

We live in a generation where everyone seems to be the victim of some trauma or another. Sadly, this word trauma is thrown around far too casually and has lost its true meaning.

But I think as Christians, we can fall into the trap of this victim mentality in the way we see things and the way we act.

We can begin to become so inward focused that we lose sight of the bigger picture, and we become self-centred instead of Christ-centred. We become the victim and develop the mindset that it’s all about us.

I want to give you a few things that you may need to quit to set yourself up for a better year.

Quit focusing on what you can’t control- How often do we find ourselves getting so caught up with things beyond our control that we lose focus about where God has put us and why we are here? It’s so easy to lose sleep and worry and fret over things that we can’t do anything about. We need to change our mindset to do what we can and leave the rest to God. God does give us the ability to control certain things in our lives but there are a lot of things that he wants us to simply let go of and yield to his control, humbly and in submission. There are a lot of things we can’t control, but we can control how we respond and whether we choose to respond in faith. Quit focusing on the uncontrollable and fix your eyes on Christ.

Quit assuming things will go wrong- I have spent the greater part of my life being a pessimist. If it could go wrong, then it would. I defaulted to negative expectations for the outcomes in my life. But praise God, although it has taken longer than I would have liked, I have learnt that if I look through the lens of God’s Word, I can walk through life with a more positive outlook, and it makes all the difference. The trials we face, the hurt we feel, the aches and pains we suffer are part of our story, yes, but they are not the rest of our story. They are not the whole story. Quit assuming that things will go wrong and trust that God holds the pen and writes the script of your life.

Quit letting your hardships define you- Are you letting the things you go through identify you? Are you letting the label maker of the world stamp words over your life that should never be part of who you are in Christ? If you have been saved, redeemed and justified, then you are a chosen, child of God. Loved. Forgiven. Blessed. Just because you’ve struggled with depression or anxiety or fear, doesn’t mean that it has to define you. It doesn’t get to label you. Speak truth over your life. The truth that only comes from God and his Word. When you became his child, he gave you a new identity and what God calls you is all that matters. Quit letting what you go through label you.

Quit focusing on other people’s lives- In a world that is so obsessed with social media and daily updates about the goings on in other’s lives, you have to make a choice to resist the urge to measure what you have against what others have. We are bombarded day after day with images of other’s wealth, other’s happiness, their prosperity, their glamourous lives etc. We have to learn to embrace wholeheartedly what God has given to us and trust in the unique journey he has us walking through. Whether you see your lot in life as beautiful or not, you have to make the decision to praise God for it and give him the glory he deserves. If we stop looking at other’s lives with longing in our hearts and instead choose to give thanks each and every day for what God so graciously gives us, we will begin to walk in the abundant life he has for us.

Maybe you can think of other things that you need to quit. Things that are unique to you. Are there some resignations you need to make?

We can triumph and have the victory.

2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV - Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Romans 8:37 KJV - Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

In the context of my writing, quitting means letting go of the victim narrative that ensnares and entangles us and refusing to let the hardships of our lives define us. This is not a passive resignation, but instead a choice to embrace the victory we have in Christ and the abundant life he has for us.

John 10:10 KJV - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

 

Choose to quit some things this year as the key to the life God has for you.

 

Hebrews 12:1 KJV - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

 

 

 

 

Do you need a snack and a nap?

Do you ever have one of those days where you’re just tired? I mean really tired. Physically, emotionally and mentally. A tiredness that is felt not only in your body but also down deep into your soul and your mind.

As mums of toddlers will know all too well, there comes a point in a toddler’s day, when all they need is a snack and a nap. They eat, they rest, and they wake up a lot less cantankerous than they were before their sleep.

Did you know that there was a man in the Bible who found himself in a situation where he just needed a snack and a nap?

We read about this man in the book of 1 Kings 18-19.

Elijah the great prophet of God, used mightily in so many ways found himself tired and soul weary as well.

Take some time to read the whole account found in these two chapters but let me give you a quick rundown.

Let’s pick up the story in verse 21 of chapter 18.

1 Kings 18:21-22 KJV - And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

There had been a severe drought and famine in the land of Israel for three years and the people couldn’t seem to make up their minds as to whether they would serve JEHOVAH God or Baal, the idol of the heathen nations.

Elijah realised that the people needed a very real, very tangible example of God’s power to prove once and for all that JEHOVAH God was the only, one and true God. And so, as I’m sure you know the story, Elijah challenged Ahab to a contest on Mount Carmel.

We read the story in verses 23 to 40 and as we know, God got the victory once again and proved himself mighty in the eyes of all who had gathered there.

Now, you would think that after so great a victory, Elijah would be overjoyed, exuberant and in the best of spirits. But then came Jezebel’s threat to have him killed and Elijah fled to the wilderness and found himself sitting in despair under a nice Juniper tree.

And as he sat, he talked with God. He was physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. He was at the end of his rope. He had had an absolutely monumental day of emotional rollercoaster riding, adrenalin pumping, physically draining activity and he was totally and utterly wiped out.

And as he lay down to sleep and to rest his weary body and soul, an angel came and said those interesting words, “Arise and eat.” Wait, what?

1 Kings 19:5-8 KJV - And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

Yes, you read that right. The angel of the Lord, a special manifestation of God himself, told Elijah to have a snack and take a nap.

He wasn’t told to get up and do a Bible study. He wasn’t told to spend time in prayer. He wasn’t told to hightail it to the nearest church and listen to a rousing sermon. Although those things are good, this was not what he was told to do at this time.

But not only did the angel tell him to arise and eat once, but he also told him a second time.

7-8 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Did you notice that after the second time Elijah arose and ate, he was able to go in the strength of that snack and nap for 40 days and nights?!

Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of rest? Did you know that God, when he created the world, built into it a rhythm of rest?

Jesus himself had rhythms of rest in his daily life. The Sabbath didn’t just mean taking a day off, it meant ceasing from labour.

Jesus took times to rest. He went into an isolated place and took time to rest and pray. (Mark 1:35)

He urged his disciples to take time out to rest and refresh. (Mark 6:31)

And the well-known passage in Matthew 11:28-30 reminds us to come to Christ in order to find rest and renewal.

In today’s busy world, rest is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness. But God sees it as important and necessary.

Resting is not a form of weakness but of strength.

In the world of metallurgy (the art and science of extracting metals and modifying them for use), there is a process called tempering.

To temper steel, the steel is heated to a specific temperature below its melting point, followed by cooling the steel. The primary benefit of tempered steel is increased strength. When steel is heated and cooled, it becomes stronger.

This process toughens the steel by lessening its brittleness and therefore reducing its internal stress.

So, where am I going with all this talk of snacks and naps and heating steel?

What I’m trying to get at is this. When you go through struggles and stress, when you find yourself exhausted and about to boil over, at the point of breaking, remember how important it is to cool down and align yourself with the rhythms of rest that God created for you so that you can endure the journey he has for you ahead.

God didn’t just give us food for our enjoyment and the pleasure we get out of eating, but he gave us food for nourishment for our bodies and strength to keep going.

God didn’t just encourage rest because it feels good to lay down and cease working for a time, he knows that when we overlook rest it will affect every area of our life. Our health, our mental and physical ability to function, our attitude, our relationships. All of it.

Elijah had been running and running, doing God’s work and wearing himself out in the process. He needed a time of rest.

After he had his snack and his nap, he was able to get up and keep going, refreshed and renewed and running on a full tank once more.

How many of you reading this are running on empty? Are you hustling and striving and working and doing and God is looking down at you encouraging you to stop and rest?

You know that it is often in those times of rest that we hear God speak.

If you keep on reading in 1 Kings 19, you’ll read the account of Elijah hearing from God himself. It was not in the strong wind, it was not in the earthquake, it was not in the fire, but it was in the stillness that he was found. In the quietness. In the rest. God’s whispers to a weary soul.

Are you feeling empty? Weak? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Burnt out?

There are a lot of symptoms that can manifest themselves when we’re running on empty.

·        Fatigue

·        Difficulty sleeping

·        Decreased concentration

·        Negativity, irritability

·        Changes in appetite, weight loss or gain

·        Social withdrawal

·        Depression

·        Feeling of helplessness

Need I go on? Do any of these resonate with you?

We were created for relationship with God and taking time to reflect, rest and renew regularly is necessary for refuelling our souls and bodies as we spend time with him.

God wants us to take time to rest.

And sometimes this simply means having a snack and taking a nap and letting him reenergize us as we sleep and giving the food time to nourish us from the inside out.

I felt the need of this yesterday and felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit reminding me to stop, eat something and rest for a few minutes. And I can tell you, it worked. It was just what was needed.

The story of Elijah didn’t end with him resting. He went on to do amazing things for God.

Our times of rest are not a one-off thing. We need to continually take times of rest. Don’t wait until you’re burnt out to stop. Don’t wait until you find yourself at breaking point.

If you hear God speaking to your heart, encouraging you to take a 20-minute soul break, do it!

He knows best what you need, and he will give you the strength to keep going.

You need to learn to work out of rest.

Grab a snack, take a nap and rise up refreshed and ready to further the kingdom of God, whether this is in your home as a wife and mother raising little ones, or in your busy career in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Both are just as important, and both require snacks and naps!

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 

 

 

2024- Did you make it through?

In years gone by, it used to be the custom to send your friends and family an annual letter at Christmas time summarizing the years’ happenings, the kids’ achievements, the holidays taken, the new job, the new car etc.

These letters were most likely typed up and often complete with photos to add extra pizzazz and maybe included a festive family photo to hang on the fridge.

I never bothered with this tradition because quite frankly, some years either I didn’t feel I achieved very much, or I thought that no one would really care if I had or hadn’t. Maybe I was just plain lazy and couldn’t be bothered adding another thing to my to-do list.

So, where am I going with all this?

It is simply this.

Most likely, you’ve already been seeing a lot of posts on social media of people sharing how much they achieved in 2024, and reels of the year gone by. But I want to encourage you, in case someone needs to hear this:

It’s okay if all you did this past year was just get through.

It’s okay if all you did was survive another year. It’s okay if you made it through, day after day, simply putting one foot in front of the other, working hard at your job, tending to the children, looking after your husband, feeding your family, serving in your local church in whatever capacity.

It’s okay.

You don’t have to have an amazing list of achievements beside your name.

If you were faithful in the little things, God saw it and he took notice of it and he is pleased.

I think sometimes that comparison can become such an enemy to our peace of mind. We see what others are doing on our social media feeds and we hang our heads in despair feeling worthless.

We beat ourselves up over our seeming lack of accomplishments.

Comparison is often a thief of joy.

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians against comparing ourselves with others.

2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Comparison can often be crippling. If we spend our days pouring over what others have accomplished and look on in despair at our own accomplishments, we will most likely spiral into a defeated mindset and pretty soon, we will begin to downplay all the little things we do that really hold significance, if only we saw them through God’s eyes.

There have been years in my past where all I did was get through. By the skin of my teeth. But by God’s grace, I made it to the end of the year and started up again with the dawn of the new one.  

There were years where I served tirelessly in a ministry in the church and saw no fruit for my labours.

There were years of sickness where it was all I could do to get food on the table and the dishes and clothes washed.

Praise God for this precious promise found in Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV - It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

These verses hold great hope for me as I know that no matter what happens, how my day goes, or how my year went, God’s mercies are never-ending and he gives me a fresh start each morning.

Someone today reading this needs to hear this. Someone out there needs to know that it’s okay if all you did was make it through.

You’re doing a good job. You are making a difference. Whether you realise it or not.

If you haven’t already discovered, everyone works at their own pace. Some are super go-getters; others are plodders and neither one is better than the other.

As you look back on the year gone by, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t worry that you didn’t achieve big things.

If you are still breathing, then God’s not done with you yet!

If you made it through the past year and you are still walking with the Lord, trusting him, claiming his promises, reading his Word, fellowshipping with other believers and obeying God as you take it one day at a time, then you have achieved great things!

What may seem small to you is significant in God’s eyes, and what you see as huge in others lives, may be a mere spec from God’s perspective.

So, weary mother, if you feel a failure because you haven’t been able to keep a consistent daily quiet time routine due to the demands of tending to little one’s day in and day out, don’t give up. Your acts of service to your family are noticed by God and the little moments when you are able to read a Psalm and meditate on it throughout the day will help you to keep going as you rely on God’s strength.

Young woman, working hard at your job where you feel unappreciated and the promotion never comes, the beach getaways are nowhere to be seen, stick at it. God sees and he cares.

We are all in different seasons of life and God knows this.

What I’m trying to emphasize is that it’s okay if all you did this past year was simply make it through.

Our goal as a believer should be to grow in our spiritual walk and develop a closer relationship with Christ through spending time in his Word and talking to him on a regular basis through prayer.

The earthly pursuits we chase after pale into insignificance in comparison to building God’s kingdom and chasing hard after him.

Don’t be concerned with achieving great things in the world’s eyes.

Take some time to look back to a year ago and see if you have grown spiritually. Are you in a different place in your Christian walk than you were 12 months ago? Has it been a gradual climb?

Maybe you haven’t been able to do all the things you hoped to in the past year, but if you are growing as a Christian and serving God with all your heart, then you’ve done well.

Just keep on being faithful to him.

By all means, set goals, make plans, have a vision for the year ahead, but don’t beat yourself up when you don’t achieve all you hoped to.

God is looking for heart growth. He’s looking for things that hold eternal value.

Start out the new year with a prayer to God. Maybe it could go something like this:

Dear God,

I thank you for the year gone by and all you have accomplished in it that is unseen by me. I thank you for the blessings you’ve showered upon me, but I also thank you for the struggles you’ve allowed me to go through as I know that you work all things for my good and through the hard times, you help to purify me and make me more like you.

I pray Lord for strength and wisdom for the new year ahead. I pray that I will be more focused on spiritual growth and working to build your kingdom than I am with building my own little empire of wood, hay, stubble here on earth.

I pray for your hand of protection to be upon me and that you will give me endurance to run the race you’ve set before me. Help me not be distracted by what the world has to offer.

Help me to see that walking faithfully with you and obeying you each day is more important than anything else. I pray for your guidance in all my decisions and that your truth will be firmly planted in me and that I will be wholly focused on what is pure and right and that I will give you all the glory.  

Grant me your peace and help me to not just survive but THRIVE!

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why? Why? Why?

 

A few years back, I wrote an article entitled, “What do you do when you feel like God has let you down?”.

At the time, we were in the throes of financial difficulty due to the Covid pandemic. We had huge decisions to make but although we were trusting God and doing our best to obey him, we sometimes felt like God had let us down.

We were doing what we felt was right, we were faithful in our service to him, we were seeking his face daily and yet, despite our best efforts, we just didn’t seem to receive the answers we sought and the outcomes we longed for.

To add to that, our oldest daughter had recently battled through cancer and was living with the aftereffects and problems arising from the surgery and treatment.

We often felt as if God had forgotten all about us and had let us down.

Do you ever find yourself feeling like this? Do you ever have moments where not only does life just not make sense, but you feel as if God has let you down and turned a blind eye to your troubles?

We’ve all been there.

Can I just say, before I go on, that just because it feels like God has let you down, doesn’t mean he has. It only feels like it. And we should always remember that feelings are not the best thing to go by. They are not very reliable being so apt to change at a moments notice.

The question that repeatedly rolls off our tongues during these times, is “why”?

Why? Why? Why?

We want logical answers to our questions. We want life to make sense. We don’t like to live with the unknown.

But is why really the best question to be asking? Would it be wiser to be asking how?

How can I trust God more so I can ask why less?

Although we don’t often understand the ‘why’s’ of life, we do know the ‘Who’.

We know Who it is that holds us in his hand. We do know Who it is that has 20/20 vision and knows what is best for us in every walk of life.

I want to encourage you that although the way may seem dark and the path hard to follow and although it is full of obstacles that don’t seem to belong there, God is still working. He is still good, and he still keeps his promises.

Asking God to help you to trust him more is a question that he is happy to listen to and answer. Ask him to show you how you can trust him. Ask him to reveal his character to you so that you have no doubt in his ability to get you through.

A favourite quote of mine has always been this:

“When you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.”

It so perfectly reveals the solution to our problems. We can trust God’s heart. We can trust who God is and his perfect, holy, righteous character, is always working for our good as we love and obey him. So, when we can’t see what he’s doing in our lives, and it feels as though he’s let us down, and life no longer makes sense, we can still trust his heart.

One author said something that really struck home with me, and we would do well to remember it.

“Trusting is often harder than obeying. With obeying, we have had the boundaries of obedience explained to us, but trusting God has no explained boundaries – we are always dealing with the unknown.”

It is so true. We don’t know what trials lie ahead or how long they will last or even how frequent they will be, but we still have to trust. Blindly, willingly, faithfully. We are always dealing with the unknown, because we are not God, and we don’t know what the future holds. And because of the fear of the unknown, trusting is often harder.

There have been many times over the years that I’ve felt like God had let me down. But praise God, he has given us his infallible Word that is a continual comfort to our souls, and during my darkest days it was his Word that held me up.

When the government stepped in, and our business was taken away….

Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

When I became worried about losing material possessions…

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

When my anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm me…

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

When my thoughts began to control me…

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When my patience was wearing thin, and waiting was hard…

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We often struggle to make sense of the pain we are walking through, and we feel deserted and let down. Abandoned and alone. But God is still at work.

So, what do we do when fear grips our heart and the walls close in?

When I wrote my previous article, I had just listened to a sermon that really helped me gain perspective and also laid out some practical tips for me to follow.

Let me share them with you and I pray that they will be a help to you too.

What do you do when you feel God has let you down?

1.        HOLD UP – Stop. Take a deep breath. Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t start doubting God and don’t try to work out the end of the story, when you don’t hold the pen. Remind yourself that it doesn’t end here. God is still working. Hold up!

 

2.        SPEAK UP – Take a moment to speak up. Speak to the Lord. Be honest with him about how you feel. Pour your heart out to him and let him hear from your lips, just what it is you are dealing with and how you feel let down. Let the tears flow. He holds them all and your tears won’t scare him away. He understands. Open your mouth, speak up and pray to him. Speak up!

 

3.        KEEP IT UP – Keep going. Keep trusting. Keep obeying. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You may feel let down, but don’t let it cause you to give up on God. Hold onto his promises and remember that he loves you and cares for you more than you will ever know. No matter how hard it is to go on, just keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting God to show you the way. And when you’re not sure, step out in faith, expecting there to be something solid there underneath. Keep it up!

 

4.        LOOK UP – Look up to God. Don’t doubt. Keep looking up. God is up to something good. God promises good to his children. But remember that his definition of good is different to yours. Keep your eyes on God. When everything is crumbling around you, keep your focus on him and he will keep you safe. He will provide. He will protect. Look up!

HOLD UP. SPEAK UP. KEEP IT UP. LOOK UP.

I was so encouraged by these thoughts but also convicted that I needed to work harder at trusting, even when it felt like God had let me down.

God does choose to ‘let us down’ at times, but it is for our own good. He puts us through certain trials to test our faith and work growth in our lives. God knows exactly what we need to go through in order to mold us and make us more like him.

We are in a continual process of sanctification as believers, and we have to resist the urge to fight against it and let God do his work.

As I write this article, in this very moment, my daughter is once again going through another battle with cancer and I can tell you right now, that it doesn’t make sense.

I find myself asking ‘why’ often.

I don’t understand it. It feels like God has let her down. It doesn’t seem to be fair that she has to go through this again.

Why can’t I take her pain? Why does she have to suffer?

But I am trusting that God will hold her up and give her the strength and courage to weather the storm. I know he walks beside her.

Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

I know that the single set of footprints in the sand are the moments he is carrying her. They are not evidence of being abandoned.

What God has taught me about his goodness in the light, in the good times, in the seasons of blessing, still hold true in the darkness.

I don’t need to doubt in the dark, what I KNOW in the light!

When things are going well and I know without a shadow of a doubt, that God is good and he loves me, I can remind myself of this when the lights go out and I find myself fumbling in the dark.

God is still God, and he hasn’t changed. What you know about him in the light, is still true about him in the dark.

If you’re feeling let down by God, Stop!

Hold up. Speak up. Keep it up. Look up.

Take a few deep breaths, pour your heart out to him, keep trusting and keep your eyes focused on him. He will bring you through.

Isaiah 43:2 - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

All the way my Savior leads me;
  What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
  Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
  Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
  Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
  Jesus doeth all things well.

 

All the way my Savior leads me,
  Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
  Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
  And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
  Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
  Lo! a spring of joy I see.

 

All the way my Saviour leads me;
  Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect rest to me is promised
  In my Father’s blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
  Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
  Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
  Jesus led me all the way.