Fiery Foundation

SHARON SAMPSON

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

Two years ago, we traveled to Bar Harbor in Maine for our fall vacation. One of the things we enjoyed along the coast was the beautiful granite. An informative sign read as follows: “The colors and textures of the rocks around you tell a story of heat, pressure, and time that formed this landscape. These rocks started as massive pools of molten magma deep below the earth’s surface. As this liquid rock cooled into granite, it cracked, allowing newer magma with a different mix of minerals to intrude along the fractures. As upper layers of bedrock eroded, pink granite striped with dark diabase was exposed.”

At the time, I was counseling a woman who was undergoing fiery trials of a kind that many of us will never experience. Terrible heat; terrible pressure. At times, it seemed like too much to bear. I thought about this dear friend as I looked at the rocks all around me. There was a beauty to these rocks, but it was a beauty born of heat, pressure, and time.

The granite was a picture of what I saw in my friend’s life. There was a beauty about her, even in the midst of trials. What was the beauty? It was the beauty of watching her trust Christ, her suffering savior, the one who could truly sympathize with her suffering. It was the beauty of watching her cling to God’s character and promises, despite the heat and the pressure. It was the beauty of watching her apply in a laser-focused way everything she had ever learned about the Lord. It was a process that took time; that is taking time.

Seeing those rocks and thinking of my friend reminded me of 1 Peter 1:3-9:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Where are you feeling the heat in your life today? Where do you feel pressed? Perhaps you, like the psalmist, are asking, “How long, Lord?”

When God was doing his creative work of forming granite, there was heat and pressure. Hot, molten magma. And yet, today, one walks along the rocks and marvels at the beauty of pink granite with black stripes woven throughout. How beautiful! Such is our life with Christ. The heat and pressure are so difficult. What is he doing? How long must we suffer or struggle? How long must we wait?

We may not know why. We may not know how long. Such things belong to our sovereign, incomprehensible God. But we do know much! He has given us the knowledge of his character and the surety of the promises found in his Word.

We can focus on what we know, rather than what we don’t know. We are free to think about how we are being formed into something beautiful. The heat is intense. The pressure is hard. But our lives are guided by the hand of the one who knows what will become of each and every situation we endure, and what will become of us. Despite the intensity of the here and now, he makes everything beautiful in its time.

About the Author: Sharon Sampson

Loves the Lord; married to Mark; has a married daughter (Kirby); enjoys teaching, biblical counseling, writing RP parodies, and working at RPTS.

Posted at: https://gentlereformation.com/2020/08/06/fiery-foundation/

What Makes It Possible for the Christian to Rejoice in the Midst of Pain and Anxiety?

RC Sproul

In 1993, my wife and I were involved in an historic train wreck. The crash of the Sunset Limited into an inlet from Mobile Bay killed more passengers than any Amtrak accident in history. We survived that eerie accident but not without ongoing trauma. The wreck left my wife with an ongoing anxiety about being able to sleep on a train at night. The wreck left me with a back injury that took fifteen years of treatment and therapy to overcome. Nevertheless, with these scars from the trauma we both learned a profound lesson about the providence of God. Clearly, God’s providence in this case for us was one of benign benevolence. It also illustrated to us an unforgettable sense of the tender mercies of God. In as much as we are convinced that God’s providence is an expression of His absolute sovereignty over all things, I would think that a logical conclusion from such a conviction would be the end of all anxiety.

However, that is not always the case. Of course, our Lord Himself gave the instruction to be anxious for nothing to His disciples and, by extension, to the church. His awareness of human frailties expressed in our fears was manifested by His most common greeting to His friends: “Fear not.” Still, we are creatures who, in spite of our faith, are given to anxiety and at times even to melancholy.

As a young student and young Christian, I struggled with melancholy and sought the counsel of one of my mentors. As I related my struggles, he said, “You are experiencing the heavy hand of the Lord on your shoulder right now.” I had never considered God’s hand being one that gave downward pressure on my shoulder or that would cause me to struggle in this way. I was driven to prayer that the Lord would remove His heavy hand from my shoulder. In time, He did that and delivered me from melancholy and a large degree of anxiety.

On another occasion I was in a discussion with a friend, and I related to him some of the fears that were plaguing me. He said, “I thought you believed in the sovereignty of God.” “I do,” I said, “and that’s my problem.” He was puzzled by the answer, and I explained that I know enough about what the Bible teaches of God’s providence and of His sovereignty to know that sometimes God’s sovereign providence involves suffering and affliction for His people. That we are in the care of a sovereign God whose providence is benevolent does not exclude the possibility that He may send us into periods of trials and tribulations that can be excruciatingly painful. Though I trust God’s Word that in the midst of such experiences He will give to me the comfort of His presence and the certainty of my final deliverance into glory, in the meantime I know that the way of affliction and pain may be difficult to bear.

The comfort that I enjoy from knowing God’s providence is mixed at times with the knowledge that His providence may bring me pain. I don’t look forward to the experience of pain with a giddy anticipation; rather, there are times when it’s necessary for me and for others to grit our teeth and to bear the burdens of the day. Again, I have no question about the outcome of such affliction, and yet at the same time, I know that there are afflictions that will test me to the limits of my faith and endurance. That kind of experience and knowledge makes it easy to understand the tension between confidence in God’s sovereign providence and our own struggles with anxiety.

Romans 8:28, which is a favorite for many of us, states that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). There’s no other text that demonstrates so clearly and magnificently the beauty of God’s sovereign providence than that one. The text does not say that everything that happens to us, considered in and of itself, is good; rather, it says that all things that happen are working together for our good. That is the master plan of God’s redemptive providence. He brings good out of evil. He brings glory out of suffering. He brings joy out of affliction. This is one of the most difficult truths of sacred Scripture for us to believe. I’ve said countless times that it is easy to believe in God but far more difficult to believe God. Faith involves living a life of trust in the Word of God.

As I live out the travail that follows life on this side of glory, hardly a day goes by that I am not forced to look at Romans 8:28 and remind myself that what I’m experiencing right now feels bad, tastes bad, is bad; nevertheless, the Lord is using this for my good. If God were not sovereign, I could never come to that comforting conclusion — I would be constantly subjected to fear and anxiety without any significant relief. The promise of God that all things work together for good to those who love God is something that has to get not only into our minds, but it has to get into our bloodstreams, so that it is a rock-solid principle by which life can be lived.

I believe this is the foundation upon which the fruit of the Spirit of joy is established. This is the foundation that makes it possible for the Christian to rejoice even while in the midst of pain and anxiety. We are not stoics who are called to keep a stiff upper lip out of some nebulous concept of fate; rather, we are those who are to rejoice because Christ has overcome the world. It is that truth and that certainty that gives relief to all of our anxieties.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

Posted at: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-makes-it-possible-christian-rejoice-midst-pain-and-anxiety/?utm_content=buffer1baf3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1kqnChnlGnD2bLJ2maY0hZV97nuINg7RL285NGniyOvsMtxrVd7AMmDSI

Looking for the Light in the Tunnel

Laura Eder

How often have you heard the phrase “the light at the end of the tunnel” lately? How often have you said it? I have used this phrase when looking forward to the passing of a difficult season, such as this global pandemic, which has created all sorts of frustrations and anxiety. I would just like it to end.

Some seasons are dark. Like a tunnel, they are dim and restrictive with an overwhelming sense of confinement. And some tunnels are long—or, at the very least, they feel long.

I remember driving through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel into Canada on a family vacation when I was a kid. I couldn’t have been more than nine or ten. I don’t recall much of the trip, but the tunnel remains vivid in my memory.

Unlike most tunnels, this one was well-lit. It’s just shy of a mile and not the longest one I’ve ever been in, but it was the first. At the time, I felt trapped. This tunnel, though a major passage between two countries, was just a single lane in each direction. It felt narrow and cramped on a hot summer day. When you’re enclosed like that, you can only see what is in the tunnel with you. My vision was limited to the other cars and pick-up trucks alongside my family’s station wagon.

Lately, the pandemic has me feeling like I’m stuck in another tunnel. I’d like out. I’ve had enough. I’m ready for the open road and the clear, blue sky above. I’d like to worship in person with my church family, work at a real desk, and buy groceries without wearing a mask that fogs my glasses and irritates my allergies. I want my parents to be free from danger when leave their home. I’d like my friends to find jobs so they can pay bills. I feel boxed in, and I long for the Lord to set my feet in a spacious place (Ps. 31:8).

Reading Psalms has helped me to realize how short-sighted my prayers have been. So often, I focus only on asking God to deliver me from the tunnel. Speed up the passage, Lord! Please just spit me out on the other side already!

Longing for a trial to end is not necessarily sinful. The psalmists repeatedly show us how to pour out our hearts to God. I’m grateful for how God has used the psalmists’ prayers to remind me that I, too, can be honest and cry out to him in the darkness. Yet, my prayers don’t need to end there.

Where Should I Look for Light?

Instead of looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, I can ask for more light in the tunnel. In other words, I can ask God to raise my sights—to fix my eyes more on him. I can pray for a clear focus on God’s presence, as one of my favorite hymns instructs:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.1

The question is: how do I see the light when darkness surrounds me?

1. Look to God’s Word

Psalm 112:4 says, “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright.” And Psalm 119 reminds me that God’s word is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (v. 105) and that “the unfolding of [God’s] words gives light” (v. 130). There is light in the darkness, and I need only open my Bible to find it. God’s Word is a light.

2. Look to God’s Son

The light is also a person. John talks about Jesus being the light of men that shines in the darkness. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn 1:4). Jesus proclaims about himself, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). As a follower of Jesus, I have the light.

3. Live in the Light

In Psalm 139, when King David wonders where he can possibly go that God’s Spirit would not follow, he acknowledges, “even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” And 1 John 1:5 gives me a similar encouragement: “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

These truths changed me from a person who lived in darkness to one who now lives in the light. When I placed my faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, I received his Spirit. This means the light of Christ is in me, no matter what dark situation I am in. Like King David, there is nowhere I can go and not be in his light. The deepest, longest tunnel cannot dim God’s light because even the darkness is as light to him!

While I believe the truth of God’s Word, it doesn’t always feel true. These long, dark seasons of life have a way of moving my eyes from eternal truth to temporary circumstances. When this happens, I need to rehearse these Bible promises. I also need to respond to them in faith.

Romans 13:12 urges us “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Ephesians 5:8 instructs, “now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” I have been given gear to guard me from despair, and there is a particular manner with which I should now walk. Why? Because I don’t just have the light, I have become a light in this world to those watching. Matthew 5:14-16 declares this amazing truth:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We have not yet reached the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, and we don’t know how long God will keep us going through it. The coronavirus situation is improving in some ways, but the trial hasn’t passed. Like the child in that Detroit-Windsor tunnel, I am tempted to look at only what surrounds me in this passageway. But God’s Word redirects my vision and transforms my prayers. I am now asking less for the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, I can pray, “Lord, give me eyes to see you. Let me be a disciple who beholds and reflects the light I have, even in the midst of darkness.” Praise God for the light found in his Word and in his Son, and for the power of his Spirit to help me act in faith.

—

1. Mary E. Byrne (translator), “Be Thou My Vision”, Trinity Psalter Hymnal, #446, 1919.

Laura Eder

Laura is on staff at Unlocking the Bible, helping to equip leaders for the church. She has been an active member of The Orchard for 30 years where she and her husband Dan have led several LIFE Groups focused on biblical marriage. Laura has a passion for biblically sound teaching and resources that draw people into increasing Christlikeness. She delights to lead her weekly women’s LIFE Group, mentor younger ladies, and pray fervently for the Lord to send workers into the harvest field. She and Dan are parents of three adult children who love the Lord.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/07/looking-light-tunnel/

“God’s Hand Is Intimately Mixed Up in Our Troubles”

Paul Tautges

The title of this blog post was created by David Powlison, a friend and mentor who entered eternal Glory last summer. This statement first appears within the second sentence of the Introduction to David’s book, God’s Grace in Your Suffering. The context is this:

Job, his wife, and his three friends agreed on two things. Our lives are “few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1), and God’s hand is intimately mixed up in our troubles. But strife and perplexity set in among them when they tried to explain exactly how God and troubles connected.

David goes on to mention a few of the ways these three friends argued about the cause of Job’s troubles, which are still ways people argue today. Then he shows how Job’s encounter with his Redeemer changed him forever (Job 42:5).

But (praise God!), “we see even more clearly. From where we stand, we see Jesus Christ. We see more of who the Redeemer is. We see more of how he did it. We say more than Job could say: “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). We see. But our lives are still “few of days and full of trouble.”

Three Sweeping Truths

David then gives to us three sweeping truths we need to understand and embrace, in order to experience the fullness of God’s goodness and grace in our suffering.

1. It is obvious from both Scripture and experience that God never established a no-fly zone keeping all problems away. “He never promises that your life will be safe, easy, peaceful, healthy, and prosperous. On the contrary, you and I are certain to experience danger, hardship, turmoil, ill health, and loss….We cannot read God’s favor or disfavor by assessing how troubled a person’s life is.”

2. It is obvious from Scripture and experience that we also sample joys and good gifts from God’s hand. “There are no guarantees of any particular earthly good, but all good gifts may be gratefully enjoyed….We cannot read God’s favor or disfavor by assessing how troubled a person’s life is.”

3. It’s obvious from Scripture–and it can become deeply rooted in experience–that God speaks and acts through affliction. “Suffering is both the acid test and the catalyst [for growing our faith]. It also exposes and destroys counterfeit faith. Afflictions expose illusory hopes invested in imaginary gods. Such disillusionment is a good thing, a severe mercy. The destruction of what is false invites repentance and faith in God as he truly is. Suffering brings a foretaste of the loss of every good thing for those who profess no faith in the one Savior of the world, God’s inexpressible gift, the Lifegiver….We can read God’s favor or disfavor by noticing how a person responds to affliction.”

If you are going through a valley of suffering, or you want to grow in your understanding of God’s good purposes in suffering, I highly recommend you get and read this little book.

Posted at: https://counselingoneanother.com/2020/07/21/gods-hand-is-intimately-mixed-up-in-our-troubles/

HE HOLDS ALL THINGS TOGETHER

Dustin Crowe 

There are days and seasons where it appears like everything is crumbling.

Amid pain or hardships, our lives feel like they are collapsing before us. With weary minds, tired bodies, worn-out spirits, and emotions that feel like they’ve been tumbling in the dryer for way too long, nothing seems to make sense.

In the furnace of these trials, answers escape us. All we know is, this feels so hard.[1]

This might be how life lately has felt for many of us. So many things feel like they’ve fallen apart. Our plans, hopes, calendars, and schedules unraveled before us as the world shut down. For many, jobs, finances, health, and relationships were frayed or ripped away. In the wake of the racial divide and strife between political parties, everything feels heavy and wrong.

Everything just feels like it's too much.

GRASPING FOR CONTROL

As we seek to regain control and put things back together, we grasp with a fury as we try to piece together the patches in our life. We feel anxious, fearful, and overwhelmed by feeling like we need to hold things together; to hold ourselves together.

But Paul offers us some wonderful news. There is already someone who is holding all things together, and it’s not us. It’s Jesus:

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17).

We’re always aware of the potential for life to bring a tidal wave, but that awareness doesn’t prevent the wave’s force from taking us under. After exhausting our energy to get our heads above the water, another wave smacks us and the disorientation sets in, as we scramble to collect ourselves again.

Hardships, pain, and trials leave us staggering with the same sentiments. How did this happen? What should I do? Will this ever get better? Why can’t I catch a break? Why isn’t God stopping this? The questions don’t stop, and life goes on.

WHO OVER WHY

In times like this, we might ask the why question. But in reality our hearts long for an answer to the who question. What matters most when things in our world appear to fall apart is that God stays with us. Above all, we crave his nearness.

For Christians who have walked through the valleys, they know the lowest low can be survived if God is near. But if God is absent (or seems absent), there is no getting through. Puritan Richard Sibbes understood this truth well. He said, “If we cannot rejoice in the world, yet we may rejoice in the Lord. His presence makes any condition comfortable.”[2]

“He’s with you even when you don’t see or sense it.

There’s nothing more comforting than to know that “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isa. 43:2). Just two chapters before this, God comforts his people with these words: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).

If you’re crawling through a valley right now, read those verses again, slowly. He is with you. He is with you in the valley and the darkness and the raging waters. He’s with you even when you don’t see or sense it.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

In suffering and pain, most of us don’t need all our questions answered. Instead, we need the precious reminder that God is with us and won’t leave us.

“Don’t just help people get through life’s struggles; help them see God as a very present help in the middle of those struggles.

Too often when we go through pain or when those close to us are suffering, our gut reaction is to plead “get me out.” That might be a good prayer—and it’s understandable—but don’t miss the chance to experience the nearness of God as he draws near to the weak. Don’t just help people get through life’s struggles; help them see God as a very present help in the middle of those struggles.

When the news you’ve dreaded comes or the doctors still don’t have an answer, fall into God’s arms. When you’re disappointed with how life has turned out or when your marriage is shaky, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. When your prayers go unanswered and you’re tempted to stop talking to God, keep trusting and holding on to him. When you lose a job or when a person you love is ripped from you, don’t turn away from the one who holds all things together; instead turn to him.

He is with you, and he is for you—even when it seems like he’s against you.

FAITH OVER FEELINGS

We need perspective beyond our limited vantage point. We feel like everything around us is falling apart. It appears like God must not be at the helm. But feelings and appearance, though real, are not always true and are never ultimate. God is still in control.

“There is no moment where control escapes him. At no point does he walk away from his throne.

The Bible reminds us that God providentially rules over our lives. There is no moment where control escapes him. At no point does he walk away from his throne. Jesus holds all things together (Col. 1:17).

Plant that theological flag firmly into your heart now so when life does fall apart, Christ’s good and wise sovereignty is an established fact and not a question. Lean into it and learn it in small trials, so when your trust is stretched in bigger trials, it might bend but not break.

Things around us might fall apart, but even in this, Jesus is holding all things together.

OUR POWERFUL KING

Colossians 1:13–20 puts our confidence in Jesus as king. In 1:13–14, the king rescues us from darkness and brings us into his kingdom at the cost of his own life. In verse 15, Paul says Jesus is the image of God. He is the rightful heir to his father’s throne, and he rules in line with the will of his father. In verse 16, Paul emphasizes the unrivaled authority and rank of the king.

Here in verse 17, he identifies Jesus as the king who rules, sustains, and ensures the well-being of all in his kingdom: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17).

Jesus cares for and oversees everything happening in his domain. He not only creates, but he sustains what he creates. “[Jesus] upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). He completes what he begins. He is faithful to finish anything he starts.

“Even when life feels like it’s falling apart, Jesus holds everything together.

He doesn’t give up on people, projects, or plans and move to something else. Jesus never drops the ball. That’s not only true in creation, but it’s true for you. Even when life feels like it’s falling apart, Jesus holds everything together.

His power declares that nothing keeps him from accomplishing his plans. His wisdom signifies that he knows how to use his power to best order all things for our good and his glory.  His goodness and love assure us that everything that comes from his hand springs from the fountainhead of goodness.

GOD’S SMILING FACE

When life unravels, we can find comfort knowing that Jesus is holding all things together in his power, wisdom, goodness, and love.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break, In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.[3]

[1] One way we respond is lament. For an excellent introduction to lament, see Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop. For stories of believers finding hope during trials, see Storm Clouds of Blessing by Janice M. Cappucci.

[2] Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (Carlisle: Banner of Truth, reprinted 2008), 9.

[3] William Cowper, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” (No. 603) in Hymns for the Family of God (Franklin: Brentwood– Benson Music Publishing, 1976)

Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/he-holds-all-things-together

Craving Control in the Wilderness

Linda Contino

After many years of diverse career experience, I was excitedly counting down the days until my retirement. I eagerly anticipated being in control of my schedule and time while enjoying a slower pace of life. I envisioned more days devoted to serving in ministry at my church and deepening relationships with family and friends, and I prayed for the Lord to prepare me for these opportune times. And while he did answer that prayer, the opportunities he provided were not the ones for which I had hoped. Instead, the Lord thrust me into a very painful and difficult “wilderness” season during which I sometimes wondered how I would survive.

Though not a physical place, this wilderness was a period of time that felt wild, dark, and scary due to the uncomfortable trials that God allowed in my life. It was not the peaceful “promised land” of retirement that I had imagined. I identified with the Israelites, who entered unfamiliar territory after being miraculously delivered by God from the Egyptians. They were not immediately brought to the Promised Land but spent forty years in the wilderness.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle (Ex. 13:17-18).

God used a wilderness detour to teach his people, and the same was true for me. In my wandering through the wilderness, God taught me four truths about control.

The Role of Control

 
1. God is in control of our circumstances, even when we don’t understand what he is doing.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).

Before God took me on a wilderness detour, I didn’t realize the depth of my desire to control my life. This desire was like tangled weeds, choking the growth of my faith. When things were going well, I found it easy to deceive myself into thinking my faith was strong. But when trials continued to multiply, I was not able to fully “trust in the Lord with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). My faith needed to develop deeper roots. God used his Word to help me understand that he is often working in secret ways that I cannot see or understand (Deut. 29:29). And God is not obligated to explain his ways to me! As I believed his Word, my illusion of control weakened and my trust in God’s sovereignty deepened.

2. We can control our responses to the circumstances that God allows.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

I couldn’t choose the circumstances of this wilderness season, but I could choose my response. Charles Spurgeon said, “The same sun which melts wax hardens clay.”1 I faced a choice: would I be like wax, softened by the heat of trial, or would I harden like clay under the fire? Choosing a godly response to suffering was challenging. I was tempted to harden my heart, focusing on the perceived prominence of others’ sin instead of asking the Lord to reveal mine. By God’s grace, he “melted” my resistance, teaching me to forgive instead. The Holy Spirit enabled me to entrust my painful situations to the Lord’s care, knowing that God was working for my good. I used to think that this meant everything would work out the way I wanted, as in “happily ever after.” But the “good” referred to in Romans 8:28 is that of becoming more like Christ—which is truly the best “happily ever after” of all.

3. The Gospel acts as a compass to control our navigation through trials.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence (2 Pet. 1:3).

The truths of the gospel had directed me to saving faith in Christ in the past. But the gospel was also necessary for enduring the present suffering to which God had called me in this wilderness experience. As I wrestled with putting one foot in front of the other, the Lord graciously revealed that I was pointing my gaze in the wrong direction. Instead of looking to Christ and relying on his power, I was focused on myself and my seemingly insurmountable circumstances. But clinging to 2 Peter 1:3 helped me get my bearings and remember an important gospel promise: Christ’s divine power had already provided everything I needed to navigate this path. And Christ’s presence ensured that I would never walk alone.

4. God calls us to surrender to his control by holding our plans loosely.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Prov. 16:9).

After a year of struggle, I thought I was finally leaving the wilderness behind. And then a tiny nodule appeared on my thyroid. My uneasiness grew as I left the doctor’s office, considering what the biopsy might reveal. I picked up a book I had ordered, He Will Hold Me Fast 2, surprised to see the subtitle – A Journey with Grace Through Cancer – and to learn that this book detailed a woman’s experience with thyroid cancer. Two days later, fear gave way to panic with the official diagnosis of my own thyroid cancer. I wrestled with the Lord, asking why he would allow this now. This was not my plan following the difficult wilderness I had just endured!

In God’s mercy, I began to realize that I had never surrendered my retirement desires to the Lord. I had merely prayed that he would provide for what I had planned. The Lord helped me discover a different way to pray: “Lord, cancer is not what I wanted or planned for my retirement years. But if this is what you are now calling me to experience, I submit to your plan. I don’t know how to do this, so please help me.” Interestingly, the title of that book later came to hold a different meaning; rather than striking fear, it became a wonderful reminder of the Lord’s ability to “hold me fast.” Just as the Israelites entered the wilderness “equipped for battle” (Ex. 13:18), God equipped me to handle treatments and surgery, and he encouraged me through the prayer and support of friends and family.

Now three years later, I am mercifully cancer-free and able to enjoy many of the relationship and ministry opportunities I had longed for in retirement. But there is something sweeter than these blessings. Although the wilderness season was a detour I never would have chosen, the Lord knew it was what I needed. Learning to trust his control and surrender my own has transformed my relationship with the Lord, which is now richer and more deeply-rooted than I ever thought possible. I don’t know what difficulties and opportunities every future day will hold, but I know who holds control of my future.

—

1. Charles Spurgeon. “The Lesson of the Almond Tree.” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume XLVI. (Passmore and Alabaster, 1900).
2. Connie Dever. He Will Hold Me Fast: A Journey with Grace Through Cancer. (Ross-shire: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2017).

Linda Contino

Linda is an active member of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, where she has the privilege of serving on the Welcome Team and Women’s Ministry Team, as well as leading a women’s LIFE group. She is married and blessed with two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandsons. She loves spending time with family and connecting with friends.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/06/craving-control-wilderness/

Droughts Expose Our Idols

By: Jim Newheiser

When we lived in Southern California, we observed that the weather there tends to fluctuate between extremes. Some years the rain would be plentiful, then there would be years of drought. There’s a lake near where we lived, which during years of abundant rain would swell to the top of its banks and flow under the freeway. During years of drought, the water level would recede so much that the lake no longer made it to the freeway. When the lake was high, it would look beautiful. When the water receded, the lakebed would be exposed along with trash and debris that had accumulated there—not a pretty sight.

In a similar way, a circumstantial drought can cause the lake of our contentment to recede so that our idols, which had been hidden under the waters of our prosperity, are exposed for all to see—like a junky car that had been previously hidden in the lakebed.

During times of drought, we can learn to be content by following the Apostle Paul’s example: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11b-13).

Our nation has just come through a decade of economic prosperity. When the year began, we had nearly full employment. The stock market was at an all-time high. Wages were rising. The economy was growing. You could say that the lake of our financial circumstances was overflowing. Paul says that there is a “secret” to living in the midst of “plenty” and “abundance.” Perhaps he is thinking of the warning in Proverbs that riches can be spiritually dangerous because we can be tempted to be proudly self-sufficient and forget our dependence upon God (Prov. 30:8-9; also see Matt. 19:24). How did you fare in recent years when you were tested by prosperity? Were you, like the Philippians, generous towards the Lord’s work (Phil. 4:10-11a) and those in need? (2 Cor. 8:1ff)? Was heavenly treasure more important to you than earthly wealth (Matt. 6:19-21)?

With the sudden onset of the pandemic, many of us have found ourselves in a time of drought. Tens of millions of people have lost their jobs. Thousands of businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy. People approaching retirement have seen their life savings decimated by sharp drops in the stock market. Some are concerned about foreclosure or eviction from their homes. Our freedoms of movement are being restricted. Perhaps for the first time in world history, churches all over the world have been unable to gather on the Lord’s Day. Many are living in fear of death from the virus. And perhaps the greatest challenge is that the future seems uncertain and possibly very bleak. We don’t know when the pandemic will end or if life will ever return to “normal.”

For many of us, this sudden change in circumstances can be like the drought in which the calm waters of our prosperity recede and our previously hidden idols are exposed. Perhaps we thought we were trusting God, but now that our idol of financial security is threatened, we have become worried and fearful. Perhaps we thought we were content, but when forced to reduce our lifestyle, we become dissatisfied. Our idols of materialism, comfort, and control may also be exposed. This should especially be humbling for those of us in the West, where it is highly unlikely that we will be without food, clothing, and shelter.[1] Yet, we may be tempted to be miserable if our vacation plans are canceled, we can’t eat out as often as we previously did, we can’t afford new clothes, we have to rent an apartment rather than owning a large house, our favorite cut of meat (or brand of toilet paper) isn’t available at the grocery store, or if our Amazon orders don’t arrive the next day. Many of us have an idol of comfort and can be quite upset when it is threatened.

When our idols are exposed by a drought, we are given the opportunity to smash and remove them. We need to learn, with Paul, the lesson of contentment. Paul learned the secret of facing hunger and need. Such contentment does not come easily or naturally. Both James and Peter (James 1:2ff; 1 Pet. 1:6ff) remind us that God uses trials to expose and refine our weaknesses. The author of Hebrews teaches that even Jesus, who was completely sinless, still had to be matured in His humanity through the trials He suffered. “Although He was a son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). If Jesus had to learn obedience through His suffering, how much more necessary our trials must be for our sanctification.

While I don’t know all of the reasons God has allowed a pandemic, I am convinced that for many of us, one purpose is to teach us the secret of contentment in all circumstances. Paul, who was a model of joy and contentment even as he was in prison facing possible execution, teaches us how we can grow to be more content.

1. Rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). Rather than trying to find happiness in our idols, which are crumbling in the present drought, learn to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). The joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10), which cannot be shaken by circumstances.

2. Don’t worry (Phil. 4:6a). Trust God that He who feeds the birds and clothes the grass will also provide for you, His child (Matt. 6:25-34).

3. Pray (Phil. 4:6b). Cry out to God to meet your material needs and strengthen you spiritually during these troubled times.

4. Give thanks (Phil. 4:6c). Take your eyes off your troubles as you remember and specifically declare all of God’s past and present goodness and faithfulness to you.

5. Focus your thoughts on the best things (Phil. 4:8-9). During times of great trial, it’s easy for our thoughts to be consumed by our troubles. We can consciously choose what to think about. I have been combatting my own fears by reading extra Psalms each day.

6. Trust God to give you strength (Phil. 4:13). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is one of the most famous, but misused verses written by Paul. He is not talking about winning a sporting contest or running a marathon. Rather, he is talking about how Christ strengthens him to be joyful and content while in a prison cell, facing possible execution. If Christ can do that for Paul, then He can help us to live with the much less severe deprivations of being quarantined and the much lower likelihood of death.

7. Do today what needs to be done today (Matt. 6:34). For my last point, I will go from Paul to Jesus, who, when teaching us to trust God instead of worrying, said, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We are living with great uncertainty concerning the future. We shouldn’t waste immense amounts of time and energy uselessly feeding our anxiety about what we cannot control. On the other hand, each day we wake up with responsibilities we can and should fulfill—to care for our families, love our brothers and sisters in the church, and perhaps to look for work. It is wise to focus upon what we can do now while trusting God for what we cannot do about tomorrow.

Don’t be shocked if the present pandemic drought has caused the waters of your comfort to recede, thus exposing your idols. Rather, see this as an opportunity from God to learn the secret of being content in all circumstances.

Questions for Reflection

1. What idols in your life have been exposed by the drought of the current pandemic?

2. Will you seek to learn contentment in these areas?

[1] It is very likely that the pandemic’s impact in developing countries will be a much greater impact in terms of deprivation, suffering, and death.

Posted at: https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2020/05/06/droughts-expose-our-idols/

In Your Suffering, How Do You View God?

Bob Kellemen

A Crystal Clear Image of God 

Paul uses the Greek word for “comfort” ten times in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7—do you think this may be the theme of these verses?

He begins developing his theme by presenting a crystal clear image of God.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (1:3-4a).

All comfort is ultimately sourced in God. The flip side of that is to say that worldly comfort—comfort not sourced in God—is ultimately empty, vain, hollow comfort.

Seeing God as Your Compassionate Father 

The Greek word for “compassion” means to feel another person’s agony. People in Paul’s day used the word to signify sympathetic lament.

God laments our pain; God aches when we ache; He weeps when we weep. He is the Father of compassion.

Is this our image of God when life is bad?

In your suffering, do you see God as your Father who sympathetically laments with you?

Seeing God as Your Comforting Father 

The word for “comfort” pictures God fortifying us—he gives us his strength to endure.

Paul and others used the word “comfort” to picture:

• A lawyer advocating for a client

• A mother wrapping her arms of protection around her child

• A solider standing back to back with a comrade in danger

God is the God of all comfort.

In the midst of our suffering, is that our image of God? 

In your suffering, do you see God as your Advocate, as your Protector, as your Ally?

Join the Conversation 

What is your image of God in your suffering?

During times of suffering, how could you find sustaining strength by seeing God as your compassionate and comforting Father?

Posted at: https://rpmministries.org/2019/11/in-your-suffering-how-do-you-view-god/

What Makes It Possible for the Christian to Rejoice in the Midst of Pain and Anxiety?

By R.C. Sproul

In 1993, my wife and I were involved in an historic train wreck. The crash of the Sunset Limited into an inlet from Mobile Bay killed more passengers than any Amtrak accident in history. We survived that eerie accident but not without ongoing trauma. The wreck left my wife with an ongoing anxiety about being able to sleep on a train at night. The wreck left me with a back injury that took fifteen years of treatment and therapy to overcome. Nevertheless, with these scars from the trauma we both learned a profound lesson about the providence of God. Clearly, God’s providence in this case for us was one of benign benevolence. It also illustrated to us an unforgettable sense of the tender mercies of God. In as much as we are convinced that God’s providence is an expression of His absolute sovereignty over all things, I would think that a logical conclusion from such a conviction would be the end of all anxiety.

However, that is not always the case. Of course, our Lord Himself gave the instruction to be anxious for nothing to His disciples and, by extension, to the church. His awareness of human frailties expressed in our fears was manifested by His most common greeting to His friends: “Fear not.” Still, we are creatures who, in spite of our faith, are given to anxiety and at times even to melancholy.

As a young student and young Christian, I struggled with melancholy and sought the counsel of one of my mentors. As I related my struggles, he said, “You are experiencing the heavy hand of the Lord on your shoulder right now.” I had never considered God’s hand being one that gave downward pressure on my shoulder or that would cause me to struggle in this way. I was driven to prayer that the Lord would remove His heavy hand from my shoulder. In time, He did that and delivered me from melancholy and a large degree of anxiety.

On another occasion I was in a discussion with a friend, and I related to him some of the fears that were plaguing me. He said, “I thought you believed in the sovereignty of God.” “I do,” I said, “and that’s my problem.” He was puzzled by the answer, and I explained that I know enough about what the Bible teaches of God’s providence and of His sovereignty to know that sometimes God’s sovereign providence involves suffering and affliction for His people. That we are in the care of a sovereign God whose providence is benevolent does not exclude the possibility that He may send us into periods of trials and tribulations that can be excruciatingly painful. Though I trust God’s Word that in the midst of such experiences He will give to me the comfort of His presence and the certainty of my final deliverance into glory, in the meantime I know that the way of affliction and pain may be difficult to bear.

The comfort that I enjoy from knowing God’s providence is mixed at times with the knowledge that His providence may bring me pain. I don’t look forward to the experience of pain with a giddy anticipation; rather, there are times when it’s necessary for me and for others to grit our teeth and to bear the burdens of the day. Again, I have no question about the outcome of such affliction, and yet at the same time, I know that there are afflictions that will test me to the limits of my faith and endurance. That kind of experience and knowledge makes it easy to understand the tension between confidence in God’s sovereign providence and our own struggles with anxiety.

Romans 8:28, which is a favorite for many of us, states that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). There’s no other text that demonstrates so clearly and magnificently the beauty of God’s sovereign providence than that one. The text does not say that everything that happens to us, considered in and of itself, is good; rather, it says that all things that happen are working together for our good. That is the master plan of God’s redemptive providence. He brings good out of evil. He brings glory out of suffering. He brings joy out of affliction. This is one of the most difficult truths of sacred Scripture for us to believe. I’ve said countless times that it is easy to believe in God but far more difficult to believe God. Faith involves living a life of trust in the Word of God.

As I live out the travail that follows life on this side of glory, hardly a day goes by that I am not forced to look at Romans 8:28 and remind myself that what I’m experiencing right now feels bad, tastes bad, is bad; nevertheless, the Lord is using this for my good. If God were not sovereign, I could never come to that comforting conclusion — I would be constantly subjected to fear and anxiety without any significant relief. The promise of God that all things work together for good to those who love God is something that has to get not only into our minds, but it has to get into our bloodstreams, so that it is a rock-solid principle by which life can be lived.

I believe this is the foundation upon which the fruit of the Spirit of joy is established. This is the foundation that makes it possible for the Christian to rejoice even while in the midst of pain and anxiety. We are not stoics who are called to keep a stiff upper lip out of some nebulous concept of fate; rather, we are those who are to rejoice because Christ has overcome the world. It is that truth and that certainty that gives relief to all of our anxieties.

Posted at: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-makes-it-possible-christian-rejoice-midst-pain-and-anxiety/

Don't Forget the Goal

KIMBERLY CORNELIUS

Distractions. Idols. Plans. Upheavals. Worries. Illness.

I have a problem. Well, a lot of problems, but one problem in particular. In the midst of a busy semester, in the midst of pursuing entertainment, in the midst of pride and temptations to sin, in the midst of drastic changes to my schedule due to concerns about the coronavirus—in the midst of all these things, I have forgotten the main thing: Christlikeness.

Busyness has always been an obstacle to my spending time with God, but I’m finding out that having extra time can also be an obstacle. Having extra time means that I have more opportunities to live for myself, more opportunities to feed my own desires and cater to my own comfort. Having extra time means that I am more likely to avoid scheduling in time with God than ever before.

But God has so much more in store for me than what I can see right now. Right now, all I can see is an overthrown schedule and a loss of some freedom. Right now, all I can see are greater opportunities to serve and please myself. But that’s not what God sees.

When God looks at my personal choices— the poor time management decisions I’ve been making, the wasted opportunities—He sees worthless distractions that are hindering me from pursuing Him with my whole heart.

When God looks at my heart—my fears and frustrations about the future, my strong grip on pride—He sees a child who desperately needs to let go of her idols and find her shelter in Him.

When God looks at my life—my altered schedule, my canceled plans—He sees His own hand moving the pieces of my world with the ultimate goal of conforming me into the image of Jesus Christ.

God hasn’t lost sight of the goal, even though I’ve closed my eyes to it. He hasn’t stopped working, even though I’m not aware of all He’s doing. And He hasn’t stopped pursuing me, even though I’m not pursuing Him.

My plans seem so important, but in the last week I’ve seen how flexible, transient, and ultimately how inconsequential they really are. My plans are changing, but God’s plans for me to be like Jesus have not changed. He is using all these circumstances to keep changing me into the image of His Son, even though I have been completely missing out on that because I’ve been so focused on everything else going on.

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God’s plans are good—every single one of them—and His ultimate plan is that I would be growing to be more and more like Jesus every day. Even though many of my plans are slipping through my fingers, being like Jesus is one plan that I must hold onto, one plan that I can’t bear to give up. Christlikeness is one plan that I need fight for. No matter the cost to my personal plans and not matter the cost to my comfort, pursuing Jesus must come first.

I just want to encourage all of you reading this to join me in refocusing on the goal. I don’t know how the last couple weeks have changed your plans; some of you may be busier than ever before while others of you have more free time. Some of you are finding in the midst of altered schedules and added worries that temptations to sin are even stronger than normal. Some of you may feel lost or overwhelmed.

No matter what’s going on in your life or what you’re especially struggling with, keep the main thing the main thing. Keep running this race with endurance. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t forget the goal.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith . . .

Posted at: http://journeysofgrace.com/2020/03/20/dont-forget-the-goal/