Christian Living Today

I may be a little naive, but I suspect most true Christians today do not struggle with accepting God as sovereign. Granted there are some who preach and others who believe God is a hand-wringing deity, stymied by unexpected actions, scurrying around trying to plug holes in His plans. However, I also believe (at least I hope) more and more Christians understand our God’s sovereign and gracious control over every creature and every action down to its minutest detail.

However, just because one believes in the sovereignty of God, does not, necessarily, mean they have the right view of His goodness. This is a point Jeremiah Burroughs stressed in his book, “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.” It is the reason we ask ‘why’ when hard providence enters our life. It is the drive behind our anger and frustration when life takes turns we did not expect and do not desire. It is an area in which I have struggled.

A recent sermon along with personal reading and meditation brought new light to this subject. Not long ago I had the privilege of listening to Pastor D.J. Dickey as he reviewed Satan’s temptations of Christ. The underlying theme of Satan’s first temptation struck me hard. Satan was tempting Jesus to doubt God’s goodness!

In Matt 4:3-4 we read, “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”"

At first glance it may seem Satan is simply tempting Jesus to appease His hunger. At its most basic level this is true. However, look a little deeper. By his very suggestion (that Jesus turn stones into bread), Satan is casting a negative light on God’s care and provision.

Satan is suggesting Jesus ask God, “Don’t You know I’m hungry? Don’t You care I haven’t eaten anything in 40 days? You sent Me here. You told Me to stay. I did what You said, and look how You’ve treated Me.”

Sound familiar? If not, you may have never been forced to accept from God’s hand something which, in every aspect, appeared to you not only bad but awful! Thus we see Satan is tempting Jesus (as he tempts us) to question God’s goodness and care.

You may say, “I’ve never said, or even thought, such things.” I wonder, though, do you ever worry? Do you ever stew about situations in life? Have you ever been angry at God? Have you ever quit trusting Him and taken things into your own hands - determined to take care of something He has obviously bungled?

Not only do we find Satan using this simple suggestion, “God is NOT good” to tempt our Lord, we see him using it to tempt Eve. Is that not what he said? “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’ ?”" (Gen 3:1)

What is Satan suggesting? Is it not that God is not good? After all, if God were good, why would He deny her access to something which is obviously so beautiful, and healthy, and desirable? Satan delights in causing Christians to doubt God’s care, and presence, and goodness. Certainly we can testify to this in our own lives.

Sadly, however, the comparison to Eve’s temptation and Jesus’ temptation end with the tempter’s question. As we all know (and experience daily), Eve fell for it (as we are prone to do). Jesus, however, did not. Why?

The answer is quite simple, really. Jesus focused on explicitly obeying God’s word. Look again at His answer to Satan in verse 4. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” What does this mean? Jesus is saying His will is to do the work He was sent to do. So should our answer be. Yet, how can it be?

First, we must not be caught off guard. As Burroughs pointed out in his book, the time to prepare is before the battle. No one goes into battle with half-made armor. No one goes to battle with a dull sword. No one goes to battle with a lame mount. If we are to prevail, we must prepare.

Even after everything Jesus had been through, even after suffering depravation for 40 days and nights, even when He is physically at His lowest, Jesus was not unarmed. His strength lay in God’s word. Thus the Psalmist can say, “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (73:26).

Thus our Lord calls us to come to the standard. It goes back to knowledge. It goes back to commitment. It goes back to ‘who’ or ‘what’ really holds our heart. When Satan tempts us to question God’s goodness, we must return to what we know　is true. As our Lord showed by example, we must trust God’s word, regardless of what our eyes tell us is true.

May God grant us the grace that, with Paul, we may live our days proclaiming, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” (2 Cor 4:8-9)

I have known fear. For a season, it was my unwelcome friend. A companion to dog my steps and haunt my nights. Even now I occasionally feel the cold finger run down my spine and the hand clench around my gut. For some odd reason, in all this time, I have never connected fear and worry.

Call me thick headed. Call me dense. Call me a fool. I just never put the two together. Until recently.

Do you struggle with fear? Fear of the future? Fear of the past? Fear of someone or some event or some possibility or even a vague unknown ‘something’? Have you ever looked at the definition for fear?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, fear is:

1) a being afraid; feeling that danger or evil is near; dread

2) cause for fear; danger

3) an uneasy feeling; anxious thought

Did you catch that? Dread. Anxious thought. What is dread but an overdose of worry? What is an anxious thought but worry itself? Thus, according to my dictionary, fear is nothing more than worry on steroids!

Recently I listened to a sermon by Pastor Jim Osman. He was speaking on Phillipians 4:6. Remember that phrase - “Be anxious for nothing” (there’s that word from our ‘fear’ definition)? Did you know the word translated ‘anxious’ in this verse refers to a harassing concern or care. It refers to one’s state of mind.

It can also be defined as something which consumes you. Something which presses on you. Something which predominates your waking hours and robs you of sleep. It can even go so far as to send your heart and mind churning and tie your gut in knots. Sounds an awful lot like fear to me?

Unfortunately worry comes far too easily for us. When we realize worry (and fear) is sin, we should not be surprised. After all, sin is easy. Satan does not tempt us in areas which are ‘hard’ or ‘unnatural’ for us. We are tempted in the areas our flesh wants to go. In fact, some folks have made worrying an art form. They even manufacture concerns with which to plague their lives.

Of such folks, Pastor Jim said, “I think they enjoy worrying because, in a sense, it gives them the feeling they are in control of something. It is as if they can change their circumstances or alter their condition by worrying.” There truly is a kind of sick pleasure in focusing on our anxieties.

Spurgeon said, “You can always find a stick with which to beat a dog. And if you need a care, you can generally find a care with which to beat your own soul.”

While fear is worry on steroids and worry is sin (thus fear is sin), there is a level of ‘worry,’ if you will, which is appropriate. It might clarify things to call it ‘concern.’ While concern can certainly become worry, there is a level at which we are to ‘take a care’ for things in life. After all, God did not call us to be stoics, unfeeling, or unaffected by life.

Thus we find commands to ‘bear one another’s burden.’ This implies a level of concern. For example, if someone you care about is going through a heavy trial, it would be wrong not to be concerned, not to feel your heart heavy, not to have your thoughts return to them numerous times throughout your day. On the other hand, if we do not turn to God in prayer but, instead, begin trying to figure out how to ‘solve’ their problem, we may have stepped over the line into worry.

Furthermore, we need to ‘take a care’ for the details of daily living. While we are not to worry where our food comes from, we are to provide ourselves and our family with daily, nutritious meals. We are not to worry what we will wear, but we are to do the laundry and patch the holes and buy our children new shoes when they are needed. We are not to worry about where we will sleep, but we are wrong if we do not ‘take a care’ to patch the roof, sweep the floors, or fix the leaky faucet.

Paul is not talking about apathy. We are not to have an ‘I don’t care’ attitude. The worry Paul is commanding us to avoid is the vexing anxiety which stirs the heart and mind.

Charles Spurgeon said, “It is good for man to have a holy care and to pay due attention to every item of his life. But, alas, it is very easy to make it into an unholy care and to try to wrest from the hand of God that office of providence which belongs to Him and not to ourselves.”

Matthew Henry put it this way, “There is a care of diligence which is our duty and consists in a wise forecast [forethought] and a due concern. But there is also a care of diffidence and distrust which is our sin and our folly and which only perplexes and distracts the mind.”

What struck me most as I listened to Jim Osman’s message was what worry (or fear) reveals about me, about my relationship with God. Not only is worry foolish - after all, what good has worry every done anyone? Or, as Jesus put it, can you add even a fraction of an inch to your height by worrying?

Not only, then, is it foolish, it is sin. I have alluded to that already, but this is really a telling point. Sometimes we tend to think of sin as some vague ‘breaking of the law.’ Yet, at its root, all of our sin stems from a wrong view of God. In other words, when I worry (or allow myself to be consumed by fear), I am saying something (to myself and to those who are watching me) about God. I am saying He is not good. He is not powerful. He is not in control. He is not faithful. He is not true to His promises. He is not something or everything He has said He is.

I hope that pierces you to the heart as it does me. Of course I have never been proud of my worry, but I want　to hate worry, fear, and the anxiety which causes me to live a lie before the world.

Charles Spurgeon, the ‘prince of preachers’ (obviously, in part, because of his way with words) put it this way, “A doubting fretful spirit takes from us the joys we have. We have not all that we could wish, but you have still more than you deserve. Your circumstances are not what they might be, but still even now they are not as bad as the circumstances of some others. Of all the self- tortures, that of importing future trouble into the present account is perhaps the most insane. . .As we feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, so do we feel a thousand afflictions in the fear of sorrows which will never come. Probably the major part of our griefs are born, nourished, and perfected entirely in an anxious, imaginative brain. Many of our sorrows are not woven in the loom of providence, but are purely homespun, and the pattern of our own invention. Some minds are especially fertile in self-torture. They have the creative faculty for all that is melancholy, despondent and wretched.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

God help us not to walk this path. The valley of the shadow of death may come, but let’s make sure it is a ‘real’ valley, not one of our own creation!

“Nothing needs to be a terror to those that have Christ near them and know He is theirs; no, not death itself.” ~ Matthew Henry

Troubling times surround us. Fearful events break forth on every side. Our confidence in other people is shaken. Our hope for a good end is growing dim.

At times we all feel this way. Granted, for some the feeling comes more often and stays longer, but each of us has doubted at some point in our lives.

One of my favorite passages on doubt is in Matthew 14:24-31. Here we read, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

“So He said, “Come.”

“And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

There are several simple, often overlooked lessons. we can learn from these eight verses.

One - note the word immediately. Twice this word is used in response to fear. When the disciples cried out in fear, Jesus spoke immediately to quench that fear. When Peter cried out for help as he sunk in the water, immediately Jesus stretched out His hand. If we learn nothing else from this passage, we ought to note that even if we cannot see God working in our situation, He responds immediately to our cries for help.

Two - Christ bid Peter to come, not only that he might walk upon the water, and thus recognize Jesus’ power, but that he might sink and thus understand his own weakness. In other words, Jesus knew Peter would look away and sink. However, He allowed Peter to face this trial with:

- full knowledge of the process (and the fear it would induce in Peter)

- full control of the events and the outcome (knowing Peter had nothing to fear)

Three - Jesus let Peter begin to sink to show him that on his own he could not save himself. In other words, Peter needed to learn all salvation is from the Lord.

Are you a pessimist or an optomist? Do you see this as Jesus letting Peter suffer or as Jesus caring for Peter? The lesson here is Christ’s care of Peter (and us). He would have us realize that although we may begin to sink, that is as far as He will let us go.

Peter did not begin to drown - he began to sink. While he perceived his situation as dangerous, fearsome, and out of control, it was anything but that!

Four - Peter response is what ours should be. He didn’t just give up (despair). He didn’t start to breast-stroke (independence). He didn’t yell at the other disciples in the boat to throw him a rope (look to the world for help). He cried out in prayer to God!

When our faith is weak, our prayers should be strong. It is when our faith is at its weakest that Jesus’ power is most obvious. Jesus helped Peter when Peter was nothing but dead weight - he could do NOTHING to help himself.

Five - Our fears, doubts, and discouragments are all a result of our weak faith. Peter had no reason to fear. He had but to look to his Lord. We must remember, though our Lord is gracious beyond compare and patient beyond our comprehension, we do not please Him when we lack faith. Thus, while He saved Peter (and immediately, at that), He also rebuked Peter.

We error most when we look at our difficulties with the eye of our feelings or senses, when we pay closer attention to what we can see than the promises we know are true. This attitude and perspective is at the bottom of all of our inordinate fears.

God grant us the grace to look to Him. To trust Him. To have great faith, even in the face of great trials.

The poem, entitled “Afraid?” was written by Presbyterian missionary E.H. Hamilton following the recent martyrdom of one of his colleagues, J.W. Vinson, at the hands of rebel soldiers in northern China. A small Chinese girl who escaped from the bandits related the incident that provided the inspiration for Hamilton’s poem.
“Are you afraid?” the bandits asked Vinson as they menacingly waved a gun in front of him.
“No,” he replied with complete assurance. “If you shoot, I go straight to heaven.”
His decapitated body was found later.
Afraid? Of what?
To feel the spirit’s glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace,
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid? Of that?

 Afraid? Of what?
Afraid to see the Savior’s face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace,
The glory gleam from wounds of grace,
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
A flash - a crash - a pierced heart;
Brief darkness - Light - O Heaven’s art!
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
To enter into Heaven’s rest,
And yet to serve the Master blessed?
From service good to service best?
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
To do by death what life could not -
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid? Of that?

Wow! Now that is faith. May God grant me the same, when it comes my day to face death’s door or Satan’s best.

It is one thing to tell someone not to worry. It is another thing, entirely, for them to stop. We worry in a vacuum. We worry because of the unknown. We worry about what is NOT there. If we could, we would deal with it. Because we cannot, we fret.

Most of our anxiety is tied to people. The rest is tied to things. We think, “What if he (or she) does (or says or thinks). . .?” “What if such and such happens?” Left alone, worry can lead to fear or depression.

Fear is that instinctive emotion which arouses within us a impending sense of doom or danger or pain or evil. Like worry, fear is a ‘sense’ not a ‘reality’. We fear the unknown much like we worry about the unknown.

Jesus recognized this emotional transition. Not only did He tell His followers not to worry (Luke 12:22 - 31), He told them, instead, to seek God’s kingdom. Then He ended with this striking statement which combines both command and promise. He said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (vs 32)

The words, “Do not fear” are a present imperative. They are a command. We are NOT to fear. This is not an option.

Lest we think we are somehow to draw our comfort from our situation, notice Jesus’ words, “little flock”. In the Greek this is actually a double diminutive. It actually says, “little, little flock”. Jesus is saying our trust is not in our numbers, not in our circumstances, not in our physical abilities - in other words, not in what we see or perceive - but in our “Father”.

Why? Because ‘it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ Wow! If we meditate on these words, they will leave us reeling. Do you realize what Jesus said? Not only is God our “Father” (our ‘pater’ - one with whom we are invited to have the intimate relationship of child and loving parent), it is His ‘good pleasure’ to give. In other words, it is His heart’s desire, His intent, His purpose. We are not trying to wrest something from His hands, He is giving freely, generously, because He wants to give!

“To give you the kingdom”. What is our Father giving from the heart? The kingdom. No mere paltry gift, our Father is giving us the ultimate, the undeserved, the unattainable. The logic then follows: If He will give us the best, will He not also provide those of lesser importance?

The key to dealing with our worry and our fear is dealing with our heart. Our sins flow from our ‘hearts’. Thus we must direct our hearts to what is right and what is good. Before commanding us not to fear, Jesus told us where to put our hearts. In vs 31 He said, “seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What are we to seek? “The kingdom of God” - interestingly enough, that is exactly what we are TOLD the Father is going to give to us (the same word is used in both verses). Jesus is not using modern day psychology. He is not just giving us something positive about which to think. He is telling us to focus our thoughts on what, in Christ, we already have. Which, because it is our ‘Father’s good pleasure’, we are assured to receive.

Not only are we to re-direct our thinking, but we are not left with just trying to get our minds over our matters. Jesus promises us our physical needs will also be met. After chiding us for our folly in worrying about our temporal needs, after directing us to what we should be thinking about, He then comforts us with the promise, “all these things shall be added unto you.”

Thus the antidote to worry and fear, is three-fold:

1) Work. We are commanded to work (1 Thess 3:10-13; 2 Thess 4:10-12). Thus we get out of bed and set our minds on the things above and our hands on the task of the day. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ec 9:10)

2) Rest. We are to remember God’s promises (Prov 19:23; 29:25, Luke 12:22), humble ourselves before Him (admit our need and inability), and cast our cares upon Him. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:6-7)

3) Pray. We cast our cares upon Him through prayer. Worry comes from what we perceive to be insurmountable or bad. We have God’s promise of care, thus we direct our energies to working with our hands and communing with Him in our minds and hearts. “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil 4:6)

Next time worry comes calling, next time fear seizes your heart, remember Who is in control. “Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His.” ~ H.E. Manning

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. . .all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Ps 139:13, 16)

“Who made you? God did.” This simple question and answer is the first in my son’s shorter catechism. It sounds simple. It is simple. However, it also has wide-reaching applications we rarely contemplate - to our shame and detriment.

One of the most basic implications of this statement is: God made me who I am. He directly fashioned me (and you) into the person He wants me to be. If I have trouble accepting who I am, or the circumstances which surround my life (see the rest of the verse above), my controversy is with God!

Depression is a nasty ‘disease’. It is a spiritual problem which, like many spiritual issues, affects us physically. In fact, a well-known secular book on treating depression recognizes this undeniable link. Toward the end of the book, the author advises her readers to ‘quit thinking bad thoughts.’ She even warns that if they do not quit thinking bad thoughts, the treatment will do them NO GOOD!

It’s perspective. Pure and simple.

Depression - our controversy with God - typically comes from two things:

A lack of understanding of God

An out-of-focus look at life.

We do not remember Who our God is. Lamentations 3:32 reminds us: even in sending trials He is compassionate. He ’shows’ His compassion, He does not just feel or wish or think or say He is compassionate.

We take an out-of-focus view of life when we capsulize the next 20 or 30 years (or even 20 or 30 months) and mold it into what we ‘think’ will or could happen. Not only does this overwhelm us, it throws our perspective - our foundational truths - out of wack.

We must remember God is personally involved in helping us through our trials (Isaiah 41:14; 43:2). While He does not give us the grace to deal with our future ‘maybe’, He promises us grace to deal with the real ‘now’.

“The only way in which the ’sufferings of the present time’ may seem to come between the Christian and the love of God and Christ, is when he falls before them as a temptation, or in unbelief sinks under them. Then a cloud comes between him and the light of His Father’s countenance. But the cloud is not the affliction, but the sin; and it is a merciful arrangement that it is so. The want of comfort tells him that something is wrong.” ~ John Brown

You have heard it said, “God works all things for our good”. However, if you are like me - like most people I’ve talked to - there are times in life when you cannot see the good. In fact, looking back years later, you may still be unable to see any good which came from a particular situation of series of events. Does this mean God lost control of your situation? Does this mean we can’t trust what He says?

 No, what it does mean is:

One - we do not understand God’s ways. In other words, God is infinite, we are finite. Thus in His wisdom, He does things we cannot, may never, understand. Welcome to Trust 101!

Two - We have not comprehended the truth in this passage. So often we take verses such as the one loosely quoted above out of context. As we’ve seen, this is a dangerous practice.

 So, what do we find when we look at this verse in context.

One, this passage is directly related to our identity with Christ. We are identified with Him, in part, through suffering.

Two, the verse immediately following ‘all things for good’ tells us ‘why’ we experience trials. God has predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Regardless of your interpretation of predestined, we can gain much understanding by looking at what God has predestined us to become.

We are to be conformed to Jesus’ likeness. In otherwords, the good which God is working in a believer’s life is conformation to Jesus’s likeness. Jesus is many things, but holiness is an intrical part of His being. Thus, as we are told elsewhere, we are to be holy as He is holy. The good God is working in our lives, in part, is holiness - conformity to His image.

As the Psalmist said, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees (law, word, teaching).” (119:71). The good which adversity brings to our lives is heart and soul change. Through trial we learn.

For example, while most of us want to be more patient - with our spouse, our children, our siblings, our parents, our co-workers, our neighbors, our friends - patience is a learned trait. Patience literally means, suffer-long!

Furthermore, talk is cheap. We may say we love our family, our friends, etc, but until our words our tested, its just hot air. In other words, sacrificial love can only be learned by experience.

Take the joy which Scripture described. This kind of joy cannot be learned in ‘happy’ circumstances.

Take Job. Don’t be fooled into thinking we really know why Job was tested. The book of Job doesn’t end with Satan admitting defeat, it ends with Job coming to understand his relationship with God (42:5). Job never even knew what little we know, but he did come to better understand His God.

Joseph did not understand why he suffered until MUCH later in life.

David suffered greatly at the hands of Saul. Why? Because GOD made him the chosen king long before Saul died. God gave him popularity while a jealous, insecure king still reigned. However, God used David’s trials to make him a ‘man after God’s own heart.’

Thus, we may not demand our Sovereign Creator explain Himself to us. We may ask ‘Why’, but we may not demand He reveal His ways. While three Psalms begin with ‘why’ (10, 22, 74), all three end with trust.

In other words, we do not need to know why things happen (although it is normal to want to know). We just need to remember the purpose of trials - our conformity to Christ - and then trust the One who is in control of even this.

While many have heard, and even said, the words, “. . .all things work together for good to those who love God. . .”, few of us find true comfort in these words. Why? Usually, at the root of the problem we find a lack of understanding. Granted, we will never understand God’s ways. However, what has been revealed is for our instruction, that we might be enabled to stand in the day of trial.

A deeper look at this passage in Romans 8 will greatly expand our understanding. This entire passage is riddled with conjunctions. Almost every verse begins with ‘for’, ‘and’ ‘therefore’ ‘but’ ‘likewise’, ‘now’. As any student of grammar or the Bible will tell us, a statement which begins with a conjunction is just ‘adding to’ the primary thought. Thus we need to back up to the statement which does not begin with a conjunction.

If we do so in this passage, we find ourselves back at verse 16. To get a better understand of our ‘platitude’ statement, we need to look at the following verses as a whole.

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adopt, the redemption of of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spiriti Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searched th hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Although I have broken this passage into a few extra paragraphs for ease of reading, it is clear the entire section is intended to be understood as one complete thought. The leading thought, then is verse 16 - “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Time does not allow us to dig deeply and mine all the nuggets in this passage. However, even an overview reveals some key truths. Verse 16 explains that part of our identification with Christ is expressed in suffering.

Since we are talking about something none of us desire, suffering, we need to focus on the amazing benefit - our connection with Christ. ‘Children of God’? What does this mean?

Children is defined in Paul’s writings as those who are led by the Spirit of God and thus closely related to God. Ponder this a moment. Remember Christ’s emphasis on the importance of the Spirit?

The Spirit gives life (Jn 6:63). Only those who believe receive the Spirit (Jn 7:39). He dwells in and with believers (Jn 14:17). He is truth (Jn 14:17). The Spirit teaches us and reminds us of the truths we know (Jn 14:26). Furthermore, the Spirit guides us into all truth (Jn 16:13). Thus, the benefit of being led by the Spirit of God cannot be underrated (although, I fear, many of us take this far too much for granted). Secondly, we are closely related to God. While no one cares for everyone, and few give more than passing thought to those who they know only from a distance, even the most hard-hearted amongst us usually shows some concern, even love, for at least some of those to whom they are closely related.

How many times have you heard someone say, “. . .all things work together for good to those who love God. . .”? I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard that passage many times. While the words are true, I have had two issues with this:

One - the timing of the person quoting it, and

Two - a lack of understanding of the context

Deep in a hole of despair, the last thing you need is for someone to tell you how ‘good’ things are going to be. For one, you can’t see it. Your situation is so dark, so overwhelming, so all-encompassing, you literally cannot see beyond where you are.

For another, while we must know and believe Biblical truths, our ability to embrace these truths is often impeded by our sinful nature. In other words, when we need faith and hope to be strongest, we are often completely bowled over by fear and helplessness. While this is natural - it is only natural because it is part of our natural man - the sinful part of our makeup which challenges us on every turn.

In other words, were faith and hope uppermost in our feelings, we would not need someone to remind us God is working this for our good. However, not only do we not see God’s hand moving for good, we often interpret this and similar statements as mere platitudes. Mere word bandaids for a bigger problem.

However, as usual, the problem is our perspective. We often do not grasp the real meaning behind the words. Furthermore, we are only getting a ‘piece’ of the picture. In other words, when we or someone else quotes these words (and even when we think about them) we are usually guilty of taking them as ‘stand-alone’ advice. This is wrong.

There is great danger to the Christian who takes a passage out of context. For one, if we take a piece of what someone says and separate it from the context wherein it was presented, we can end up with a completely different picture of what the author was saying. For example, take my statement above, “. . .we need faith and hope to be strongest. . .” Out of context, you could make these words say just about anything.

Thus we need to exercise great caution when reading or quoting a passage of Scripture. This is NOT to imply we shouldn’t use Scripture, shouldn’t apply it to our lives, or even shouldn’t remind ourselves and others - even in the dark days - of Scripture’s truths. It does mean, however, we must not settle for quoting ‘pat’ phrases and ‘kind’ platitudes.

As usual, we need to dig deeper. We need to get the bigger picture. Then we can understand the author’s message. Once we understand, applying even such platitudish-sounding truths is actually easier - even in the dark times. Why? The more-complete our understanding of Scripture’s teaching, the more relevant its truths become to the real challenges in our lives.

Dear Lord, ignite in me a desire to go beyond ‘blind trust’ for blind trust will not stand in the day of trial. Lord, give me a deep longing to really know You, that in the really knowing You, I may find great comfort even in the day of trial.

Webster’s dictionary defines fear as: being afraid, feeling that evil or danger is near, dread.

Ten times Scripture tells us to ‘fear not’. Why are we to not fear? Because:

- God is present

- God hears us

- God will help us

- God will strengthen us

- God will uphold us

- God is our Redeemer

- God loves us

There are two kinds of fear. The kind of fear which comes on suddenly, usually from meeting an unexpected foe or when facing an unfamiliar or surprise situation. This form of fear can give us sweaty palms and quavering knees. It can render us speechless, erase our minds, and make us feel week.

Fear in this form is what a child experiences in the dark. The rush of adrenalin. The unexpected tears. The hunger for safety and familiarity. It is also the fear which an adult feels when facing a crowded room, waiting for them to speak. This is the most common form of fear.

We have all experienced this fear in some form. I remember, as a child, taking a flying jump to a from my bed because I feared the witches under my bed would grab my ankles.

While I knew, logically, there were no witches under my bed, my childish fears could not shake the certainty there must be some lurking there. My days were not haunted by witches. They did not visit my dreams, but getting in and out of my bed, their presence was always my first thought.

This is a ‘normal’ fear. A ‘simple’ fear. This was the fear which one outgrows. Granted, other, similar fears replace it - fear of heights, fear of close places, fear of losing someone I loved, fear of the school bully, and the like. However, the primary difference between this fear and the one I came to know later in life was, this fear was temporary. It did not cling. It did not paralyze. It did not haunt me day and night.

There is another kind of fear, closer akin to panic, which is much stronger, much more debilitating, and much harder to defeat. Fear, in this form, is a paralyzing agent. Our heart faints, our joints tremble, and our bones turn to water. This fear squeezes our chests. It saps our strength. It haunts our every waking moment and turns our dreams to nightmares.

When this fear stepped into my life, it came so quickly and with such force I found myself reeling from the effect. Fear so strong it overrode every other emotion. Fear so intense it left me breathless. Fear so powerful I found myself helpless. Fear so electrifying it left me motionless. I learned to call this fear my ‘unwelcome guest’. Unwelcome because I hated to be under its power. Guest because I fervently wanted it to leave.

Facing this fear was a whole new ball game. While I had been able to talk myself out of lesser fears, I found I could no longer think, let alone talk in the face of this new foe. While I had found strength to move forward in the truths I knew when facing past fears, this fear shattered my faith. It brought me to my knees in helplessness not in prayer.

While simple fear increases our faith in baby steps, paralyzing fear forces us to re-examine our beliefs from the inside out. For, the only way to reach the road beyond this fear is to pass through it.

This fear is what I believe David was referring to when he spoke of ‘the valley of the shadow of death’. A valley so dark, you see no light. A way so precarious, you cannot move ahead.

How does one deal with this kind of fear? There are several plans of attack which I hope to discuss in future posts. Today I will mention the most basic, the first principle, in facing deep, dark, defeating fear.

Remember the truth. What does David tell us? “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Ps 56:3). David’s trust is in God. David reminds himself he is secure in God’s arms. David reminds himself he can trust God’s plan. David reminds himself he can rest in God’s care. This is Fear Management 101. We must remind ourselves we can and must trust our God.Easy to say. Hard to do? Most definitely, yes. Nonetheless, by God’s grace I have learned this is the only clear ‘light’ in valley of the shadow of death. Remember David’s words in Psalm, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” (verse 4)

One final note, some have suggested David’s reference to God’s rod and staff in verse 4 are a reference to God’s corrective actions in our lives - keeping us on the path. While there is validity to this interpretation, anyone who has really walked in the valley can see another equally valid and infinitely more comforting interpretation here.

God’s rod and staff protect us. One of the most frightening things about facing deep, dark, defeating fear is the total blackness which descends on our lives. When our way is dark, when we cannot see, when we cannot even think where to go from here, we must grasp on to our Savior and depend on His rod and staff to protect us from what we cannot even describe.

Thank you, kind Father, for the reassurance that You will never leave us nor forsake us. When life beats us down, when we cannot see our way, when we understand so little we do not even know how to pray, thank You for the assurance You are as close as You have ever been. Teach us, dear Father, especially in the better times, to lean more heavily upon You. Build in us a strong faith. Form in our hearts an unwavering confidence in Your goodness. Create in us a secure knowledge of Your purpose for our lives. Then, Father, when the darkness falls and the evil winds blow, give us the grace to draw upon these truths that we may trust in You with full assurance.