Distress & Sorrow Relief

Posted on September 17, 2010 by JohnJ

Lest you think from all the words of praise and joy and blessing that life is a great party the reality is that pain, distress and terror are a part of it too. This Friday morning when walking into the office I heard I had the “on-call laptop” next week, and immediately my heart sank and soon I was in a full blown funk. This purchasing job is deplorable enough with the heavy workload, the information overload and the minutia of procedures, which are completely impossible to follow, and now I get to live it 24 hours by being on-call, making it all despicable. Then my migraine kick in, and I knew it was not going to be a good Friday. There was no joy, no camaraderie, even the drudgery of the daily tasks were more dreary than usual. I even felt I’d be in no mood to even read my Bible at lunch, a life-line which I find invaluable, a mid-day moment of restoring some sanity to my world. I find the Bible makes far more sense than this job does, which most times makes no sense at all, with the over-complexities and built in confusion and conflicts. I felt I was going to be in no mood to even open the Book when lunch time came. I just wanted to find a dark place and disappear.

So when I was finally able to take a lunchbreak I headed outside to escape. I found a place to sit and managed to open the Word, to the Psalms where I’m currently reading my way through the Word from cover to cover. It was Psalm 116. I was surprised at what I read as it pretty much matched my depressed mood. The writer expressed things like:

Psa 116:3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
Psa 116:4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!”
Psa 116:8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling.
Psa 116:10 I believed when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

Even verse 15 expressed something I could relate to on this day:

Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

That was me, “Give me relief, take me into Your presence, please!”

That pretty much summed up what I was feeling. When you need rescuing you aren’t usually in the bliss of the mountaintop experience. No, you’re in the pit of despair or on the edge of the precipice, feeling like death, just needing a breath of wind to push you over. It is not unlike terror in many ways, and definitely like being afflicted. It’s not something you get over easily, you don’t just snap out of it. It is painful and it takes time to plough through it.

But even in the funk of this gloom the Lord doesn’t leave you alone. In imperceptible ways He’s slowly guiding you through it. You do need to take the time to make your through it. I found some small relief in reading this Psalm seeing that someone has gone through such despair and lived to tell about it. To tell how he made it.

Even in the first verse he gives the answer, before he even lists the horrors he felt:

Psa 116:1 I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications.
Psa 116:2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

So I’m not just crying out into the void of the vast universe, someone does hear and respond.

Psa 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
Psa 116:6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
Psa 116:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Psa 116:16 O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds.

In spite of the gloom and depression with which sometimes life drags us down there is ultimately a response to fight it. It’s not always easy to see, the resolution isn’t often perceptible to engage, but if you take enough time to look for it, it can be found. I was grateful for fighting through and expending the energy to open His Word.

Psa 116:12 What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?

[Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1995]

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An Urgent Read, or Urge to Read

Posted on September 16, 2010 by JohnJ

I’ve heard the claim that the Bible is the largest selling book in the world, and it is also the least read book in the world. I can imagine this might have some validity. If this is more than an urban legend, how can we be stimulated to read the Bible more?

I guess this also begs the question, why read the Bible? I’ve heard the argument that you go to church and hear the Bible plenty. That should be enough, right?

I guess such a cursory experience with the Scripture would be adequate if the book was merely a collection of wise or ok or decent sayings and stories. Things to ponder perhaps that might help you be a better person if you had such an inclination and need. It’s just a book to help you be a good person, isn’t it?

That could be the problem. If it was just a collection of human wisdom culled throughout the ages, then just about any book would do, and I suppose usually does for a lot of folk. You could use any text, say from Confucius in the ancient world to “I’m OK, You’re OK,” from the 1970s. Why resort to a ponderous book like the Bible?

First the Bible doesn’t claim to be the culmination of man’s wisdom gathered on his evolutionary journey from caveman to “ascended being.” If read from cover to cover it makes a unique claim that the God who created all things has been intimately engaged with His creation from the beginning. So much so that He became man, walked among us, was rejected by us and killed by us. And with His overcoming that ultimate sacrifice gave mankind a way to return to fellowship. It is that fellowship that is at the root of the Bible. First the enjoyment of it, then its loss, then its recovery. There isn’t another book like it.

But is that enough to compel us to read the Bible? Recall an early time getting to know that special person, boyfriend, girlfriend, those glorious days of romance and discovery, where every waking thought was of that person, you were giddy at the though of your next meeting. Love letters left on each others car windshields of school lockers were treasured to read over and over again, weighing the meaning of every thought and word.

The Word of God is like that, at least from His perspective. Somehow we don’t quite treat His word with the same contemplative ardor. Though shouldn’t we? Isn’t it the same? How about:

Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psa 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”

Psa 104:33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psa 104:34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.

There is a delight in that relationship that constrains us to ponder His grace and mercy towards us. And why wouldn’t we be so enamored with the one who gave us His life for our own just because He loved us. Why wouldn’t we read and reread how He came to save us and call us to His blessing. Such a love letter has never been known, as that which He wrote to us.

How else but in such a frame of mind of joy and peace should we regard the word of our beloved Lord. How difficult is it to put yourself in a mood to consider the person He is and the things He’s done if we care little for those things in the first place, if our heart is less than fully engaged with Him? If we are little thrilled with His grace how much like work and drudgery it is to pick up a Bible and read about Him, especially when there are so many wonderful diversions of this world that keep us occupied, right?

True, after a brutal day at work when all the soul is seemingly sucked out of you that when you get home you can barely concentrate to read the paper, eat dinner, talk with your spouse, pet the cat, watch TV. But actually, taking the effort to pick up the Word, using a current version of Scripture that speaks the language of today, you just may find that even for a few minutes of dwelling on the thoughts and acts of God you may find a little rest for your weary soul. Psa 94:19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. His Word has a way of refreshing the exhausted, and you may agree with the Psalmist: Psa 119:92 If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. And you might find yourself spending more time than you expected in His company.

[Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1995]

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What Blessings – Psalm 103

Posted on September 14, 2010 by JohnJ

I think it was when I was a freshmen at Bryan College I chose Psalm 103 to memorize, just for the fun of it. For some memorizing Scripture is a challenge. I dwell in that camp. But Psalm 103 is one of those delightful Psalms, cheerfully regaling the glories of the Lord towards His people. Just 22 verses long. But the things the Psalm says makes the task of memorization a bit easier.

Psa 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Not just with the head, or heart or brain or spirit should I bless the Lord, but with everything I have, all my energy. Consider what that means in terms of something like playing football or ice hockey. You need to energize every muscle in order to have your way with the ball or puck or the opposing team. Your entire person is involved in order to coordinate your body to meet its objective, and ward off the aggressive attacks of the opposition. You need to keep your head in the game. Your spirit needs to be energized so you don’t loose heart and get deflated. Its a lot of work. The consider what it could mean to bless our Lord “all that is within me.” It is no inconsiderable effort. You don’t do that half asleep, or haphazardly. You focus, focus, focus.

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

And what makes it less like work than a joy is because of what He’s done for you:

Psa 103:3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
Psa 103:4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Psa 103:5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psa 103:6 The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.

It is not a dreary thing to be under the care of the Great Physician, eh? Who wouldn’t like to have your youth renewed like the eagle, or have all your iniquities pardoned?

Psa 103:9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
Psa 103:10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Psa 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

We are not getting out just desserts; if we did we’d be obliterated in a moment. No, He gives us what we do not deserve, forgiveness, pardon. This really is the ultimate reward, and the best expression of His lovingkindness. He throws our sins far from us. The distance from the East to the West is not like in the circle of Earth, travelling in opposite directions untill they meet again halfway around the globe. No, this is like from one end of the universe to the other. In other words, an unmeasurable distance. Once He forgives it can’t be recalled to memory it is just too far away. Wow!

Psa 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psa 103:14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

Our God is not just some dispassionate judge looking askance and with disdain on His miserable creatures. He is like a loving father, deeply passionate toward his children, with just such tenderness of love. He knows we aren’t supermen, able to withstand the bitter arrows of this mortal coil. We are just the frailty of dust. But He nurtures and protects and guides us anyway.

Psa 103:15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
Psa 103:16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.
Psa 103:17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,
Psa 103:18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.

Man is like dirt but with the spark of our Creator, and He has promised to take us under His wing and guide us into everlasting joy in His company for all time. There is a hope worthy of obtaining.

Psa 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
Psa 103:20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
Psa 103:21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.
Psa 103:22 Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!

This is our God, who is like Him and to whom can you compare? His dominion and sovereignty is all encompassing. Who else would you seek for life. He is awesome and majestic. This Psalm describes how we should see Him every moment. Such a God is a great encouragement in these perilous and uncertain times. Surrender yourself to Him, and let Him lift you up!

[Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1995]

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Besieged Israel

Posted on September 12, 2010 by JohnJ

It is a hard thing to say, a bitter thing. But it must be said. God Himself has said it, so don’t blame me. Psalm 81 begins the thought and it continues through Psalm 82 and 83. Israel has turned away from her God, has rejected the One who gave her glory, and just as it was two thousand some years ago, it still is today. And she is reaping the bitter harvest of her apostasy, the enemy is at the gates. But there is still time.

Psalm 81 1-7 begins the subject with the foundation, the call to give God the glory due Him since He is the source of their blessings.

And then this:

Psa 81:8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
Psa 81:9 “Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
Psa 81:10 “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
Psa 81:11 “But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.
Psa 81:12 “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.
Psa 81:13 “Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
Psa 81:14 “I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries.

In spite of everything He did for them, in spite of the promises of all good things, they continually turned away. The troubles they endured would be overcome if only they would keep faithful, would keep His commandments. But they could not retain Him foremost in their lives, in their government, in their worship. They turned to themselves and to strange gods.

Psa 82:1 God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.
Psa 82:2 How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.
Psa 82:3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
Psa 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psa 82:5 They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Psa 82:6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.
Psa 82:7 “Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes.”

This description of Israeli society is not flattering; strange that it could really be as deplorable, as unjust, as described here. We don’t know the individual instances but the society must have been oppressive in this condition. The consequences would be devastating because of this rejection of the One who was their only hope.

Psa 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.

Then Psalm 83 continues the theme:

Psa 83:1 O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
Psa 83:2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves.
Psa 83:3 They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.
Psa 83:4 They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
Psa 83:5 For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:

Just as it was then so it is today. God used other nations as tools of punishment for the sins of Israel, the Babylonian Captivity, the Assyrian captivity was the result. God warned them if they did not treat Him as God He would destroy he glorious city of David, and demolish the temple where He chose His name to dwell. And it happened, not a stone was left standing of the Temple. But He didn’t forget them in their captivity, He allowed the land to have its Seventy Years of Sabbaths.

Even so today, Israel has rejected its Lord and God. And she is besieged on every side. Since World War II ended she has returned from the recent captivity, recreating the Jewish State. But she is still without her God, since she rejected God’s only way to redemption, the One they crucified and resurrected long ago. And now she is surrounded by her enemies who swear by her destruction.

Psa 83:6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites;
Psa 83:7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Psa 83:8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have become a help to the children of Lot. Selah.
Psa 83:9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
Psa 83:10 Who were destroyed at En-dor, Who became as dung for the ground.
Psa 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
Psa 83:12 Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

But in the midst of all this God still cares for His people. Since the Resurrection He has called out of the world, out of many nations, a remnant, a people for His own possession. In Romans 9:25 Paul quotes this verse from Hosea 2:23 “I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!'” Though He has called His Church out of the nations He has not neglected His promises to Israel. But, just as in Old Testament times, Israel must return to God with a whole heart. Jeremiah told them (15:19 “thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you.” And He will be their protection from the hordes massed against her.

Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind.
Psa 83:14 Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire,
Psa 83:15 So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm.
Psa 83:16 Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
Psa 83:17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish,
Psa 83:18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.

So while today Israel is surrounded by those who seek her destruction she still needs to return with their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Way the Truth and the Life, the only name among men by which we can be saved, as Peter told them in the Temple after Pentecost. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. She remains apart from her God even while maintaining her current national identity.

God will indeed work again in Israel, and will have a remnant return, just as they returned from the captivity millennia ago. But only when their eyes are opened, and their hearts become His. And He will deal with her enemies, just as He promised. “That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.”

[Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1995]

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Encouragement

Posted on September 10, 2010 by JohnJ

As I read through the Bible again, I am now in Psalms. I wanted to write about the less used Scriptures. There are the big Scriptures we all know like, “You must be born again.” “For God so loved the world . . . .” But my NASB has 233 pages of New Testament and 800 pages of Old. There are remarkable passages throughout, indeed on every page if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, as our Lord was prone to say frequently.

Psalm 77 is where I am right now. Here’s what I see from select verses.

Times are tough these days for vast numbers of people, what with the wars around the world and unprecedented natural disasters, to the economy at home wreaking havoc and distress among so many families. Our Coping skills are taxed to the breaking point and even beyond for many. To where or to what do you turn? The Psalmist gives voice to just such sentiment and ponders how to deal with the abyss of grief and trial, as he searches for the answer.

Psa 77:1 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
Psa 77:2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted.

There are those who’s grief and troubles are so vast they can think of little else, it becomes consuming to the point of despair.

Psa 77:7 Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again?
Psa 77:8 Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever?
Psa 77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?

It is quite easy in our frail humanity to feel abandoned by God. “Why have you forsaken me,” was even Jesus cry while He hung on the cross. When pain is overwhelming, physical or emotional or both, and all you can see is the miserable state of your soul it is easy to feel so utterly neglected.

Psa 77:11 I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
Psa 77:12 I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.

At some time, hopefully before the breaking point, we have to get to the place where we look beyond our pain. It might take a while but God will wait for us and assist us to finally look up rather than down. But it isn’t just a vague stare into the nothingness of a dark universe, but it is gazing at a concrete Person and pondering those deeds done by Him that eventually stir in us a calming influence.

Psa 77:13 Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God?
Psa 77:14 You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.
Psa 77:15 You have by Your power redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

First consider the Person and then the performance. He is holy, and just such a person to be worthy of our trust and faith. There is no one and nothing that can even come close to His amazing power and glory. From the beginning of time He has done phenomenally fabulous things. There aren’t enough superlatives to employ. Just read the historical boos of the Bible and see how great and awesome a God it is that daily cares for man, and especially His chosen. Time after time He works in miraculous ways in their walk with Him. It is so worth reading, from Genesis through the Books of the Kings, and all the rest, to be amazed at His faithfulness and His patience toward Israel, and indeed all mankind.

Psa 77:16 The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled.
Psa 77:17 The clouds poured out water; The skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed here and there.
Psa 77:18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.
Psa 77:19 Your way was in the sea And Your paths in the mighty waters, And Your footprints may not be known.

Not only in His dealings with mankind, but His hand is revealed in the forces of nature which always remain under His personal immanent control. There have been some awesome storms that have rolled through my coastal Georgia area, some of the most turbulent and menacing thunderclouds I’ve ever seen. In this barrier island I have never in my life seen such impressive lightning displays. A few weeks ago one late evening the lightning show lasted over an hour and with flashes so continuous there was hardly a break between. It got so intense on two occasions, the lightning flashes were so bright that the street lights turned off! The brightness and persistent light fooled the photo-sensors in the street lights into thinking it was daytime and they turned off! I thought there must have been a power outage, as there has been frequently in my area, but all the houselights were still on. It was a supreme display of electrical power that streamed from the finger of God. It was awesome!

Psa 77:20 You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

The Psalmist is saying that even in the depths of our pain and trials, if we can only manage to look up and beyond ourselves there is a comfort in knowing Who is there and in control. This understanding can set our minds more at ease, can give us a measure of peace to help us through. The Great Shepherd has not forgotten about you. Since He holds all things together, including the atoms, by the word of His power, if He did forget about you or any of His creation, the you and it would cease to exist. If you still exist then you know for certain He has not forgotten you. Indeed, this is put most heartbreakingly in Isaiah 49:16, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands . . . .” The crucified brand marks on Jesus’ resurrected body make it impossible that you are forgotten by Him, even for a moment. With that you can be encouraged.

[Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1995]

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