Category Archives: Christian Life

WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS?

Christian Life, ,

WHY, GOD?

‭Acts of the Apostles 17:27-28 NLT‬
[27] “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. [28] For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “

I’ve borrowed my title from Philip Yancey’s book because it aptly asks the question we all ask when life turns sour.

Sometimes, when life deals us a really hard blow, we wonder, “Where is God? Is He really in charge? Why did this happen to me?”

Job had been living a blessed life and blessing others…healthy, prosperous, a wife and great family, a good name, honoured in his community, generous and full of good works but, in a few days, everything was gone, even his wife turned against him.

This was Job’s cry when he was reduced to sitting on an ash heap, scraping his painful sores, “God, where are you?”

‭Job 23:3 NLT‬
[3]”If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court.”

‭Job 23:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. [9] I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.”

Do you feel like Job felt in your pain and suffering?

Where is God? Is He beyond our reach? What does the Bible say?

Many Scriptures reassure us that God is everywhere.

Solomon prayed…

‭1 Kings 8:27 NLT‬
[27] “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”

If God fills heaven, the universe, the entire creation, then He must be everywhere, even encasing the earth in His presence.

David prayed…

‭Psalms 139:7-12 NLT‬
[7]”I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! [8] If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. [9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, [10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. [11] I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— [12] but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

The witness of Scripture assures us that we are encased in God’s presence, above us, beneath us, and all around us,…and even within us by His Spirit.

So, when disaster strikes, where is God? Right there! All around us! He knows! He supervises! He is in charge! He’s doing something…for our good.

All He requires from us is trust. Trouble is, we collapse in self-pity before He has finished what He started. What if we remained calm, and stayed on the path until we understand what He is doing in our lives. We may not like what has happened but the outcome may be far better than we anticipated.

Job discovered, when he let God finish what He started, that the God he trusted was worthy of all his trust because He is always good.

‭‭Psalms 34:18-20 NLT‬
[18] “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. [19] The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. [20] For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!”

Let’s learn the truth of what Paul said, “In Him we live, and move, and exist.” When we are sure that we are encased in God’s presence every moment, whatever happens, good or bad, God is there, and God is good. We can trust Him. He is faithful. He will work it out for our good and for His glory.

THE GOD WHO PROTECTS

Christian Life, ,

Have you ever thought about how safe we are in God?

The Bible says that we are surrounded and encased in Him.

Sometimes we need to know that He is ahead of us. Our future is always an unknown. We have important decisions to make that will affect us and our families for a long time. How can we know that the choices we make are the correct ones?

We have His assurance that He goes before us.

‭John 10:27 NLT‬
[27] “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus will guide us unerringly if we listen to His voice. He promised to make our paths straight when we put Him in the centre of everything we do.

‭Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT‬
[5] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

‭Psalms 32:8 NLT‬
[8] “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

His guidance also takes care of those times when we take a wrong turn in life. He doesn’t leave us to flounder in our mistakes. He comes to our aid with His gentle voice that redirects us to the right way when we have deviated from His way.

‭Isaiah 30:21 NLT‬
[21]”Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.”

“To the right or to the left” is an expression that, in some cases, implies, getting sidetracked or distracted from God’s path.

‭Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV‬
[25] “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. [26] Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. [27] Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

‭Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT‬
[25]”Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. [26] Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. [27] Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

God’s got our backs. He is determined to keep us on track to the end of the road to glory.

However, God is not only all around us; He is also above us and beneath us, moving us upward towards Himself and preventing us from falling away from Him. He is on the throne, urging us to seek Him where He is, above, reigning and in charge of all our circumstances. We are where He is, in Him, safe and secure until the day we see Him face-to-face.

‭Colossians 3:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [2] Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. [3] For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

We also have the assurance that He is underneath us, ensuring that we never fall to our doom.

‭Deuteronomy 33:26-27 NLT‬
[26] “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. [27] The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ “

‭Jude 1:24 NLT‬
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.“

Paul endorsed the sentiments of a Greek poet who wrote,

‭Acts of the Apostles 17:28 NLT‬
[28] “For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Most of all, God’s got us safely enclosed in His hand.

‭John 10:28-30 NLT‬
[28]”I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.”

‭Colossians 3:3 NLT‬
[3]”For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So, dear readers, in a world full of dangers, uncertainties, and insecurities, we can have the utmost confidence in the God who surrounds us from side to side and above and beneath. His presence encases us and promises us safe passage through all the ‘dangers, toils, and snares’ (of John Newton’s ‘Amazing Grace’), of this life until we reach our eternal home.

‭Psalms 5:12 NLT‬
[12] “For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”

Only in Thee, O Savior mine,
Dwelleth my soul in peace divine,
Peace that the world, though all combine,
Never can take from me.
Pleasures of earth, so seemingly sweet,
Fail at the last my longings to meet;
Only in Thee my bliss is complete,
Only, dear Lord, in Thee!

  1. Only in Thee a radiance bright,
    Shines like a beacon in the night,
    Guiding my pilgrim bark aright,
    Over life’s trackless sea.
    Only in Thee, when troubles molest,
    When with temptation I am oppressed,
    There is a sweet pavilion of rest,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!
  2. Only in Thee, when days are drear,
    When neither sun nor stars appear,
    Still I can trust and feel no fear,
    Sing when I cannot see.
    Only in Thee, whatever betide,
    All of my need is freely supplied;
    There is no help nor helper beside,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!
  3. Only in Thee, dear Savior, slain,
    Losing Thy life my own to gain,
    Trusting, I’m cleansed from ev’ry stain;
    Thou art my only plea.
    Only in Thee my heart will delight,
    Till in that land where cometh no night
    Faith will be lost in heavenly sight,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #5263
All representative texts • Compare texts^ top
Author: Thomas O. Chisholm
Dianne Shapiro, from “The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers” by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916)…

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Christian Life, ,

We often hear or read that history is “His story”. When we think about it, how true that is from God’s perspective.

However, God isn’t only writing, He has already written a massive story, the first page before time and the last page after the end of time. His story covers everything relating to this earth from its re-formation in Genesis 1 to its restoration in Revelation 21.

He tells us what was happening in the heavenly realm before He breathed out the first word of creation at the beginning of time. However, we must research carefully and picture the story from the snippets of information scattered throughout the Bible. This makes the story more interesting, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle to see what the big picture is about.

Let me say that I don’t have all the details of the story. Perhaps I have what I need to help us uncover the plot.

We can attach many themes to the Bible, but the one theme that stands out above others is the story of salvation – God’s plan to rescue creation from the threat of total destruction. “Creation” means, first, His human creation because we are the focus of His attention. Second, natural creation has a big part to play in His rescue plan.

‭Romans 8:20-22 NLT‬
[20] “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, [21] the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. [22] For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

Why does God want to rescue and restore everything He has made? Despite the horror of what has happened since sin came into the world, God still desires a human family of sons and daughters to live with Him forever and to share in the administration of His world.

He did what was necessary to deal with the sin problem… punished His own Son in our place… forgave and removed our guilt and restored in us His own presence, the Holy Spirit. He also set about restoring His image in us, distorted by a rebellious nature that demands attention and does everything to satisfy its own selfish desires, so that we become like His Son.

He supervises all our circumstances to teach us how to trust His love and to submit to His authority. He tests us, with hardships and difficulties, to examine our progress towards His goal.

Sometimes we feel like clothing in a tumble dryer, tossed around by inexplicable hardships that leave us frustrated and bewildered. Is this really God? How can I be sure that He is still in control?

The way we interpret these happenings will determine our progress towards God’s goal. Lose our trust in God and we continue to flounder in uncertainty and insecurity. Keep our eyes on the bigger picture, and our struggles fall into place, start making sense, and keep us on track with God’s plan.

Paul gives us a good rule-of-thumb to help us see things from God’s perspective…

‭Philippians 3:12-14 NLT‬
[12]”I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Forget what has happened in the past and what’s happening now and press on in faith and patience towards the goal of God’s perfection. He is with us in this purpose. He promised to finish what He started.

‭Philippians 1:6 NLT‬
[6]”And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

‭2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT‬
[18] “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

So, the things that happen to us only make sense when we take the long look. Today may be dark and dismal but the bad times won’t last forever. Our future is bright with God’s promise of glory in His presence in resurrected bodies and the nature of Jesus perfected in us.

FULL STEAM AHEAD – 13

Christian Life, ,

Peter 5:10-11 NLT‬
[10] “In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. [11] All power to him forever! Amen.”

Peter concludes this gem of a letter with a vote of confidence in the Ones who occupy the theme of his writing, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

He puts everything into their correct order – ‘a little while’ of suffering now, an eternity of glory with Them. Though Peter doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit by name, he knows that He is always present because He administers to us all that God has made available by His grace.

The interim on earth is an important time for us. It is the apprenticeship we serve here for our place and function in God’s eternal kingdom.

Trouble is, we are often so caught up in the struggles of this life that we lose sight of their purpose. Learning to take the long look is the secret of navigating trouble with patience, perseverance, and hope.

‭2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT‬
[18] “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

We learn to ‘have finished with sin’ by celebrating the weaknesses that keep our feet on the ground in place of flying above in the realm of make-believe or mouthing our discontent and unbelief, and wiping off our unhappiness on others. When we trust God instead of trying to change what we don’t like, God will trust us with a future more glorious than we can imagine.

So, as Peter urges us throughout his letter, let’s stay within the boundaries of God’s infallible and enduring Word. Through this Word, we have been born again. Through this Word, we have the prescriptions for living holy lives.

Through this living Word, Jesus Himself, we have the model and mentor for enduring the sufferings associated with this life and the prospect of an eternity with Him. Through this Word, we have the promise of a support system that will see us through to the end, God’s Holy Spirit who dispenses all the grace and mercy we need to overcome all the obstacles on our way to glory.

It’s full steam ahead for all who have the goal in mind with no intention of not reaching it. All the negatives we experience mean we will not fail because God is determined to keep us on track. He wil do whatever it takes to get us home safely. It’s His promise!

AN EFFECTIVE EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM – 12

Christian Life, ,

‭1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. [9] Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.“

Peter’s gems not only highlight our blessings, they also alert us to danger. He should know! After all, he fell hard because he failed to heed Jesus’s warning.
He knew how painful it was to get up and continue after a terrible failure. Only on hindsight did he realise that he had allowed himself to be ‘devoured’ by the devil.

Why do lions roar? They roar to protect their territory, and their females and offspring. “Stay away. These are my girls and kids. Leave them alone.” There are always young bachelor lions looking for an opportunity to drive out the ruling lion and take over their pride.

If a challenging lion wins the battle, he takes over the lionesses and kills his opponent’s cubs so that he can pass on his genes to the next generation.

Do you get the picture? Lions don’t roar on the hunt. They are ambush and stealth hunters. Roaring on the hunt woud blow their cover. They roar when they announce their possession of territory and family and when they have won their battle against a challenger.

I have pondered Peter’s simile and wondered how he saw the connection. Did he really know how lions behave? He had no TV to watch them hunt from his arm chair!

I’m starting to get the picture.

Satan is the arch deceiver. He wants us to believe that he owns us. He roars to protect his territory. He uses our failures to reinforce his claim. He lures us into sin through our ungodly desires, making them appear attractive.

When we sin, he pounces to devour us. He accuses us, “Now look what you’ve done! God’s finished with you! You see, I told you that you belong to me. You are in my territory, under my authority….” and the accusations go on, triggering guilt, shame, and fear.

So, Satan continues to devour us by driving us to despair, to give up on God because it’s no use trying to be good and to follow Him. I’m sure that we have all been in that place at some time in our lives.

What’s the solution? Peter gives us sound counsel.

  1. Be alert!
    It’s going to happen sooner or later. Our treacherous old nature will trip us up. When it does…
  2. Recognise the source
    Temptation to sin, and condemnation when we sin, is never from God. He doesn’t work that way. These are the devil’s tactics to lure us back into his domain. We must never accept condemnation. Guilt is the key to discern the source of our feeling bad.
  3. Stand on God’s Word

Fear says, “Devil, you are right. I am guilty. I have offended God. He has cut me off from Himself. It’s no use trying. I’ll always fail. I might as well give up.”

Faith says, “Devil, you are right. I am guilty of offending God, but… I have an Advocate who is my Defender. He died in my place to forgive me and remove my sin. I am not condemned. I am forgiven and restored by His grace.”

1John 2:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

  1. Suffering is not punishment but purifying

How often we think that our troubles are God-inflicted punishment for some wrong we have done. We blame the devil for our suffering and try to go after him with futile ‘praying-against’ prayers. Not so! Peter reminded his readers that believers everywhere were being persecuted for their faith.

From God’s perspective, trials and hardships are not punishment but tests to purify and strengthen our confidence in Him. Paul discovered that it was his weakness that qualified him for God’s grace. Instead of wilting under the ‘poor me syndrome’ (PMS!), stand on God’s truth that you are a new creation, belonging to Him, and He has made provision for those times when we do sin.

The ‘roaring lion’ is lying when he roars that we belong to him. We belong to Christ… forever, even if we are still imperfect. The ‘hunting lion’ is off limits when he seeks to devour us as prey. We are not his to hunt. He has no grounds to take us down. We have been bought with precious blood by, and are under the protection of ‘the Lion of Judah’. No wandering bachelor lion dare challenge Him or His pride.

So, dear brothers, and sisters, let’s heed the warning and stay protected in the boundaries of God’s promises, safe from accusation and condemnation, and becoming the devil’s next meal!