Trusting the Lord even in the Bad

Psalm 112:6-8 – “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

 
One of my favorite past times is reading superhero comic books. I love seeing the development of these characters who transform from ordinary human beings into heroes in their own right, heroes who at times are called to make the greatest sacrifice of their lives. One current story that I am reading is called Fear Itself, where an ancient Norse villain called the Serpent causes mass fear to occur throughout the world by sending his minions to spread fear. He does this because fear gives him more strength. In telling this story, the writers did a great job in showing the fears of many of these superheroes. We see Spider-man with fear in his eyes as he constantly worries about what has happened to his dear Aunt May. We see Captain America afraid that all hope is lost. We even see fear in the heart of Odin, the father of Thor, making him act irrationally and causing him to plan to destroy the earth all together to prevent fear from empowering the Serpent. This storyline just showed that all men, even superheroes and mythological Norse gods, are afraid of something.

 
The title for this story was actually inspired from a famous line in the first inaugural address given by President FDR – “…The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He spoke these words to try to bring comfort to the American people who were struggling through the Great Depression. He was trying to remind them that fear is irrational, but the fears of every person were elevated as people had no clue if the economy would ever recover, if they would ever be able to own homes again, or if they would even be able to put food on the table. The conditions of that time sound very similar to what we are experiencing today. No wondering fear is running rampant in our society today.

 
But we find quite the surprise in our passage today, for Psalm 112 tell us that a righteous man is not afraid even when bad news comes and his adversaries attack, instead he firmly trusts in the Lord and is never moved from his faith. The reason this man is not afraid is because he simply knows who is in control and who his hope and trust is founded in – the LORD. He knows that the God he serves is faithful and just. He knows that the God he serves is loving, merciful, and gracious. He knows that the God he serves is both Creator of the universe but also the loving Father and Keeper of his soul. These verses are a strong reminder to every Christian that the God whom they serve is one in whom they can place their trust. They need not fear persecution by men, hard economic times, or even bad news in health, family, or work, for they are watched over by a loving Heavenly Father whose plan for them is bigger, better, and greater than they can imagine. Let us not be fearful when difficult times arise, but instead trust in the Lord knowing that He is our Rock, our Shield, and our Salvation. Proverbs 18:10 states, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” We can be assured that if we run to the Lord in our troubles, if we lean our burdens on Him, and if we cast all our cares upon Him, He will take care of it all. Stand firm without fear for the Lord is with you, and you can trust Him even in the bad.
Other verses of encouragement:

• Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble.God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah”

 

• Psalm 18:2 – “The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower.”

 

• 2 Samuel 22:31 – “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

 

• John 10:28-29 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

Bigger, Better, Greater

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

 

Almost every time I watch TV, I catch at least one commercial advertising some sort of fast food whether McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., Burger King, or any other favorites. They usually show, in a hunger-inducing, get your taste buds salivating kind of way, a new burger that they have just created. From these commercials, I am convinced that the burger is so unbelievably delicious that I can’t help but visit the closest store to try that new burger. Unfortunately, most of the time I am quite disappointed by the purchase and go home unsatisfied. The burger was only half as good as it looked on television! I get even more disappointed when I decide to try some Mom and Pop’s store that was recommended by a show on Food Network or the Travel Channel. I go into the restaurant, try the specialty dish, and then come out unsatisfied again. Either I am a difficult person to please, or these dishes are just not living up to the hype.

Certainly we have all had these experiences where we were disappointed with something that we thought would be “amazing.” Because of the tendency of our plans or ideals not meeting our expectations, it is easy to bring this type of thinking into our lives spiritually. But the opposite is true with God’s plans for us. His plans are always bigger, better, and greater than we can imagine. In our passage today, the LORD tells His people, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you…thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (The word thoughts has been translated as plans in other versions.) The context for this verse indicates that the people of Israel were currently in Babylonian captivity. Just like any person in bondage, they sought for freedom from their captors. Many false prophets were telling the people that in just a matter of time the Lord would break this yoke of bondage and set them free. But Jeremiah was preaching an entirely different message, a message actually from the Lord, which was instructing the people to adjust to this life in captivity, for they were going to be there for a while. The Lord was telling the people to start building houses, planting gardens, raising children, and even praying for their captors. The Lord basically told them that they needed to get used to this life in captivity until their exile was complete. This plan definitely would not have sounded appealing to the Israelites. But the Lord made sure to remind them that His thoughts and His plans are plans that are bigger, better, and greater than they could imagine – plans that would bring about peace and an expected end. Their best plan was to be free from the yoke of the Babylonians right this instant, but God’s plan was to deliver the Babylonians into the hand of the Persians for utter destruction, to return the captive Israelites to their land, and to even have the Persian king provide supplies to rebuild the Temple of God. It was a bigger, better, and greater plan. Another more obvious example is with Jesus Christ. The Jewish people thought their Messiah had come to earth to free them from their Roman captors, but Christ came to do so much more than that. He came to free all people – no matter what nationality – from their captivity to sin. Freedom from death over freedom from people, clearly the former is much greater.

In our lives today, it is easy to get caught up in planning our next moves, deciding that we have all the control and can pilot our lives the best, since we “must know ourselves better than anyone else knows us.” But the obvious truth is that God knows us better than we know ourselves, meaning that His plans will always be bigger, better, and greater plans for us. One of my great mentors in the faith is Pastor Verne Campbell. He recently moved to state of Washington, reluctantly leaving his ministry as a hospital chaplain here in California. Now, he is looking for ministry opportunities in Washington, where he can continue to serve as a chaplain whether it be at a nursing home or hospital. When we prayed about it this last Saturday, it got me thinking about how we often think we can come up with a great way to serve God. We feel that we have this wonderful, well-thought out plan that will impress God, but in actuality, our idea was just the tip of the iceberg of what God had planned for us. God’s plans are always bigger, better, and greater than we can even consider. Let us trust in our Almighty God and Savior to devise plans for us that seek our peace and our expected end.

Precious Value

Isaiah 43:3-4 – “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.”
“I would do anything for a ______________.” This phrase is one of the most common phrases spoken in the English language. It is probably used at least one hundred times a year by a person, although I have no statistics to prove that. Nonetheless, this phrase is used very often. A few weeks ago, people filled the blank in with the Iphone 5. Many people who were not quick enough to get onto the pre-order ended up waiting in line for several hours in order to get their hands on this precious new gadget. They were willing to forgo a day of work so that they could own this toy. My cousin even told me about a person who bought 3-5 Iphone 5’s for $1000 a piece. That person definitely would do anything for that toy. But certainly, nobody would be crazy enough to die for an Iphone? Right? The Iphone 5 only carries up to a certain a value.
Every item has a price, and that price is a strong indication as to how much that person treasures that item. For instance, a person will usually price a car he owns for more than a book sitting on his shelf, because clearly he believes the car has a higher value than the book. One can easily infer that the man treasures his car more than his book. But what if that book was the first book he had ever received from his father or mother or was signed by Charles Dickens? Most likely the man would treasure that book more than he would his car. He values the book in this case more than the car.
In our passage today, we find that the Lord God treasured His people Israel a lot, in that, He specifically mentions how He has exchanged Egypt, Cush, and Seba for His people. He loved His people so much that He willingly would trade other peoples to protect, gather, and bless His people. Although he was trading people that were wealthy (Egypt), marketable (Cush), and of high stature (Seba), God still treasured His people more (Is 45:14). Now, this verse does not mean that God was powerless at a ransom and had to trade other people for His, but instead it was used as an illustration to remind the Israelites of how much God loved them. When I reflected on this verse, I could not really understand trading one group of people for another. I did not understand how God could value His people that much – people who continually disobeyed Him. But when I reflected on it for just a few more minutes, I came to realize that God did even more for me personally. Instead of just trading nations for me, God had traded His only beloved Son Jesus Christ in exchange for me. He had paid a ransom so that I could be set free from the captivity of sin. He did it for the same reason He did it for His people because He saw me as precious in His eyes and loved me. John 3:16 states it best, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosover believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” He did all of this even when I was still His enemy.
By looking at the price God was willing to pay for me, I could clearly tell God valued me a lot. He valued me so much that He died for me. And the truth is that He did this for each and every person in this world as well. That is amazing love that should move any unbeliever from sin to Christ and any Christian from lukewarmness to a burning fire that stirs him into becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. I challenge you to take a few moments and consider how much God loved you. He valued you so much that He gave up His Son. He valued you above His life. He valued you so much. Why? Because He loves you. You are of precious value to Him – let that truth continually encourage you to follow Him even when the world mocks. You are His treasure.

Solia Deo Gloria

Psalm 115:1 – “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the greatest composers in all of history. According to Wikipedia, Bach has written over a thousand musical pieces from works on the organ and piano to large choral works.1  His music was so influential that his name was the inspiration for one of the four major time periods in piano history – the baroque era (The other three are the classical, the romantic, and the modern era.). But interestingly enough although Bach is definitely one of the greatest composers of all time and most definitely of his time, Bach was a humble Christian who always sought the glory of God. It is said that when he sat down to compose, he would begin by writing on his manuscript the words Jesu juva (Help me, Jesus) and end by writing the words Solia Deo Gloria (To God alone, the glory). Bach recognized that no matter what he did all the glory belonged to the one Person who gave him the ability to write music, the one Person who inspired him to compose the music – God.2

The Psalmist in Psalm 115 recognized this same truth – that God alone deserves the glory – giving us our verse for today, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and faithfulness.” The Psalmist begins Psalm 115 by pleading with the Lord to show His lovingkindness and faithfulness so that those of other nations worshiping false idols would see, know, and worship the one true God. In situations where one knows he is right, it is so easy to be caught up in a “I told you so attitude,” but the Psalmist did not seek an opportunity to gloat but an opportunity for God to be glorified. He could care less if he was noticed for being right, all he wanted was for the whole earth to fall down before God in humble adoration. This desire is reflected throughout the rest of the psalm where he calls out for all those who fear the Lord to trust in the Lord (vs. 11).
This attitude of God alone being glorified in everything is also found throughout the New Testament. For example, 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” In this verse, we find that no matter what we do, it should bring God glory, which is completely true; but we must step further in that not only should all things bring God glory but all glory should go to God alone. Colossians 3:23-24 states this idea in a unique way, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” This verse reminds us that all we do must be done as for the Lord not for men-pleasing. This way of thinking shifts our focus from self-glorification to God-glorification. We work for God and Him alone. Christ is who we serve, so we like a faithful servant must seek the glory of our King. Throughout Ephesians we find that the Lord redeemed us by His grace to do what? To do good works that would bring about the praise of His glory.
A true disciple of Jesus Christ seeks to bring his Lord Jesus Christ glory, for He is the only one that truly deserves praise and worship. In addition, let us pray that God will show His glory to others not so that we can have a way to mock others who believe in false religions, but so that they will come to find a relationship with this great and glorious God as well. May we always seek to bring Him glory and Him alone. “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27 KJV)

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach
2 “March 23 – S.D.G.” Morgan, Robert J. On This Day: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs, & Heroes. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997.