Encouragement - Pt. 6

 

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. (Psalm 112:6-8 ESV).

 

Fear is a pretty ordinary human emotion. When we experience it, though, it feels anything but ordinary. It is always a thief coming in the darkness of trial or difficulty stealing away our hope and encouragement. As children, we learn a great deal about fear from our parents. A parent’s fear for the child helps the child learn not to run into the street, that the iron is hot, that the electrical outlet is dangerous, and dozens of other things. However, a parent’s fear may also teach the child that it is scary to go down the slide, to stay with the babysitter, to go to school, or to have a sleepover. In these situations, the parent is often frightened, but they simply don’t want to feel afraid and don’t want the child to experience fear, so, to get rid of unwanted feelings, the message is “don’t do it.” This is a different message from “yes, it’s scary, but you can do it anyway.” This is the message of our reading today.

 

The key is in the middle verse of our selection: his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord (v. 7). It is much like our picture today. I’m sure the dad was encouraging his daughter to jump with a constant message of “come on… I’ve got ya!” Isn’t that the consistent message of God to His people? Whether it was crossing the Red Sea or marching around the walls of Jericho, whether it was at the tomb of Lazarus or the storm threatening to capsize the disciples fishing boat, His encouragement was “come on… I got ya!”

 

I often encourage others with a simple bit of wisdom gleaned both from Scripture and my common experience: Everything that happens to you is by God’s will and for your good. Unfortunately that is much easier said than done. Most of the time I am met with a curious stare and the conjunction, “But…” Well, there are no “buts” in the Scripture. God’s promise to produce good in our lives is without exception and void of prerequisites. As you stand at the precipice of any challenge, would you simply look for the hands of God outstretched to catch you? Would you rest in the knowledge that God will not lead you anywhere where He cannot save you? And, by the way, the exhilaration of the jump into His arms is unmatched. You will not find any more pleasurable experience in life.

 

 

Encouragement - Pt. 5

 

Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:11-14 ESV).

 

I know I often go to some of the pictures I have taken and collected of the Smoky Mountains. Today I have returned to a picture I found in a conservation article from The Nature Conservatory.  In it there was a plea for visitors to the park to be careful in bringing firewood from outside the park. It seems that various non-indigenous tree pests and/or diseases can be brought into the Smokies from this practice having devastating consequences. As I thought about that I was reminded how often we make “pleas” known to God in our prayers. That thought took me to Solomon, to whom God grants a single desire (cf. 1 Kings 3:5-6). In that moment, the young king asked for wisdom and God was so pleased with this request that he granted him riches as well.

 

If you could ask God for one thing, knowing that it would be granted, what would it be? Our imagination might run wild with the possibilities; from curing cancer to material prosperity. I suppose, given the events of this year, we might ask for a return to “normal.” But then, would we really have the courage to face the unknowns of tomorrow? I really don’t want to go back to “normal.” In fact, I’m not sure what normal should look like. I do know that facing a seemingly endless sequence of danger and difficulty is discouraging.

 

AS soon as I realized that, I remembered our reading today. It is a part of the larger context of one of the best psalms for encouragement in difficult times. It is a composite work by at least two authors brought together by an editor. Tradition attributes it to King David. Protestant Christians have traditionally thought of it as written early in David's life, during his flight from King Saul, with Spurgeon suggesting the incident with Doeg the Edomite specifically.

 

David ends the psalm with: I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (v. 14). And there it is! Returning to an unshakeable belief that I will one day see the wonder and goodness of God, I can be encouraged. This world is winding down. Soon, Jesus will come again and set all things right!

 

Encouragement - Pt. 4

 

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:7-12 ESV).

 

As we continue our focus on verses of encouragement today’s reading has gives us a clear insight into the mind and heart of the Apostle Paul. He says the gift of God to us is “not of fear but power and love and self-control” (v. 7). Later in this reading he says, “I know in who I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (v. 12).

 

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse along the Central California coastline was built in 1871 and is still an active Coast Guard aid to guide ships to port. In the last fifteen decades it has seen more than its share of storms. Through all of them it has stood as a beacon of safety and hope in the storm. I was curious about the history and after some bit of research I discovered there is more purpose than aesthetic in the design. Not all lighthouses are round. However, in situations where the lighthouse may directly encounter the fury of the sea, the round shape is naturally stronger than a rectangular or square shape. They’re a lot stronger when a wave hits them as the cylindrical shape distributes the force much better.

 

The apostle gives Timothy these last words of instruction and encouragement in the hope that he will be able to face the storms ahead with confidence and hope. When God called us to eternal life, a part of that calling was the gifting of power and strength by the presence of the Holy Spirit. This power is accompanied by power, love, and self-control. It is not given to fear. This is based in the truth that it is God who begins the work in us and finishes it successfully transporting us to our eternal home when the time comes for our departure from earth to heaven. This gives him confidence.  That confidence then becomes the foundation for perseverance. I am encouraged that God’s design for us withstands every storm. He can never fail us!

 

Encouragement - Pt. 3

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:29-33 ESV).

 

Heather Perry, a photographer from Lawrence, Kansas, took this photo of a mural done in honor of the city motto, which is “From Ashes to Immortality.” It is even more interesting that Kansas’ motto is “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” translating “To the Stars Through Difficulty.”

 

Our reading today comes from Jesus as he neared His death. In John’s Gospel, this admonition precedes what is known as “the High Priestly Prayer.” It is Jesus’ prayer for all of those who would become followers through the ages. Jesus was always very clear that the way forward for them would not be easy. We certainly have experienced that truth first-hand in our day. Someone not long ago suggested that a new catch-phrase was being developed in our culture: “2020’d.” It could easily be used to make reference to being caught in a very difficult circumstance: “Wow! You’ve certainly been 2020’d!”

 

Whether that happens or not we have been called upon to deal with many problems in the first eight months of this calendar year. We have seen escalating conflict, both on a personal and global scale. People have experienced more anxiety, depression, and fear than in my recent memory. There has been a rise in poverty with loss of wages and jobs in the midst of increased cost of some of the basic necessities of life. Couple that with the devastating health issues and death that have invaded families across our nation and you get lives that are challenging at best. Of course, there are those other things that challenge us as a normal course. We’ve already seen storms and wildfires cutting paths of destruction through some of our nation. The list seems to go on and on.

 

However, Jesus wants us to understand that whatever comes our way, we do not face our struggles without hope. We have a Savior who died and then rose again. He made new life possible by defeating sin and death forever. Scholars have long called this the Christus Victor, the idea that Jesus will triumph over every enemy of God and that we will share in that victory because of our faith. In Christ, we have hope for the possibility of redemption in this life. We overcome with Him!