Troubled Times
Psalm 37:17-19
“17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;”
James 1:2-4
“2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I listened to this man on the radio speak of betrayal and heartache. I heard the indignation and anger in his voice and as I listened to him speak; I could hear my own voice speaking my own story in much the same way.
The world can be such a brutal place. People will lie about you, steal from you, abuse you and as Christians it's so hard to know what to do with it all. If God is for us, where is he when we face false accusations? If God is loving how can he allow His people to be slandered and betrayed by those who make a mockery of the Christian faith? These are questions that I struggled with for years. It's hard to trust that God is really relevant to your life when life threatens to eat you alive...
However, in all the noise of our own suffering it can be easy to miss the greater truth that God is trying to teach us. Apart from Him, there is no peace. It does not matter how painful life gets, if we lose sight of our Savior in the midst of that suffering, we will also lose sight of our only true hope. Salvation is and has always been for the lost and the broken… It is not a free pass to avoid the trials that come; it is the hope that God himself is in the midst of that trial and that He is making something beautiful out of our messes.
My friends, there is no place closer to God than when we are completely broken and humbled; laying at the foot of His throne crying out for His mercy and grace. As I have witnessed in my own life time and time again, God loves to remove those things from our lives that stand between us and Him. Whether it be our work, our hobbies, our affections, our intellect, our character, God loves to strip away all that we cling to. He wants our hearts (as deformed and lifeless as they sometimes are) and I for one am thankful more and more everyday for a God who gets exactly what he wants.
"Cheer up church, you're worse off than you think! Cheer up church, you're standing at the brink. Don't despair. Have no fear. Grace is near!" – Charlie Peacock
Turning Thirty
Galations 5:13
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
I was thinking about turning thirty. It’s something I have been waiting for most of my life. I never really liked being a teenager. It seemed transient at its best and mired in melodramatic tripe at its worst. Twenty seems to be a false start into adulthood for most people (at least the ones I know). You get lots of freedom but usually squander it with as much reckless abandon as a toddler downing birthday cake.
I hope for something better at thirty. I hope for substance.
A guy from my church died last week from Cancer. He was 27 years old and he left behind an equally young wife. It was said that he only had two concerns about dying so young. He couldn’t stand the thought of being apart from his wife and he feared that his life would have little impact on the world. I didn’t know him that well but I think I would have liked him. Life is too short to waist on self-indulgence and face painting. It’s too precious to bury in triviality. I want thirty to reflect a wisdom that comes from years of experience (both learned and lived) and self examination. I don’t want it to reflect the kind of devotion to pop culture and materialism that begs the question... "Why sell your soul to the devil when you can take it to the mall and trade it in for some 'sic' jeans and a shoulder bag?!"
