Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 1 040114

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts Part 1  040114

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Wonderful words of encouragement and admonition.  But what do you do with it when it all hurts, when there is no sense of hope although you know there is a reason to?  What do you do when you read this and walk away empty and hollow?

First you realize that Satan will do all he can to create that hollowness and deepen it.  Whether through the world or the flesh he will use every means he can to deepen your despair.  We're not cut out to fight him ourselves but we must call upon - cry out for God to save us from this sense of hopeless sinking.  We must let God fight that battle for us and that is not easy.

Satan will do everything in his power to cast you down and to crush you.  One of his ploys is to isolate you from the Body.  We all know that in times of trouble people seem to withdraw, run, move away not wanting to be too close to the one in distress.  Now we can't blame them and we also know that we withdraw as well.  We, for whatever reason (shame, embarrassment even fear) want to hide away and curl up in a ball and disappear.

Satan wants us to be isolated - he doesn't hunt the herd but rather the solitary and wounded.  So when you are wounded and in despair it is making the situation worse if you curl in a ball in a corner.

Satan also wants to chase us into greater distress.  That's why he is roaring.  He wants us to run from him to where the rest of the pride is.  The pride is in the deep grass waiting for us to run into the middle of them so they may take us down.  We must not run.  We must slowly move in a safe direction and the only one who can show us that safe direction is God.

Satan also wants to get us to murmur - to complain about God as the Israelites did in the wilderness.  He wants us to complain about God and His treatment of us.  He wants us to deny God's goodness, His lovingkindness, His whole character.  He wants us to accuse God of wrong doing, of meanness, of hard heartedness or the typical - He's not fair.

All this and more Satan desires to do.  It is very very hard to stand in the face of a roaring lion but by the grace and power of God, we must.  Like Daniel we must stand among the hungry beasts and trust in God.  We must by the grace and mercy of God resist running - resist isolation - resist shame - resist murmuring.

None of us are the only believers who suffer.  Some suffer more and some less but suffering is suffering and when we are suffering ours is the only one we feel.  But Peter seems to indicate that knowing that we are not the only ones who suffer will be of benefit to us.  That's a hard thing but a true thing.  God is at work in the lives of countless believers and we should praise Him for that fact.  The starving, the oppressed, the persecuted are all trusting Him for so much more than the rest of us and they are holding fast - they've got a grip - faith.

Faith - faith that He can relieve us of our suffering.  Faith that it is meant for His glory.  Faith that it is meant for our good.  Faith that even if it kills us, as it does many, we will then be with Him, at peace and forever without suffering.

Heaven is not a consolation prize for those whose suffering kills them.  Heaven is the glorious reward that awaits those who are His and barring His coming prior to, death is the ony way to heaven.

I'll write more on this passage as I am able - but have faith my friends God is with you and for you - He wants to display His glory through, in and by your circumstances.  It is hard - at times is seems hopeless but I have to ask myself:  For what am I really hoping, treasuer here or treasure there?  The comfort of the world or the comfort of His grace.  It is a real battle - get a grip on His truth and providence and do not let go.

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, "Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart." Then my spirit made a diligent search: (Psa 77:2-6)

"When I remember God . . . ."

It is so easy to go through our day and forget God.  That is until something goes against our plans or our comfort.  Then we remember but do we remember rightly?

Consider:  

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.   (Eph 2:11-13)

Do we "remember" this or do we simply remember the comfort we have lost and that God has allowed (willed) it to pass?  Do we remember that He is sovereign or do we simply remember that He is able to bring us comfort and bring us out of any affliction.  Do we remermber God or our warped and twisted view of God as a Genie or Santa Claus?

Do we remember:

"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,  (Isa 46:8-10

Do we remember that God is God and we are not?  Do we remember that we are His slaves and He is not ours?  Do we remember that regardless of our perspective and sense, all He does is good and gracious?  Do we remember rightly or selfishly?

Our God is the God of grace and mercy as well as the God of justice and holiness.  His goal for us is to be holy as He is.  At times this means we see Him protecting and providing comfort.  At other times we see this in His twisting our plans, taking our comfort, saying no to our dreams.  This is the God of the Bible, the God who is first and whose goal is first - at least for Him if not for us.

We read in James and Romans that "patience" is a product of trials.  But we often see patience wrongly.  We tend to see patience as our "putting up with" whatever difficulty we are facing.  We tolerate it until it is over - at least we pretend to.  But this poor view of patience/perseverance is faulty.  It is not a standing still in the face of adversity - it is a moving forward.  It is a pressing on towards the goal we have in Christ Jesus.

There is as much good purpose in God's buffetings as there are in His blessings.  Indeed, from His and the Word's perspective, buffetings are blessings.  

Too often our faith is a facile faith.  We prefer to live by "Jesus loves me this I know," and to ignore that His, "counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose."  

We forget that His purpose is to conform us to the likeness of the Son, to enable us to do the good works He has prepared for us to do, to glorify and enjoy Him.  We forget that even though we are redeemed we still fight the principle of evil that resided in our flesh.  We forget that only heat will bring the dross to the surface that the gold or silver may be pure.  We forget that God is good and we are not - that God is God and we are not.  We forget.

And why do we forget?  Because we do not work at remembering.  We do as little as we can to fill our minds and hearts with Him.  Not in some belly-button meditating manner but rather in intentional, consistent and continuing hard prayerful work and intellectual effort .  We don't mind being told what He has said and He has done but we do mind having to go dig the ore out for ourselves.   We don't want to do the hard work of living as His - which begins with His work in us and continues in our work with Him by the power of His Spirit within us.

Like Israel in the dessert we murmur against Him when either the good He brings doesn't measure up to our expectations or the evil (trials) He allows inconvenience of discomfort us.  We whine and pull our hair and complain to and about Him.  

Where did we ever get the idea that anything He does for, to, in or around us is bad?  How could we ever be brought to such a blasphemous place?  One reason is that we have failed miserably to take advantage of all He has given us to prepare us for all He will give us.

We fail to study and meditate upon His word.

We fail to pray diligently and often.

We fail to be about the work He has given us to do.

We fail to examine ourselves in the light of the Word.

We fail to put Him and His agenda first.

We fail to be grateful.

We fail to be humble.

We fail to submit.

We fail.

And in that failure He works even harder to bring us to Himself.  He may well have to buffet us to bring us to blessings and He will.  What parent would not risk injuring their child to remove a poison from their tiny fist.  What loving friend would not shove one into the dirt to save them from a rushing car?  A surgeon must cut to save.  A doctor must poke and prod to diagnose and yet while we allow this for our benefit we resent God cutting and poking and prodding for our blessing.

I do not, ""remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart," if I ever sang one to begin with.

Our Psalmist says he will make a diligent search and this follows:

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Selah Then I said, "I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? 

(Psa 77:7-13)

He repents, recalling God as God and nothing else.  Will we?