Crisis

But you O Lord God are a God full of compassion...Psalm 86:15

Do you ever wonder how you would react in a crisis? In this lead up to Easter I am thinking again of how the disciples and other followers of Jesus reacted and asking myself "what would I have done?"

Jesus had made no secret of the fact that he was about to be betrayed and given over to hostile authorities to "go the way that had been determined" for him (Luke 22:21-22). Peter swore that he would be loyal, stand with him through thick and thin but he had a lot to learn about himself.  Jesus knew that Peter would fail and he pre-warned him but he also said "I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail" (Luke 22:33-34).

So what did Peter do in the ensuing crisis?  At first he was 'strong' and brash. When the arresting party came he took a sword and cut of the ear of the servant of the high priest.  Jesus healed the ear said "Permit this (to happen)." He knew his time had come.  Peter followed on and watched from a distance in the courtyard.  He was recognised as a follower of Jesus by three people over the course of an hour or two and each time he denied that he even knew him.  It was a dangerous time, others had fled but he stayed.  He thought he was the strong one. When he realised his weakness in standing with Jesus, and his utter failure, he went from that courtyard and wept, a broken man.

At the cross were John with Mary the mother of Jesus and 2 other Marys.  No doubt lost in grief over the events of the past few hours and now watching the agony of his death on the cross.  The worst kind of death imaginable and to a man who was blameless in every way.  They stood close enough to hear Jesus speak, committing the care of his mother to his friend John.

On the first day of the week, after the sabbath had been kept, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb where Jesus had been laid to anoint his body but the tomb was empty.  She ran to tell the others and Peter and John came running to see if it was true, and seeing that it was they took off again to report back to the others but Mary stayed in the garden near the tomb and there she had her own special encounter with the risen Lord.  In her crisis she pressed in, stayed close and Jesus met with her (John 20).

In times of crisis, grief and sorrow we have different reactions and Jesus understands.  Some are angry in their pain and loss, accusing God of not caring and "How could he do this?" Others, like Mary stay in a place where Jesus is able to comfort them and speak to them.  She had questions, she didn't understand it all, but she lingered to be near him and he met with her.

What will you do?  No matter what your response is, Jesus will still love you, but if you tuck in to him you will have the benefit of his comfort.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that even in my darkest times you will come to comfort me. Help me to stay humble, trusting you in my pain.  Amen

Underneath

The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms...Deuteronomy 33:27

Recently I  took a weekend trip to Christchurch with my sister, my niece and great niece to see Cirque du Soleil's final ever performance of Quidam after 20 years of performing around the world.  I spent a lot of the evening shaking my head in unbelief at the feats of strength and acrobatic skills that would have taken hours and hours to perfect.  The most heart-stopping act came close to the end when men stood on shoulders, three high then a team that I call a 'human trampoline' hurled a girl into the air and she landed upright on the shoulders of those men never missing a beat.  Prior to that she had been tossed to and fro, hither and yon by so many different people it was difficult to keep up.

(No photography allowed in Cirque so this picture is not them but something similar.)

As I watched all of this I thought about the absolute trust these acrobats had to have in each other in so many ways; not to mention the equipment that they used and the behind the scenes people who worked the equipment.  Such an exercise of total and fearless trust - in their fellow man.

This is the kind of trust that our heavenly Father would like to see from us as we put ourselves in his hands. Perhaps you are facing what seems to be an insurmountable hurdle or a huge disappointment, maybe you feel God challenging you to step out into a new area of ministry and you are so afraid to fail.  He is our refuge, the eternal God, the one who is in us and with us and all around us.  He has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), he has said that if we need wisdom we are to ask and it will be given liberally (James 1:5).  He is all we need and if we fall, then underneath are the everlasting arms.  He gives us a soft place to fall and a place to hide while we heal.  His faithfulness is so amazing as written in this wonderful old hymn by Annie Johnson Flint

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

Will you think on the truth of His word and trust yourself afresh to His promises and find the joy of scaling new heights with Him who has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Prayer:  Mighty and faithful God, thank  you that I am your child and you are my Father.  Help me to return to full trust in your wisdom and faithfulness.  Amen

Get Real

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.  Hebrews 4:13

It's funny what one thinks about at times.  I was sitting looking at the units behind us and remembering how, not many months ago, I was watching this building under construction and now it's occupied by lovely new neighbours.

I was particularly thinking about the roof and the layers that are now hidden beneath the iron.  The trusses went up, pre-formed and then each was secured firmly by builders.  Later it was covered by layers of insulation, and what looked like plastic wrap, and then the roofers came and covered it up.  Later the electricians came and threaded an incredible maze of wires, not only for power and TV,  telephone and internet but also for call buttons in case we ever need help.  Yes, lots is hidden under that roof!  It will keep out the rain and the cold and offer protection from the sun.

We humans have something in common with roofs.  We have a nice clean 'roof' that we show the world, yet hidden underneath may be hidden many layers of 'stuff' that protect us from really being seen for who we are.  Why do we hide?  Usually because we are afraid that "if they really knew what I was like" or if they knew what I had done", they wouldn't like me.

If you find yourself thinking these kind of thoughts I have a question for you.  Do you really think that you are unique in having 'a past'.  I have news for you!  We all have things that we are ashamed of to one degree or another because God says that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and if we say we have not sinned the Bible says we are calling God a liar (1 John 1:10).

Trying to hide things from people and from God is such a useless waste of energy.  People can often see through us and mostly love us anyway (if they are walking in the love of God), and God knows all about us and loves us anyway.  Remember what he sent Jesus to suffer and shed his blood for?  So that we might have his righteousness and not have to worry about our own 'goodness' any longer.  So let's get real with God and with others and save all that energy we use on keeping up appearances.  Your honesty and transparency about your past may just help someone else get free of their big cover up too.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, forgive me from trying to hide my shame from you, thank you that you know me inside out and love me anyway.  Forgive me for being afraid to be known for who I really am with others.  Help me to get real and be free from trying to be something I am not. Amen

Sleeping in the Storm

As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.  Luke 8:23

As I read this story of Jesus sleeping in the boat that was filling with water while the disciples battled to keep the boat afloat in the raging waters, I am reminded of how we can so easily think that God is asleep in the midst of our troubles, and we have to keep things afloat.  Our problem is often that we feel we need to be in control or at least have things looking like they are in order.

How difficult it is for us ,(read me).  to watch a situation occurring and to just let it happen.  It's not in my nature,  I want to fix things.  Actually that means I want to be in control.  It is so interesting that God allows things to get messy sometimes in order to bring about His purposes.  If we try to fix things, we can actually prevent him from being able to bring about the best solution to the issue.

Let's face it, a lot of us are 'fixers'.  Would we have allowed Moses to spend 40 years minding sheep in the desert?  A clever young man like him, such a great upbringing, such leadership capabilities.  Shepherding??  What a waste!  Yet God was using that time in the desert as a character-building exercise for Moses.  There was a time for his leadership skills to be used......actually the time was when he had no confidence in himself. (Exodus 4).

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 the writer says that "there is a time for everything....".  That time is the right time, God's time and his timing is perfect.  Have you noticed how many stories and prophecies in the Bible demonstrate the absolutely perfect timing in what God does.  I have to tell you he IS in control.

As we watch world events seeming to move from critical to chaotic, we Christians can rest in the peace of knowing that God has perfect timing in it all.  Man thinks he has to work it all out but just when he thinks he's got it sorted something else will happen to show that he doesn't.  We don't just do nothing, we pray earnestly for the things we see!

God is not asleep in your situation, he maybe waiting for you to hand things over to him and leave it in his hands for his purposes and his timing.  Yes, there are times when we need to act, but let's allow God to tell us when that is, and not to just assume that it's our responsibility to resolve something or make it happen. Hand your situation over to him with the confidence that he has it in his control then you will be able to get some sleep in your storm.

Prayer:  Father, forgive me to wanting to be the fixer in situations.  Help me to see that you may have a special purpose in allowing things to happen.  Help me to commit things to you and trust you to work them out.  Amen

The Fear Factor

And all the people in that region begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear had swept over them.  Luke 8:37 (NLT)

One of the most effective weapons of Satan, our arch enemy, is fear, and in Christian circles we probably don't address 'the fear factor' often enough.  We need to bring things into the light and take a look at them in different ways so we don't get 'the wool pulled over our eyes'.

In this story in Luke 8 we see Jesus arriving by boat in the area of the Gadarenes and being immediately confronted with  a very demon possessed man. He works an amazing miracle of deliverance on him the result of which, for the man, was great joy, and a desire to follow Jesus.  On the other hand, the people in the region were overcome with 'a great wave of fear' and they begged Jesus to depart from them.

What were they afraid of?  After all hadn't they been afraid of the mad man who had run naked among the tombs? Now that threat had gone you would think they would be pleased.  No way!  They just saw Jesus as a threat to their livelihood because a herd of pigs had been 'sacrificed' in the course of the deliverance (read the story).  In begging Jesus to depart and leave them to their 'safe and comfortable' environment they were robbing themselves and their community of a much greater  blessing through the teaching and ministry of Jesus.

How often do we deny Jesus entrance into a part of our life because we fear that he will make changes that we won't like, or ask us to do something we feel we are not able to do, or we think he will deny us things that we really, really want?   When we do that we are operating in fear and doing the same as these Gadarenes did.  We are actually depriving ourselves of great blessing because Jesus  said that he came so that we might have the best kind of life (John 10:10).  He also promised to give us grace to do whatever he asks of us (2 Corinthians 12:9) and he will help us (Hebrews 13:6).  Jesus came to show us exactly what God, our Father, is like, loving, affirming, safe, able to be trusted, willing to give His very life for us?  Why do we believe Satan's lies that He only wants to deprive or harm us?

Why do we fear?  Because we lack faith.  When the disciples were fearful in the storm on the lake Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith (Matthew 8:26).  Fear is the opposite of faith, there is no way around it.  Faith and fear cannot exist together, one has to go.  You get to choose which one you will entertain.  If you find yourself fearful you need to read your Bible and get to know the One who is faithful and true and will protect you as you put your trust in Him. Then step out of the boat!

As we see all kinds of terrible things happening in our world we have an opportunity to exercise our faith in God who is still the creator and sustainer of all things and in whom all things hold together.  Our times are in his hands, his control, and that gives me peace.  I pray you will escape the clutches of fear and put your faith in your wonderful heavenly Father.

Daniel 11:32b says, "..the people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits." They know Him by personal experience, that He can be trusted so they put their trust in Him. Do you know Him?

Prayer:  Father God, you long to see me walk in faith, trusting in you as I face the challenges of life and not turn away from you in fear.  Help me to return to the trust that a child has toward a good earthly Father.  Amen

Success or Failure?

Master, we have fished all night and haven't caught anything, but because you say so I will let down the nets. Luke 5:5

As I meditated on this story of the huge catch the disciples  took after Jesus had used their boat as a teaching platform, a funny scene that came back to mind.  It's from the madcap comedy Knight & Day where Tom Cruise is on the run.  Somehow Cameron Diaz gets caught up with him and at one crucial moment Tom calls on her to make a choice; to join the run with this crazy guy (and probably escape the other crazies who were after them) or whether to leave him to his adventures and hope to escape with her life.  In this funny scene Tom gesticulates the possibility of her life expectancy with him or without him to her saying "With me (raises his hand high indicating she will do well with him), without me"' (lowers his hand). He says, "With me, without me, with me, without me?"  She chooses to go with him through a crazy chase and, of course escapes with her life.

The story of the disciples reminds me of the success or failure we choose whether we choose to do it with Jesus or without Him.  They had been fishing all night and caught nothing, Jesus borrows their boat then, in payment, tells them to launch out into the deep, which they do, and catch a huge and unexpected haul.  In the time after Jesus' resurrection we read of a similar story.  Peter decided to go fishing, reverting to the thing that he knew how to do on his own.  The others went with him.  Again they fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus (though they didn't recognise it was He),  called to them from the shore asking if they had caught anything they admitted that they had not.  He called out, "Let your net down on the right side of the boat and you will get a catch,"(John 21).  They did as he said and made a huge haul.  Immediately John recognised it was Jesus and impulsive Peter jumped out of the boat and headed for the shore and his beloved Friend and Master.

You see a Peter knew that with Jesus, people got healed, fed and encouraged and nets got filled supernaturally.  When we try to carry out God's tasks in our own strength (without Him), things don't go nearly as well as they do if we do them with Him.  God never meant us to operate alone.  He always planned that He would be our source of strength, help and supply.  Dependence upon Him is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of maturity and spiritual wisdom.

Is there something you are doing at the moment, something you are trying to make happen in your time and strength?  Perhaps you are getting frustrated because nothing seems to be working. Why not re-evaluate and ask your Heavenly Father if He'd like to be involved.  The Bible tells us in Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord and he will bring it to pass."  It may not be in your timing or in quite the way you expected but He is faithful when we entrust our stuff to Him.

With Him, without Him. Your choice!

Prayer:  Father, please show me when I go off doing my own thing without consulting you.  Forgive me when I do it in my ministry too and things become a burden because I don't hitch up to your yoke which can make my burden so much lighter and tasks more fruitful.  Help me to recognise the signs quickly when I get off track.  Amen

Rain

When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God's blessing.  Hebrews 6:7

We have had some much needed and heavy rain overnight.  Yesterday my petunias were smiling at the world from their hanging basket but today they are drooping from the onslaught.  It's strange how something good can also damage and discourage.

Thinking of discouragement, my mind turns to the northern hemisphere and the floods in England.  Then just this week our news showed pictures of a town in Wales which had experienced rain for 81 days in a row.  Enough is enough!   Our weather patterns sure seem to be messed up along with the rest of the world!

It is so easy to smile at the world when the sun is shining but too much sun and dry weather is also a problem bringing drought to the farms, dust storms, danger of easily combustible vegetation and so on. Many of our New Zealand farmers are crying out for rain.  Balance is what we need and for me, that means taking the rain with the sun and being grateful for the benefits of each.

I am very aware of friends who are finding themselves in 'floods' in their lives with struggles, sickness and loss.  It's in these times we find it most difficult to see what possible benefits there could be. Sometimes it is literally impossible to see anything good.  This is where I would simply say, in the words of that beautiful old song...."Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."  Yes, it may sound trite but friends, it is true.  We have to turn our eyes away from our situation and exercise our faith and trust in the One who has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. " (Hebrews 13:5) and one of my favourite passages from Isaiah 43:2, 3a  (NLT) "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God." 

We have great promises for rainy days but we have to pull them out and use them like we would  use a raincoat or umbrella to keep us from getting too wet and 'going under'.  The Word, mixed with your faith will do you good.  It is possible for us to 'bear a good crop' from our rain.  We have to look for the work God is doing in us and through us in those difficult times.  Just look at Joseph, Job and Jesus and the 'rains' they endured.  Look at the end result and be press on! Years ago when I was going through a difficult time I wrote this poem.

                     The way ahead’s uncertain

                    There’s a mist before my eyes

                    Of tears I’ve shed through many a night and day

                    And yet I know my Saviour

                    Will make a path for me

                    I’ll walk with Him till sunlight shines again.

Yes, the rain comes to do a work in our lives that, just like the rain outside, will cause growth in character and faith if we will trust Him who is faithful.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father,  thank you for the rain in my life.  I don't always like it but help me to turn my eyes away from the negative and thank you that in the 'rainy' times you are still my God, still faithful and able to sustain and encourage me as I look to you. Amen