Knowing More of Him (Revelation 21:4)

As you go through a trial, remember that it is God's desire for you to live life without sorrow.  There will come a day when all of your sorrow will be gone, but until that time, he will provide to you a comforter instead of a deliverer.

God wants you to experience each facet of his greatness.  Deliverer, Judge, Ruler and King are aspects of him that we greatly desire to see and experience.  However, God wants you to know him as comforter, burden bearer, and guide.  You can only know the latter by experiencing difficulties in your life.  If you want to know him, you must follow him to where he leads.  Because it is only in those places that you can more fully learn of him.

Rejected Again and Again (Isaiah 53:3)

You fat pig!  You can't sit here.  I hate you!  We don't want your kind around here.  Have you ever heard words like these before?  If you have, you know how deeply they hurt.  These words are words of rejection and being rejected is a very difficult thing to handle.  Each of us has faced it and our first occurrence took place way back in our early childhoods.  Since then, we have staggered from rejection to rejection.  Oh, we may pick ourselves up, but each rejection adds to the last and we never seem to completely recover.  We simply harden ourselves and move forward.  However, that is only true for some of us.  For the rest of us, is there any hope?  Is there anyone who will not reject us?  The answer is yes.

I have seen it many times.  Those who have been rejected tend to have a heart towards others who have also been rejected.  This is not always true: there are some who have become hardened people and only project their hurt on others, but they are not the majority.

I have a friend who has been rejected many times and even by friends and family.  Every time I need acceptance and support he is there.  He is able to help me, because he knows what it is like to be rejected and he understands the struggles I face each time I am rejected.  He knows the sorrow that I feel, because he also has felt it.  His compassion and strength become my stability.  He is a very true friend.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: (Isaiah 53:3)

Have you been rejected?  If so, speak with my friend.  He wants to embrace you in his caring arms and provide the comfort and support you need to overcome your hurts.  You don't need to measure up to gain his support, you simply need to reach out.

Do I Really Care? (2 Timothy 1:4)

If we knew how others viewed us, how many would say that we are self centered or all we think about is ourselves?  The number may surprise us.  In defense, we may point out the many times that we have reached out with aid to others.  We may speak of how we support others in need or simply how we act kindly towards others.  The question is, "Is that enough?"  

Is it enough to perform actions of kindness and charity?  I think not.  Actions can be just that: simply actions.  We can perform acts of kindness without the true motive for our actions being known.  Guilt, fear of rejection and pride can each be a motivation for kind acts and if they are, the works performed will not be acts of kindness.

In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul best describes this virtue.  Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; (2 Timothy 1:4). True kindness occurs as a result of empathy.  Paul describes this emotion as "being mindful of thy tears".  The word mindful comes from two words meaning "to stay" and "to chew".  We are mindful about something when we continue to roll the idea over in our minds.  For those being kind, they are rolling over in their minds the hurts and pains of others which causes them tears.

They may continually think of their friend's hurt from losing a loved one.  They focus on the pain and sickness of others and carry those burdens with them.  When friends are absent from church or just out of touch, they wonder how they are doing and if they are abounding through their circumstances.  These are the thoughts of a person who cares.

So let me ask you, do you really care about others?  To find out, let your thoughts be your judge.

Why Does God Allow This?

Why does God allow mean people to treatment me wrongfully? Or why does God allow people to hurt me?  These questions have puzzled many and caused countless people to struggle and even fall away from their faith.

To some degree, the Apostle Paul addressed this issue in the following Scripture passage.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Philippians 1:29)

I remember as a kid, my mother repeatedly played on our stereo the same song: I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.  I was so sick of hearing that song, but one thing I distinctly remember from it was that along with the sunshine, there will be a little rain sometime.  I guess that sums up relationships, work and even life itself.

Sadly to say, there are many who are saying that if people come to Christ, their lives will be a wonderful experience.  They present it like their lives will be a bed of roses.  What a mixed up theology.  I can say that I would never even think of trading my life in Christ for anything, but I also can definitely say that as a Christian my life has not been easy.  But again, why would God want me to suffer at all let alone suffer for Christ?  

Our life experiences are a testament to the world.  Because the lost will not seek God, he brings the message of hope and love to them.  As we experience trials just as the lost do, God wants to demonstrate his comfort and love through his interaction with us.  As we experience grace and strength, The Lord sends his message of love to the lost.

God also allows the wicked to oppress us so that he may convict them by us not being afraid but remaining strong in him.  Trials and troubles are not joyful, but we can find joy while in the midst of them.  God wants to meet you in that trouble and manifest his presence to you.  When he does, the lost around you will see a demonstration of what he wants to do for them.  We must remember that we are bought with a price and because he paid the great price of our salvation, we now belong to him.  He will use us as he pleases and we must trust that whatever he does will be what is best for us and for others.  Trials never seem like what is best, but it is during those times that our faith must rely on God and his goodness.

Overwhelmed (Psalm 61:2)

I remember a time when I was swimming in the ocean.  I really enjoyed plunging through the waves or swimming over top of them as the large swells approach the shore.  But what I don't like about the ocean is when the waves catch me by surprise.  There is nothing worse than turning around just in time to see a wave overwhelm and swallow you up with its massiveness.

I have had other situations in life that do the same to me.  I remember receiving phone calls concerning the passing away of loved ones.  Accidents, breakdowns, financial turn arounds, shattered relationships and such are examples of problems in life that can overwhelm and swallow us up with their massiveness as well.

What do we need in situations like this and what can we do?  The Psalmist stated it well.  

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalms 61:2)

What we need is to find a source of footing so that we may stand above life's circumstances.  The source for standing firm is The Lord Jesus Christ.  What we need is a greater understanding or an increase of faith so that we may mount ourselves higher than the circumstances we face.  Just as a rock climber seeks ridges and jagged edges of the rock to grasp and lift himself up the face of the cliff, we must seek God to reveal something about himself that will enable us to grasp and raise ourselves up by faith to newer heights in our walk with him.  When we do, we will abound in spite of our circumstances.

He Loves Me?

I recently read "A Dog's Last Will & Testament".  It reminded me of how great it can be to rescue a dog and provide for it a wonderful home and life.  But the task is not that easy.  My family's last rescue has been our greatest challenge.  From the dog's perspective, all it had seen were commands, scoldings, spritzings of water to the face, being separated from family and friends by being put outside and being forced to wear a muzzle.  Why treat the dog so unkindly, you may ask?  Because we love him.

Shortly after adopting our rescue, my sister-in-law came to visit.  While there, the dog would not give her a moment's peace.  After repeatedly nipping at my sister-in-law, we found that the negative reinforcer of water spritzing kept the two separate.  For clarification, we spritzed the dog and not my sister-in-law.  We discovered that the function of his nipping behavior was that he had experienced a great deal of trauma ranging from being hit by a car, having a broken hip and being abandoned for two days.  It appears that while he was wounded and abandoned, he must have been either frightened or teased by people on bikes and skateboards.  His nipping was his response to being afraid.  He was afraid of my sister-in-law, so he reacted by nipping at her in an attempt to keep her at bay.  As she and others would visit my house, our training methods slowly helped to rescue reduce his nipping behavior.

Visits to the vet were an experience in themselves.  One of our lasts visits had the vet, the technician, my wife and myself knocked around the room as we drew blood for tests, swabbed his ears with treatment and dealt with other annual health inspections.  All the people heard in the waiting room was smash, bang and people being slammed against the door.  Why?  Because we love him.

It has been a little more than a year now since we have had him.  He is much more calm and is developing into a strong, independent German Shepherd and less trauma reactive.  Most people would have put him down and written him off as not salvageable.  But, we saw something different.  Through it all, I wonder what the dog thought?  At the vet's office, he more than likely thought we were trying to hurt him and when being trained not to nip or bite, he probably saw us as mean.  But all we did was love him.

What is God trying to do in your life?  As he works, how do you see him?  Are you seeing his dealings as acts of love or is your perception skewed by the training experiences that he brings into your life.  He is working you into what he sees you can be.  Be patient and remember, he loves you.

I Am Tired of Prayers Not Being Answered (Genesis 24:12-19)

Many times we face difficulties and seek God's face for deliverance.  At times, our prayers are for God to perform a work in a person so that their actions will bring about a change to the circumstances in our lives.  Such an example is found in the life of Abraham's servant as he seeks a wife for Isaac.  He prays that she will make a particular offer to his request?

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. (Genesis 24:12-14, 18-19)

Does this sound like something you have prayed for in the past?  If so, you may have ended up disappointed like I have?  Oh, there were times when my prayer was answered specifically, but more so than not, the request made never came to pass?  What is so troubling about this is that it worked for Abraham's servant and even in the past for me?  But why not every time?

It is from situations like these that the faith of God's people begins to weaken?  When our prayers go unanswered, we push through the doubt and hold on to faith only to see our hopes dashed again as we pray for God to work in the will of others.  When our prayers again yield no results, our faith becomes even weaker.  If prayers like this continue, it only will be a matter of time before our hearts become greatly wounded from God's apparent lack of intervention.  We soon will become indifferent, eventually frustrated and even angry with God.  Why did he fail us?  Why didn't he answer our prayers and work in the hearts of others and make them do what we requested?  He did in the past: why not now?

Imagine a family broken by drunkenness.  The remnant of the family prays for the wayward family member.  Their prayer is that the drunken father would visit his children on their birthday. The day comes and goes and no visit.  A holiday approaches and the family members again pray for the father to visit, but instead he wallows in his drunkenness.  Disappointment looms in the hearts of those praying.  How many times do prayers such as these need to go unanswered before unbelief, anger and bitterness begin to fill their hearts?  Again the question is asked, "He answered prayers like this in the past, why not now?

The truth is, he never really did answer such type prayers in the past.  Let's take another look at the servant's prayer and see it from a different perspective.  When he asked for the bride he should choose to provide him drink and also offer to water his camels, could his prayer request have been the result of God leading him to choose his words according to what God already knew would happen and from that interaction indicate who would be the future wife of Isaac?  God knew the character of Rebekah and that her servant heart would offer to meet the needs of those with whom she interacted.  God also knew that he wanted Isaac to marry Rebekah?  So in order to indicate to Abraham's servant the woman to choose, God, by his spirit, led him to pray according to his foreknowledge.  In short, when he prayed as God wanted him to pray, his prayers were answered.  

It continues to work like that today.  Consider these two familiar passages of scripture on prayer.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7). And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (1 John 5:14).  What each of these verses have in common is that the person asking or praying is in harmony with God.  When we are abiding, God is working his will through us and when we ask according to his will, we are guaranteed to receive what we ask.

So instead of praying for what we want, we should yield ourselves to God and ask him to guide us to pray as he wants.  We may find ourselves praying in ways and for things beyond what we would have imagined.  Consider again the broken family and their desire for a united family.  God may lead them to pray for people with truth to come into the wayward's life so that their heart may become softened.  They may begin praying for grace and strength to deal with their hurt instead of the hurt being removed.  God may lead them to pray for others who are experiencing similar hurt and for their consolation.  Each of the latter prayers can be answered without God superseding

man's free will. 

We must recognize that prayer is not a tool for us to use to gain our will or desire, but a manner by which we are to gain from God what we need to live our lives for him.  Before you pray, ask God to guide you to pray according to his will.  You will experience more answered prayers and gain exactly what you need to endure the trials that you will face.