Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Question 7

 “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress.*

Question 7:  Are the Spiritual Disciplines Increasingly Important to You? (excerpts and highlights from Chapter 7; also, excerpts from “5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow,” R. C. Sproul. 2008. Reformation Trust Publishing)  “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”, 2 Timothy 1:6

Dr. Whitney’s book, in chapter 7, begins with how to build a wood fire and sustain it. He uses this metaphor in a way similar to the apostle Paul’s inspired language in 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul’s admonition to Timothy to rekindle the faith flame in him.  Dr. Whitney ends his introduction to the chapter with the following: “Nothing contributes to the growth of spiritual ‘heat and light’ more than the persevering practice of the Christian spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are the bellows and the iron poker – tools in God’s hands through which He stokes and blows upon the eternal fire He Himself ignites in His people.” He states that the spiritual disciplines are biblical, God-given and grounded in His Word; the Holy Spirit who authored the Bible works through the disciplines in ways unique to each believer. And that the spiritual disciplines in God’s Word are sufficient, requiring no ceremony, rite, ritual, religious habit or spiritual exercise. Nothing but God’s Spirit can create the environment Christians need as they pursue Christ’s holiness.

In this chapter, Dr. Whitney identifies the disciplines as devotional and sanctifying practices, e.g., prayer, fasting, solitude, private reading of and meditation on Scripture, as well as corporate worship. He adds a couple of pertinent points: the disciplines are practices, not attitudes, that engaging in the Christian disciplines is more than piety. The purpose is to use the disciplines as an instrument for pursuing a deeper communion and intimacy with Christ. To "add some meat to those bones", the fundamental premise Dr. Whitney provides, I have included in this paper the five spiritual disciplines iterated by Dr. R. C. Sproul in his book, “5 Things Christians Need to Grow,” to give believers substantive learning of what the spiritual disciplines are. The quotes and highlights from Dr. Sproul’s book are just that – they are not the full-on detail that the St. Christopher’s Tuesday evening Bible Study Group had the privilege of studying using Dr. Sproul’s book as a guide. (To obtain your copy, see above information in the introductory paragraph and purchase from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.) The five disciplines are Bible study, prayer, worship, service, and stewardship.

Bible Study. Dr. Sproul opens this first chapter by recalling for the believer the sin of one of the most highly favored kings of Israel – King David. When David is confronted with his offense, he recognizes that his adultery and murder were - primarily and in the utmost - sins against God. David expresses his grief in Psalm 51 – a familiar passage visited and recited during Lent. Comparing this Psalm to Psalm 1, we see a different picture of David; likewise in Psalm 119 – images of a devoted worshiper and lover of God’s Word. David’s break with God through his sin thrust him into a depression and lack of joy. Like David, we can allow our feelings to trump God’s Word, deceiving ourselves that such action will bring a joy, but it is short-lived. Because God loves us, He will not let us languish in our sin. 

The power of God’s Word is extraordinary, as Hebrews 4:12-13 also tells us – it is the Spirit’s tool that allows us to discern God’s will and reveal what is in our hearts; it is God’s voice to us. In it we hear the need for God’s grace and mercy; He wants the best for us. The Master Handbook, the Bible, reveals God’s character and acts as a light to guide us to growing intimacy with Him. When viewed from that perspective, our response must be to bow before God and seek forgiveness and His presence.

Immersing ourselves in the Bible -- not just as a goal to rush through the Bible in a year so as to check off a box – rather, we do so to gain the mind of Christ, to learn what discipleship is. Dr. Sproul uses 2 Timothy 3 to undergird that statement. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy in the first century AD, we, too, in our 21st century world and cultures, are exhorted to “continue in the things (of truth) which we have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,” knowing truth of Scripture -- not trying to piecemeal it through “hearsay”. Are we being strengthened in faith and in our walk with God by the study and application of God’s Word, or are we satisfied with head knowledge and the ability to quote scripture with the skill of the devil, while being detached from its application? (Matthew 4:5-6) Do we profit from our study of the Word to be able to comprehend Biblical doctrine, to be corrected by the Word in our thoughts and behavior and practicing repentance, to learn righteousness and holiness? (2 Timothy 3:15-17) Do we participate in a worship community’s teaching ministry regularly? (Ephesians 4:11-12) Do we hold scholarship and academic criticism of God’s Word above the Bible? (Matthew 5:17-19; 1 Thessalonians 2:13) Are we reading and meditating on the entire Bible, harking back to 2 Timothy 3:15-17? Are we growing in trust of God’s Word? (Psalm 119:42) Do we have in our Bible study arsenal a study Bible, a concordance, and similar resources?

Prayer. Well, that seems like a no-brainer, one might say. But, what informs and shapes our prayers? Is our focus “what God can do for us?” Why should we pray?

• It is our duty. We are called to be a people of prayer. Dr. Sproul’s book refers to explicit Scriptures: Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – to name a few. Jesus gave a parable recorded at Luke 18:1-6 as admonition of what we ought to do, i.e., it is an ethical and moral necessity – a solemn duty we are to perform. Prayer is conversation (two-way) with God, as we come before His throne in all humbleness. (Hebrews 4:16)
  
  
•  It is a privilege. Prayer is instituted by God and gifted to His people as a privilege not to be taken lightly. In God’s Word, our relationship with the Father is like a marriage, where both persons are “one,” not just signifying a communion or intimacy with God, but also agreeing with God’s Word to us, which is what our “Amen” conveys. God will not hear the prayers of willful sinners and nonbelievers. (Isaiah 58:3-5) Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray and he taught them. We benefit even today by their inquisitiveness.  
  
  
• It is a means. Prayer is a means God uses to bring about His intended “ends” and redemption; God uses our prayers as His instruments to bring about His will. We pray to change us, not God! Thus, our prayers informed by Scripture change things. (James 5:13-18) God answers prayers of those who seek His truth. (Acts 10) Prayer is effective most often when offered in “the Spirit” – praying God’s Word, being in unity with God’s will. (Ephesians 6:18-20) We often hear the expression, "the power of prayer;" it is often said in a way that makes it sound like rubbing an oil lamp and waiting for God to appear and give us what we want. As if "prayer" is an entity all unto itself. The truth is this: Prayer’s power is based in and tied to relationship with God; without that relationship, or a heartfelt desire to have one, a prayer has little power. (refer to Isaiah 58 above) Prayer, in tandem with the meditation on God’s Word, increases our trust in God multifold. (Mark 11:24; 1 John 5:14) Using the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern, some use this structure acronymically: ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication – where God is praised and honored foremost.

Worship. The essence and foundation of worship is obedience. Worship is initiated by God; God determines what worship of Him is to look like. After God had given Moses a lengthy description of how He wanted to be worshiped by His people - instruction that was passed on to the people, two sons of Aaron chose to worship God in their own way, to their own liking, despite God’s warnings. (Leviticus 10:1-3) 

God takes worship seriously. In this world of “entitlement”, even some in the Church have adopted that line of reasoning, interpreting in favor of themselves what pleases God. That attitude violates the first Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me (in My presence). (Exodus 20:2-3) That Commandment is still in force, per Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 as noted above. God created us, and all creation, to bow before Him in obedience and worship. (Romans 1:19-23; Psalm 66:4; Psalm 148; Psalm 150 (these are great prayer starters by the way!)) 

Worship is not restricted to a building or location, nor a particular place on earth. When speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus responds to her presumption that worship is either on Mount Gerizim in Samaria, or in Jerusalem. He answers her presumption regarding where God is to worshiped: neither on that mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in Spirit and Truth. He clearly notes that worship is not restricted to a “where”, but rather through a “who” – in Spirit and truth. Spirit has no boundary, no geographic location; i.e., God is not confined to a geographic location or building. We must worship God in spirit – in harmony with the Holy Spirit, with our hearts fully engaged and our desires in agreement with Him; we must worship in truth, not our truth but His Truth, by His ordinance and designation in His Word. 

What does it mean to engage with the Holy Spirit? In a recent sermon at my church, the Pastor spoke to that encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. The “living water” Jesus cites is metaphor for the Holy Spirit and His active work in us. She ruminated in her talk about how long one can go without water before its lack began to have detrimental effects on the body; continuing Jesus reference to the Spirit’s aliveness, His work in our lives, the intricacies of being indwelt by God the Holy Spirit – should we resist His work and/or ignore His work in us? If we do, the Holy Spirit will not force us to worship or force us to obey, and will be quiet, in grief, rather than enlivening, refreshing. We spiritually become like a blocked stream where the water has stagnated and has begun to slowly evaporate. If you have ever seen a stagnate puddle or pool where the water has evaporated, you may see a 'shadow' outline of where the water once was. So it goes when we resist the work of and refuse to heed the Spirit's call and prompting - allowing our Bible to gather dust. How long can a Christian go without the active life power and refreshing of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Consider what the consequences will look like and feel like.

We are to prepare ourselves for worship. As we worship individually, we come before God in prayer, praising Him and offering Him thanksgivings, confessing our sins. Inculcating Scripture and understanding from God. In our daily walk we demonstrate our worship by obedience to Him -- which is the foundation and essence of worship, and doing all things to His glory. We are also called to come together corporately to worship, as instructed in Hebrews 10:24-25.

In the liturgies of some churches, there is a rationale for the “order of worship.” We pray and praise God; we open our hearts, minds and spirits to hear the “cleansing” Word of God read to us and are to contemplate on that Word; that Word of God is then to be exposited by the preacher who has prayed for God to put His words in their mouth so that what is heard is coming from God. We worship in obedience, are instructed in the Word, and we confess our sins. We make peace with our brothers and sisters, then give our gifts to God in grateful thanksgiving cheerfully, as we approach His throne of grace to engage in sweet communion with Him through the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. Our words and hearts are filled with praise and adoration, in prayers and supplications, as we bow before Him in humble obedience. Do we gather regularly with our local worship community? Do we desire such gathering? Does our daily walk, activity, attitudes, behavior reflect our daily walk of worship of God? Is the majority of our worship spent only inside a church building? Is our worship bearing fruit?

Service. What does the Bible say about service? The best examples are found in Jesus. In addition to serving His Father by willingly submitting Himself as a sacrifice to open the means for restoration of the world with God, there are other ways that Jesus served others; He did not come to be served, but to serve. Part of that service was giving healing to many; the work was almost nonstop at certain times; He could feel the power leave Him, and in His humanity, the magnitude of His service often left Him quite tired! Jesus served the needs of His disciples so that they may accompany Him in His missionary work. In John 13, Jesus humbly cleans their feet, assuming the role of a slave, to teach them the necessity of how to serve one another with humility. Members of the early Church were inspired to serve one another to ensure that all needs were met. So that the Church could function as a community of oneness, God instituted a structure for corporate worship and life by creating servant leadership roles and servanthood opportunities in differing ministries within the Church. (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-18; Acts 6:1-6) Ministerial, or as they are often called, “spiritual” gifts, have been given to all believers indwelt by the Spirit so that the work of the Kingdom may be carried out effectively. When persons choose to not use their gifts for whatever reason, there is a diminishment of effectiveness both seen and felt, and the congregation suffers from that imbalance and neglect. When we are not serving others as Jesus served, our worship may not be pleasing to God.[i] Service, for some, may be demonstrated in their vocation: some enter the broad field of healing; others may serve as caretakers for persons unable to do for themselves; may serve in the military or in the local police departments; may serve as grocery store workers, mechanics and technicians; in industries that support the environment; in the farming industry, in hospitality services, as educators, and the list goes on; always working as to the Lord! Find God’s purpose for you.

Stewardship. Often when a local church talks about "stewardship," it is during a campaign or other event to encourage financial giving to the local church. That is but a small though vital aspect of what Christian stewardship is. As we look at the disciplines God has given us, can we agree that these all fall under the broad heading of stewardship? 

We are given stewardship of our . As Peter is inspired to write in his first letter, all Christians are called to be “stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Think. soberly. about the depth of that imperative. Even the word used here, manifold, just barely touches the edge of what God's grace is. How broad and how deep is God’s grace? Immeasurable. Yet God has given each of us grace in proper measure [ii] so that His Kingdom will increase in its earthly manifestation.

We have been made stewards of creation – how are we doing with that? Taking a look at the crises caused by climate change and global warming, we have to give ourselves as the human race an F-minus. While Jesus in his famous Mt. Olivet discourse recorded in the Gospels about the last days foretold the onslaught of what we are experiencing now in climate swings, melting polar caps, disappearing animal species, daily earthquakes, and polluted air and waters, and so forth, making that connection requires knowing Scripture and discerning the times. 

We have already noted how the early Church handled matters of stewardship. But let us revisit the financial support for a moment. Such support was instituted for the people of God by God in the form of a tithe of income and/or harvest[iii] (it was already a common practice in the region of Canaan). Under the sacrificial system of worship established by God, every family, during various “feasts” in the year, would take the first fruits of their harvests, or one-tenth of their harvests, livestock, and other designated items to give to God to support the service of the priesthood, as affirmation that they owe God their lives, to confess their reliance on God, as an expression of thanks to God in all humility. God chose the Levite priesthood for Himself and the nation was to support the work of the priests at the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple. As obedient children to a Father, God would supply and increase their yields to make such giving not burdensome. The Church would also practice the tithing of income/goods, which may also include service of some kind. So, like that, the work of forwarding the Kingdom message would not be hampered, and the needs of the worship community and the greater community met. When it is possible and/or hearts are committed to the Kingdom and God’s people, Christians will give beyond the tithe to support a special project or need.

 

Armed now with such vital information, what shall we do? Are we eager to add these disciplines to our lives? When this life is over, will we just be satisfied with “squeezing” through Heaven’s gate, or will our hearts long to hear the amazing words, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; come, enter the joy of your Master.”

*The foregoing represents my personal reflections on a study by Dr. Donald S. Whitney, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. (2001. By Donald S. Whitney. NAVPRESS. ISBN 978-1-61747-187-2) Quotations and excerpts are from that source, unless otherwise identified. For the 2023 Lenten season I provided these thoughts to my local congregation's Bible study group. The questions are not, however, constrained by a particular liturgical season, holiday, or age group: these are questions every Christian may find useful in fulfilling God's command at 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!" The church at Corinth looked a lot like many of our churches today.

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[i] In this context, worship and service is not just what we do inside a building. Jesus wants us to worship corporately, yes, however, what happens next? Where is the most important worship taking place? Outside the walls of the church building in our daily walk. One church calls it, “the mission field” of self and community. See also Ezekiel 3:16-21.

[ii] Also see Ephesians 4:7.

[iii] Several references are in Exodus and Leviticus. Search in a program such as Biblegateway for one-tenth or tithe.

 

       

a recent discussion with faithful believers and thoughts on 2 Corinthians 12:9. some of the thoughts repeat in different scenarios to reach the many challenge our churches and families are encountering.

During a recent Bible study, one of the Bible study members noted that its congregation has dealt with many different “thorns” within these past couple of years, and a number of members continue to experience suffering – for some it is a beyond-the-scope-of-imagination-or-experience-type of suffering – even now. Unexpected, unbelievable, unimaginable things. She guided those of us gathered together with her for Bible study to the passages in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

Verse 9 climaxes Paul’s narrative with a response from Christ Jesus to Paul’s complaint of a “thorn”— a “messenger of satan”, that God seems to have ignored or chose not to address as Paul desired: Jesus tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  The study group had a meaningful and encouraging discussion about it. Iron sharpened iron; we were all edified by this Spirit-informed conversation.

Whatever Paul’s “thorn” was, no one knows; what Paul does say is that whatever it was, that it was completely opposite of all of the favor, the many blessings and gifts bestowed upon him by God (like, for example, Paul was so powerfully used by God that his handkerchief even “contained” miraculous healing! See Acts 19:11-12). Whatever the thorn was, it was enough to render him weak in ability and/or capacity, and seemingly on some level, was emotionally troubling as well. Yet, in this passage, we see the permissive will of God: in His knowing Paul since before the foundation of the world, he who was once Saul of Tarsus, a self-righteous Pharisee of incredible intellect – God could use the “thorn” of Paul’s suffering as a powerful demonstration of His grace to Paul. God turns such thorns into “sacred instruments” in His providence.

More on “The Thorn”
and Jesus' Answer. 

Paul was not a superman, even though we may see him through the Biblical accounts in a magnified way. When we closely examine his life, we quickly see that Paul did not stay on the “mountain top” for any long stretch of time; he was mostly on the sides of the mountain or traversing the valley – sometimes a very dark valley at the end of which was persecution or imprisonment. He was just as much flesh and blood as you and I – he lived in a society that disregarded the God of all heavens like today. He was as fallible as you and I. Acts 9:1 says that as a Pharisee he was intent on murdering believers; he himself admits in 1 Corinthians 15:9 that he was undeserving of being an apostle because of his background. As we read in Acts and in the letters Paul was inspired to write, he strives to emulate Christ in nearly every human way, but Paul was not fully God as Jesus was. So, whatever his thorn was, it wasn’t just debilitating – it was a deeply humbling situation, because it sent Paul crying to his God for relief three times (in Jewish culture, repeating something three times was the ultimate penultimate). It became a distraction, one that could take his focus off the ministry he was assigned. He just wanted God to fix “it” so that he could do the work he was called to do.

Yet, God in His wisdom and omniscience foreknew this circumstance. It could potentially become a seed bed for a kind of pride not befitting of the one anointed by God for His purpose. Continued distraction of trying to puzzle out the "why" could shift his focus to trying to get to the bottom of why, of trying to justify himself on his works, to make him ineffective in his ministry. So Paul had to be reminded that everything he needed to continue and endure was already in him, and around him. Paul was indwelt and covered by God’s special Grace, a Grace that filled Paul with God’s strength and power. This Grace of power and strength not only enabled Paul to speak the Spirit’s words (1 Corinthians 14:2,18) and to fully identify with the Gospel of Christ (Romans 2:16, 16:25), God’s power in Paul transformed him. Christ’s Spirit – the Lord Himself -- God’s special Grace, sustained Paul throughout his ministry which was frequently punctuated with physical suffering, setbacks, discouragement (2 Corinthians 11:23-33; Galatians 3:1-3; Acts 15:37-38; 2 Timothy 1:15; 4:9-12, 14-18). In the strength and joy of the Lord, to whom Paul was yoked, Paul was empowered to carry out the immense charge and responsibility God had placed upon him to plant communities of worship in Asia and Europe. As Paul would say from time to time, it would appear that he did have reason to boast. Yet, the presence of the thorn reminded him of how helpless he was; it is hard to boast when you are down on your knees or face before the LORD seeking solace and aid. Despite Paul's powerful gifts, he was incapable of healing and fixing the situation - God did not allow him to do so.  

In these last days filled with crises of one kind or another, especially those that are so unexpected and shocking, we, too, need to be reminded of who we are. That we are indwelt with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, that we have a supernatural power from God to help us remain faithful to our call and to our God. That in God’s permissive will He is guiding us towards a future with Him, and sometimes it takes a “thorn” to reset us and remind us that we can do nothing without God, and that He is in control of all things for a purpose still as yet unrevealed. That Paul's misery is a Example of the early church fellowship and care.

recorded account in scripture, it would appear that - in addition, God could use the example of Paul’s determined perseverance and endurance in the face of his suffering as a teaching example that harmonized with the cautions and admonitions that he shared with recipients of his apostolic and Spirit-directed letters. He was God’s example to the newly converted and established churches of what the power of God that indwells Christ followers could do in the purpose of God and in the face of significant challenge. 

When one examines the first 100 years of Christianity, immediately one sees that it was no “picnic” – not even close. Although false prophets preached a type of prosperity gospel back then, the Christian life would not have reflected such teaching. Those faithful followers who had some measure of wealth, or who had been blessed with provisions, shared it with community (see 2 Corinthians 8). The food insecurities, housing insecurities, the religious oppression from Jewish and idol worshipers, tax burdens that could result in loss of property, family members, and jail, diseases and more were all a part of the common daily experience in that environment that impacted all, even faithful Christians. Even with the healing gifts of some within the Christian community, life was still difficult and death was not a stranger. There are miraculous deliveries and rescues, but they were not the experience of everyone in the body of Christ. (see Revelation 2 and 3) 

Paul and the other apostles always pointed to Christ and His promises of salvation, indicating that salvation did not assure a “smooth ride to heaven.” Christians’ earthly journey then and throughout all time through to the present would be accompanied by various kinds of pain and suffering because (1) they bore the name of Jesus, and (2) because people – Christians included -- carry the impacts of Adam’s sin in our broken bodies. (look up in your Bible concordance or in online Bible search engines words like suffer, pain, illness, disease, persecution, etc.) Yet, in the suffering that emanates from those things, God would reveal Himself to His people in ways not experienced in times of peaceful calm.  

As eloquent and “spiritual” as all of this sounds, even “idyllic” – the words of the 2 Corinthians message disturb us, does not sit well in our “modern times” of what we believe an Almighty, loving God looks like. May be okay for some religious leaders and pious Christians, but “regular” people? We are stumped that Paul, this pearl in God’s kingdom, this powerful witness for God would not get healed by God of something that was for Paul so troubling, so painful, was so distracting to his ministry. All God had to do was speak it and Paul would be healed and then could carry out the ministry to an even higher level - right?

In our catastrophes, in our “spiritual attacks” which often come out of the blue (I am defining spiritual attacks here as direct harassment by satan that can come in diverse ways, e.g., health crisis/prolonged chronic health issues, financial crises, relationship crises, violence, etc.); in our befuddlement and agony, we faithful, like Paul, ask why me, Lord? Why did you let this happen? Why didn’t you stop it? I know this is true personally because I’ve said it, and in many conversations with other believers in ours and other churches of God in all kinds of different circumstances, I’ve heard it said. Like me, sometimes with a lot of emotion and tears.

It is a hard scripture passage to swallow, and we all agreed on that point. It is personal. That is, it is a situation that unsettles us, troubles our spirits, gives us cause to "pause". Its companion scripture at Romans 8:28, which also has a hard message inherent in it, sometimes gets carelessly used as a bandaid: “We know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Say that 3 times and bam! You’re good. The bandaid goes on and all is well. No; sure, you can say it scores of times, but in human experience all is not well. For whatever reason, God has not removed the “thorn”. It seems as if, to us, who are in deep and raw pain, like He doesn't know it is there because, like Paul, we are waiting for the divine resolution - that becomes our focus. The crisis does not immediately disappear. The miscarriage does not reverse. The bullet does not return to the gun. Time does not roll back the vehicle accident. The diagnosis more often than not is not a mistake - it is real. The abuse and violations of one's personhood do not unhappen.

What we do not often grasp in Romans 8:28 is the depth of what those “all things” are; our focus is on God making things good. But what if that disturbing situation is a gateway to good? 

God contrasts those “all things” against a divine transforming goodness – which is a certain clue that "all things" must be hard, difficult or even traumatic - otherwise, God would not have to step in to transform or change the "all things". We begin to see that these Roman 8:28 “things” to indeed be difficulties, challenges, traumas and tragedies; they are the epitome of that “thorn” of Paul’s. And, like with Paul, they leave us helpless.

We are like Paul: we don't like it; we do not understand; we sit perplexed and keep asking God why, and He doesn’t answer, not even one syllable. We cry, we beg, we become frustrated, inordinately perplexed, we get angry (if we are honest, we do get angry with God) because of the unexpected, undesired and deeply painful circumstance that God will not fix, or that God allowed to happen. Is He not Jehovah Rapha – Jehovah God our Healer? Is He not Jehovah Jireh – Jehovah God our Provider? Is He not LORD Sabbaot – Jehovah God, Host of the Heavenly Armies? Is He not Jehovah Rohi – Jehovah our Shepherd? Is He not El Roi – the God Who Sees!? Is He not Jehovah Chesed – God of Mercy and Love? Then, why??? Did I do something wrong and am now being punished? Is that how it is, Lord?

In her Gospel song and expanded prayer, “Held,” Natalie Grant puts to music the shocking, terrible, and painful loss of her friend’s two month old baby, and tries to understand the why of having something so "sacred torn from your life, but you survive" in the wake of such. Why "there was no sudden healing," "who told us we'd be rescued and why should we be saved from nightmares”, “we who believe?” "we who have died to live - it's unfair?" We cry, It's not fair! and we continually ask Why??? She concludes,  finally, "that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held." 

Gospel songwriter Bart Millard (MercyMe) takes his so bewildering daily struggle of caring for a beloved child who has juvenile diabetes, the crises of sugar imbalances and the scary times they share in that journey, the sorrow of knowing he cannot save his child from the condition that can go awry at any moment and place his son in the emergency room, again – and he turns his painful reality into a song called “Even If”. The song says, “what do I say when I’m held to the flame like I am right now? I know You’re able and I know You can, save through the fire with Your mighty hand, but even if You don’t, my hope is You alone; I know the sorrow and I know the hurt, would all go away if You just say the word, but, even if You don’t, my hope is You alone…” How can he say that? For a while, he couldn’t. He couldn't see a happy ending. For Christians who have similar circumstances even we ask, How can I say that as I watch my child in a hospital bed with more tubes than I can count? Or hold onto my child as they begin painful medical procedures, or have to go the morgue to identify my child's body? Bart tells us, even with tears and in helplessness, even if he cannot see any movement towards a healing outcome, and that his sorrows all seem to have somehow bypassed God, that we must remind ourselves of who God is and who we are to Him. That even though we are like grass that fades when the harsh wind blows, how can we not say those words? How can we not say those words that even if you don't heal my child, my sister, my brother, my spouse, my mother, my father: no matter what, God - I will still trust you. I will still trust you.

God did not send Jesus to the cross for us to have everlasting life in these bodies and in this world. God loves us too much to impose an eternity of pain and suffering on His children. He placed Jesus on the cross so that when all righteousness is executed, we could have a hope, a “blessed assurance” that what God has promised will come to pass and that we will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14-15). We need to believe it even though we can't understand it, and yes, that is hard, it is so hard to praise and trust God in such times. This world conditions us to think that we can solve our problems through sheer determination, that when we do all of our Christian service, we deserve to have our problems solved. There are some preachers who will tell you the same thing. But we cannot understand God's ways because we are not God - His ways and work do not follow human logic. (Isaiah 55:8-11) Notice that God says (NRSV) that His Word "shall accomplish that which I purpose; and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." What His purpose is and what His will is in a given circumstance will be revealed in God's timing. He Who sees the end from the beginning and lives in the eternal present operates on a level we cannot reach in our flesh.

Horatio Spafford processes his indescribable grief and loss, putting those jagged emotions into words: “though satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control: that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for my soul”, in the hymn that became, “It is Well with My Soul.” He sent his wife and daughters on a ship across the ocean with plans to join them later. But a tragic accident during the crossing resulted in the death of his four daughters; he had previously lost a son to scarlet fever. 

All of these persons and countless others – and that number will keep growing – who have walked a dark path, suffered unique pain and loss like some of us reading this, have had their faith tested as if by fire. As one person put it, they have "been to the cross". There are a number of Bible-based hymns and gospel songs that are Spirit-inspired to encourage and strengthen us during difficulties, and that praise the God of all comfort and encouragement. Singing the words and promises of God is comforting and like balm to our spirit. When we truly know God as a comforter and encourager - when our hearts are tied inexplicably to Him, our Shepherd, even though the pain remains, the tears return unbidden, the raw emotion comes out of a secret place, and the difficult conditions continue, we can turn to Him and seek His face and words of comfort through song and prayer in the Spirit based on His scripture. 

A number of church communities that have suffered losses during the pandemic and are struggling to return to in-person, are finding it challenging on many levels. Some of their members are still reeling from the after-effects of COVID, suffering long-COVID, and are enduring other complications such as chronic diseases, loss of employment and income, housing insecurity, trying to make ends meet. Add to those challenges, very unexpected and unanticipated crises that have befallen them, some worship communities are finding themselves being held to the flame in ways we could have never imagined, through trials and revelations that rip through us like a sharp talon; situations that cause us to have flashes of waking nightmares that seem to never end. Even though we know the end time prophecies backward and forward; what we didn't know was how they would feel, how they would impact us, and how would our faith stand up? And then, when all of the angst bears down on us mightily, we hear Jesus tell us His grace is sufficient. How do we respond to Christ? How well do we know the author of that Grace? I'm not talking about the children's picture book version, nor the little baby in the manger version, but rather the version where Jesus shows Himself disgraced on the cross for us, the version where Jesus emerges with power incorruptible from the tomb after 3 days dead, the version Jesus shows us of Himself ascending victoriously to heaven, the version Jesus shows us of Himself in

                         The Revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  

King Jesus, Mighty God, Eternal Father
Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega 

We need to seek this Jesus Christ with all fervor, we need to comprehend what His grace is, we need to know how to live in that divine Grace and experience its strength and power just as Paul had to learn to experience it. Don't wait until the fury of hell is upon us to try to establish our relationship with Jesus. We need to start now, on our knees, with the knees of our hearts bent in submission to Him, with our Bibles open before us, waiting for God. While we wait, we are to be working in His purpose (thus we need to know what God's purpose is for us - not what we wish God to do for us), we need to be praising and adoring Him, and living lives of praise. We are to be worshiping Him in obedience - obedience is essential (contemplate Jesus' words recorded below as if you were there when He said them: John 14:21, 23-24; 15:7,9-10,14 - see His face in your mind's eye as He spoke those words to His closest friends). We need to remember and embrace the truth that God has placed within us who are saved and being sanctified a supernatural power through His Spirit to enable us to do the work He has called us to do in His power. "If God is for us who can stand against us?" (Romans 8:31) That same Spirit determines what that will look like as He makes us like Christ, transforms us for living into eternity with the Lord.

When we become able to grasp and experience the fullness of God’s special grace in us, we will see God taking our pain and suffering and using them as sacred instruments to deepen our trust in and relationship with Him, to learn the hidden treasures God reveals in that divine space (Isaiah 45:3; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10). We may not know on this side of heaven why God permitted these things, but we can be assured that God will use our difficult circumstances in a way that will shatter our doubts, increase our faith, will bless us and others, and glorify His name. Those are the “good” of Romans 8:28.

As long as we are in the flesh, we will want to continue to lean into Jesus, to know Him as the embodiment of all Grace, dwelling within us as we travel a journey where the path is narrow, where there are obstacles – hills and valleys, where there are no U-turn signs, where there is no apparatus to process our agony other than God’s provision, and where we stumble and fall from the crushing weight of the circumstance. We will at times not know where or how we are going and getting through this because the attacks are so sharp and unrelenting. 

No, it is not easy; God did not promise that Fair nor Easy would be our constant companions on this journey. Instead, He promised that He would be. That He would not only walk with us, but guide us through. That He would commune with us, set a table of sweet communion in the presence of our enemies and our “thorns” - who and whatever they are. He takes us on our journey into places of oases – prayer and fellowship, worship with those of the Body of Christ – others who also travel the narrow path to refresh and encourage us. (1 Corinthians 12:26; 2 Corinthians 1:3-6; 1 Peter 5:9)  Friends, those of us who have been on this road in our journey know that it takes more than an "acquaintance" with Jesus to be able to find that solace, that healing of heart and spirit. If we are skimpy in our relationship with Jesus during so-called easy times, when the mountains fall on us, we do not have a firm hold on who our Savior is and are at our wit's end trying to cope on so many levels. Don't believe those false "prosperity gospel" promises - that if you go to church, donate a lot of money, and do good deeds you will have a life of ease and material blessings, and cannot be hurt by anything. Hard times are going to come - no matter if you are a believer or if you are a person who does not believe in Jesus Christ as God and Savior. We will all be touched by pain and suffering at some point in our lives as long as we live in these bodies and on earth - for some, it may be for prolonged periods.

Those who do believe in Jesus, when we entreat His presence and participate in that communion He has graced us with, we are enabled to choose to not be discouraged, to choose to have a joy that is a “settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of [our lives], the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right [in God’s timing and in God’s way], and [to translate our circumstance] through the determined choice to praise God in all things.”[1] For us who love God and are called according to His purpose, we receive the strength and power of His Grace. The Spirit of Christ living in us Who is greater than our worst enemy. (1 John 4:4) Even with tears. Even though the storm rages and our physical self is buffeted and we are knocked off our feet. Even in our deepest of sorrows and our most raw emotions, God is here with us; His Grace comes upon us powerfully. That same grace will heal our broken hearts and spirits and aliven us so that we may come to know and cherish that He is our hope alone 2], and in both awe and renewed commitment, we will hear ourself say “it is well with my soul, for His grace is sufficient.”

 

Dr. Charles Stanley recently aired a two-part series on “Our Great Encourager”. This first part in a series offers knowledge on understanding who God our comfort is - Part 1, and in Part 2, the message continues as to how God encourages us in our difficulties. https://www.intouch.org/listen/radio/our-great-encourager-part-1; 

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[1] Excerpts from “Choose Joy Because Happiness Isn’t Enough,” Kay Warren, Revel Publishing. 2012.

[2] Ephesians 1; 2:4-10; Philippians 4:1-9; 2 Peter 1:1-4