Storms

Lightning lights up a dark night while the wind howls and the rain pelts the roof. The din of a springtime thunderstorm can cause fear for those caught unaware. Yet when I am safe and nestled in my bed at home, I can be at peace during a storm, since I know my house will protect me. 

I do not feel that same security when storms rage in my life. My trust in God wavers in the onslaught of illness, or financial insecurity strikes, or a loved one walks away from the Lord. Oh, that I could be like the psalmist who penned Psalm 71!

Written by an old man vacillating between lamenting and trusting in God, he begins with, “O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress” (v. 1-3). The psalmist’s cry for help is clear and he knows that only God can provide that help. 

Then he transitions to praising God. “O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O LORD, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long” (v. 5-8). 

The entire psalm continues in this manner; he cries out for help and then expresses his praise to God. We can learn much from this psalm.

First, we can cry out to God in our distress! Being honest and sharing our fear doesn’t negate our faith. God longs to hear from us; He knows our hearts, so share with Him all your thoughts and feelings.

Then, sing His praises! Search the scriptures and declare the truths it contains. Express your gratitude for the ways He’s been there for you in the past. 

In doing these things, you will display the works of God in your life to those around you. Your testimony could lead someone else to put their faith in God!

A Theology for Adversity (Originally posted in 2019)

Something goes wrong...something tough happens...the good thing we were expecting doesn’t work out. What then? Do we say, “God abandoned me.” “God didn’t answer my prayer.” “God must not be good.” If these are our responses to trouble, there’s a good chance we are lacking a theology for adversity. 

I can relate to these feelings of confusion and I believe every Christian needs to grapple with this issue and come to a resolution regarding facing adversity. The sooner we do this in our Christian walks the better! 

God never promised a trouble-free life. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Because God is so masterful at turning every situation into good, we can mistakenly assume he initiated the circumstances. But remember, God is good. It’s the devil that’s bad. God doesn’t sin or cause people to sin. We experience evil things as a result of living in a world under the influence of sin and the painful consequences sin causes. Remember Jesus explained, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10. We’ve got to have it straight where it’s coming from. 

Have you noticed how frequently God’s people encounter trouble in the Bible? We often admire the anointing of these heroes of faith, but forget what they went through to get there. They overcame and if we are to follow in their footsteps, we’ll have to overcome some things. As long as our faith remains and we keep pressing in and don’t give up, everything will turn out alright. God is the great redeemer, just keep pressing in. 

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them all.” Psalm 34:19

Life is full of setbacks and challenges so when something goes wrong we must hang on, be steady, and trust even when it doesn’t make sense. The devil is hoping you’ll cave and agree with him, not The Comforter.

God allows a lot of things. He allows free will. One day He will intervene and say, “ENOUGH”! Meanwhile, don’t blame him for what the enemy did through other people. Instead respond to adversity with faith in a good God who will see you through, love you, comfort you, and heal you. Bless you Church!

Stillness Matters

In today’s world, we have no shortage of interesting things to give our attention to. Eating breakfast too boring? Watch a video while you’re at it! The drive to work too quiet? Listen to a podcast! Need to go to the bathroom? Why don’t you scroll on Instagram or TikTok while you do your business? I could list a hundred more examples, but I’m sure you all know what I mean. Our lives are filled to the brim with distractions, headlines, and thumbnails just waiting to grab our attention, but the thing is, isn’t it exhausting? I know for me, at the end of a day, I regret spending so much time just consuming content. Surely there is something better and more fulfilling we can do with our time, right?

There certainly is, and in fact I believe it to be far simpler and more fulfilling than we make it out to be. What is it? Stillness. 

The practice of stillness is one modern society has largely fallen out of touch with; however, it’s one we see modeled in Scripture frequently. A fantastic example is that of Jesus himself. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is a busy man (saving the world isn’t a small task!). He’s traveling all around Israel, preaching and healing in countless towns, all the while specifically teaching His 12 disciples the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like I said, busy.

And yet, in the midst of all this, we see Jesus prioritize time with His Father away from distractions. In Luke 4:42 & 5:16, it states how not only did Jesus take time to step away and pray, but He did so regularly. In Matt. 14:13-23, Jesus goes off to pray, gets interrupted by the 5,000, and feeds them, then continues his original plan and prays by Himself. Perhaps most significant of them all, in Matt. 4, the first thing Jesus does after getting baptized is spend 40 days in the wilderness in solitude before beginning His public ministry. 

Even with His busy schedule, Jesus valued time with God immensely. So how do we learn to do the same in our everyday lives? By starting small. Whenever you get a moment where you could fill it with a distraction, I dare you to not. Instead, breathe. Focus on God, and welcome Him into your mind. And then linger there for a minute. If you can, set a 5-10 minute timer where that’s all you do. Simple as that.

God wants to encounter and transform you, and when you make this practice a lifestyle, you intentionally open moments everyday specifically for encountering His love, returning to our original design of being children loved by our Heavenly Father. So give it a shot, and see how God moves in your life, I think you’ll find Him more fulfilling than another TikTok.

Looking Deeper

“If only he understood, he would see how beautiful it is,” my dad said about the man who had just verbally, and publicly, ripped him to shreds.  

While I was in high school, my dad ran a mid-week course for the young adults at church called B.B.B., a silly but effective acronym that stood for “Basic Bible Beliefs.” We covered huge topics like Jesus’ Divinity, the Reliability of Scripture, and Spiritual Gifts. Under his tutelage, I got a head start wrestling with the concept of the Trinity by age 15. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel very privileged.  

On this particular evening, we dove into a complex theological topic with a variety of different perspectives. Without getting into the weeds, my father presented a straightforward explanation of the concept, stated his own opinion, and invited us to come to our own conclusions. I don’t remember the details of his presentation, but I do remember that a simple misunderstanding led to an older gentleman in the church vehemently berating him in front of a group of high schoolers. Boy, was I angry. Somehow, though, my dad remained cool and calm. How bizarre.  

During the ride home, I asked Dad to explain why that guy got so worked up, and he did. He clarified the communication breakdown and was able to trace the angry man’s line of thinking to the idea that set him off. But remarkably, my father didn’t stop at the intellectual disagreement; he looked deeper. He explained that the man’s hostility, the rage and rampage, was just a deep, simmering insecurity that had finally erupted. That guy blew up when faced with a different perspective, but my dad expressed compassion for him. “If only he understood...” 

I remember the strobe of yellow street lights passing overhead while I tried to comprehend this. True wisdom is more than having good answers, important as they are. But wisdom always looks deeper. My father explained, “There’s always more going on beneath the surface. Sometimes people get angry when their ideas are challenged, but Jesus never got stuck in a pointless argument; he looked for the deeper things.” That night I learned, and saw, how true wisdom leads to deeper love.  

Though he was hurt and frustrated, my dad couldn’t hide his Christlikeness. Impressively, he’d fused wisdom with compassion so that knowing and loving were inseparable, even toward the quarrelsome guy who just ripped him to shreds. And it was beautiful.  

  “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).