It's OK to NOT Be OK

As born-again believers in Jesus Christ, the goodness and glory of God has been revealed to us personally through Him.  We learn to look at life through the lens of God's greatness and power, and we can attest to wonderful things He has done in our lives.  When troubles and difficulties arise, our response can be to gloss over our struggles in conversations with others--as if experiencing a painful trial is an indictment of our lack of faith.  Should someone ask us how we are doing, we might be tempted to ignore the question and respond with a cliche like "God is good."  Or we might take a Pollyanna approach to paint everything in the best light because we do not want to burden anyone else with the burdens we carry.  Friends, it's OK to NOT be OK.

This is a common way, without even thinking about it, Christians can be prone to lying.  We know our good, awesome God loves us, and it is good to keep Him in the forefront of our minds.  But this does not mean we are always doing well, nor does it follow we are carefree without struggles and burdens because we are not God.  We can put on a smile and pretend we aren't grieving, we aren't offended, that everything is on the up when we are cast down and grieving.  It is true people can be uncomfortable in a social setting when we are honest with them and admit we are struggling, a medical prognosis is bad, or we don't have good news to report.  Sharing we are in the midst of an overwhelming trial is not an indication of our lack of faith, for it is by faith in God we are honest and transparent with people who might judge us negatively.

In a chat this morning with my mum, she told me the story behind her wearing glasses.  It was not until she went to school it was discovered by her teacher she needed glasses to see anything clearly.  At the time if you asked her, she would have claimed to be able to see--but the words all the other students could read to her looked like a blank sheet of paper.  After being fitted with glasses, she was gobsmacked at the new world that opened up before her gaze:  she saw clouds for the first time, trees actually had individual leaves, and roses were not a blob of colour but had lovely petals.  The glasses helped her to see clearly what had been a blur or completely unseen before.  The LORD does this for us spiritually and much more, enabling us to know God by faith in Christ.  It is after knowing Him we begin to see more clearly just how immense our need for Him was and continues to be.

Jesus promises to fill the thirsty who come to Him, and it is the hungry He satisfies by His grace.  It is the lost whom He finds, He opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up the depressed soul.  If we carefully put a positive spin to conceal our struggles before others and act like all is well, should we be surprised when our turmoil continues?  Should God cater to our hypocrisy, deceit and pride when we pretend to be OK, when we pretend to be sufficient in ourselves when the LORD alone is our strength?  Australia has a "R U OK?" day, and the catchphrase is "A conversation can change a life."  If we are unwilling to be honest in conversation with people who love the LORD and care about us, it is unlikely we will receive the full benefits God has for us who works in and through His people.  When we are not OK, we are blessed to know God remains good.  Humility before God and others is a path God uses to let our needs be made known, to pray with one another, to seek the LORD, and to bring us to a place of rest even in ongoing struggles.  If we imagine we are OK ourselves, when will we ever seek God out of need?

Humble to Heed

Having a relationship with the living God is an awesome, wonderful privilege available to everyone.  The word "privilege" these days has become a loaded term to emphasise the possession of benefits or rights others are denied and cannot obtain, when the privilege of Christians to know God is freely given of God's goodness and grace and extended to all people.  Born-again followers of Jesus Christ are privileged to have a relationship with God, and we desire everyone would receive Christ by faith so they too can experience new life in Jesus as well.  The Christian's privilege is available to everyone:  God's love, favour and mercy received by undeserving souls.

One thing that struck me today is a relationship with God provides personal access to communion and communication with God.  This relationship (shockingly, I might add!) is not God addressing us like a commanding officer his troops, a boss to his employees, or an domineering husband over his spouse, but like speaking to a close friend we love.  God has every right and power to do whatever He wants, yet He delights to hear our voices speaking to Him and expressing our desires, requests and praise of Him.  He is the source of all knowledge, understanding and wisdom, yet He is silent and listens more than He speaks.  God invites us sinners to draw near to Him in faith and reason as it is written in Isaiah 1:18-19:  "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  He places no obstacle before us, for God says:  "Come now."  It is often our unbelief and folly that makes communication with God a last resort rather than our immediate impulse.

Many times in scripture God was pleased to heed the prayers of people and was swayed by their requests, though He was justified to do as He pleased.  After the children of Israel transgressed through idolatry while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, Moses begged God to change His mind about justly destroying them.  Exodus 32:14 says, "So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people."  Blessed are the people whose God hears their cries, for even one person who trusts God has sway with Him!  Amazingly, God's will is for none to perish (despite our sinfulness) and He leads us to pray according to His will.  It was not the goodness of Moses but the Holy Spirit who led Moses to plead for the sake of the people, and God relented from the harm He intended to do.  Scripture is filled with instances of God prompting people to pray in faith, Him listening to them, and God answering their prayers with miraculous power--and in the case of Moses, with divine restraint.

These instances in scripture not only teach us to pray to God but also to be reasonable in listening to others, to take into account things people say, and to be humble to heed them.  Since God invites us to reason with Him and responds to our prayers, we ought to be good listeners to bring our thoughts and situations before the LORD who is wisdom for us.  When we are in two minds or completely overwhelmed about the correct course of action we should take, God always knows best.  Nehemiah is a great example of this, for when asked pointed questions by his king he immediately paused and sought the LORD God for guidance.  God does not need our counsel, but we desperately need His.  God forbid we refuse to relent at His word or the words of those who try to reason with us, for in doing so we become like Nabal--scoundrels no one can sensibly reason with.  If our words give God pause, we ought to be humble, patient and reasonable with all.

Loving God's Enemies

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; ²² for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

Proverbs 25:21-22

This proverb was repeated by Paul in Romans in the context of not avenging oneself and followed by Romans 12:21:  "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, to do good to those who hated them, and to pray for those who spitefully used them.  We can show love by meeting the needs of others in practical ways, by providing food and drink when needed.  Doing so would bring burning shame upon adversaries for being enemies of those who are kind and compassionate, and God promises to reward those who show love even for enemies.  God is faithful to provide for our needs, guide our steps and will reward us by His grace.

Recently I was encouraged to consider this passage from a spiritual perspective.  There are people in the world who are enemies of God (who may not even realise it), who deny His existence and goodness, and oppose and scorn the truth of His word.  In their condition they are spiritually starving from a lack of Jesus who is the Bread of Life and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  What a blessing it is for God to supply wisdom from His word to speak the truth concerning Jesus on the authority of the word of God, for man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).  Man, in his natural state, drinks sin like water and has a spiritual thirst no amount of pleasure, fame or riches can satisfy.  Christians have the privilege to offer the Living Water of the Holy Spirit so people can drink through receiving the Gospel and live forever.

The spiritual implications of Proverbs 25:21-22 are held in tension with the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:6:  "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  There are times when enemies of God will hear and receive His word, and others will disregard the treasures of God's wisdom and attack us like enraged feral boars.  Jesus said of Pharisees He deemed blind leaders of the blind, "Let them alone.  When the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch." (Matt. 15:14)  We need discernment provided by the Holy Spirit to love our enemies by speaking the truth and also to express our faith in God by remaining silent until He bids us speak.  We are called to give an answer for the hope that is in us to those who ask and contend for the faith, but we are not called to be contentious (1 Peter 3:15).

Another important point Solomon made is in Proverbs 26:4-5:  "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."  These verse compliment one another:  we are not to engage in foolish disputes and stoop to the low level of personal attacks and insults, but at the same time we are to speak the wisdom of God's word to reveal the folly of falsehoods and contradictions of worldly wisdom--which is foolishness with God.  When we speak, let us do so lovingly with the wisdom of the Bible, not haughtily spouting our own opinions or condemning others as if we are without fault.  May we speak the truth of Jesus as we follow the example of our Saviour who was humble, gentle, patient and kind.  Let us feed on God's word and drink deeply of the fullness of the Spirit so God's glory and grace will shine through us.

Stay Loyal to God

It seems a lot of large retailers I have wandered through lately aim to be a "one-stop shop."  Walmart is a good example.  Years ago there was not nearly the amount of groceries on offer like there is today with large refrigerated aisles.  From memory the only refrigerated area of Walmart I was aware of was for bait in the fishing department!  Today there is pretty much everything you need in one store that is the size of a small suburb that offers prices competitive with all rivals.  The thought is, if you can buy everything in one place, why go anywhere else?  This provides consumers the convenience of everything needed in one shop, the benefit of low prices and (of course!) provides more revenue for the retailer.

If there was a store where everything you wanted and needed was consistently provided at the lowest price, it would make sense to go there.  Benefits offered that reward loyalty are reasons why people prefer to shop at one place rather than another.  People are loyal until a much better deal comes along they can profit from.  That is when loyalty and our personal governing principles are put to the test.  Some people in California will pay more because they want an American-made product or want to support local businesses.  Others are more interested in saving money for themselves or so they can afford to support more charities through giving.  How we save and/or spend our money is often a complex, personal series of decisions.

The same can be true of the God we trust and worship.  Even as there are more shops and companies than I recognise or could count, there are a multitude of various deities that have been worshipped by mankind throughout history.  The powers of gods in the ancient world (and to this day) are often limited in scope and specialise in things like fertility, abundant harvests or protection.  The almighty God who created all things resembles a "one stop shop" in one sense, but He is infinitely superior in that He meets all our needs, is supreme in power, and is the best at everything without rival.  God is like a spring of pure, living water and all the other gods and idols combined are like a small mud puddle--a puddle that by the time you stoop to drink from it, you discover there is no water at all!  All other gods and spiritual practices were only a mirage that could never meet a single need.

God said through the prophet in Jeremiah 2:12-13:  "Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate," says the LORD. ¹³ "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water."  God exposed the folly of His people to forsake Him who saved them, was gracious and merciful to them, provided for their needs and blessed them abundantly.  They did evil in departing from Him, and they also sinned in carving for themselves cisterns (idols) that were totally unfit for purpose.  It was God who brought the rain, made their fields fruitful, caused them to bear children, and protected them from harm.  No other god, nation or person could compare with His goodness, everlasting power, wisdom and help.  It was completely irrational and foolish to abandon living water for broken cisterns that could hold no water in an arid environment.  A silly person can see how ridiculous it would be to make such a trade, yet the irony is God's people did not see it was stupid for them to forsake God who never forsook them.

We do not follow Jesus merely for benefits we hope to receive from Him but because He is God and worthy of all praise.  He is our life, and the wise cling to Him in faith in times of peace and conflict, when things are going smoothly or all seems lost.  We are the lost ones, and Jesus has sought and called us; He freely offers the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, and He gives rest for our souls.  How strange it is we would receive His gifts and grace, and after we have been saved, nursed to spiritual health and gained strength would go after false gods that could never hear, see, help or deliver us at all.  Blessed is the one who finds God to be His all in all!  Praise the LORD for His loyal love to us, that when we foolishly lean on our own understanding He continues to pursue us and calls us back to Himself to receive us.  Let's be those who, having discovered God to be our fountain of living water, are not deceived to think there could be better elsewhere and remain loyal to Him.