The Shoulder Incident(s)

This morning I was reminded of a surprise revelation when I went to the doctor about shoulder discomfort.  While playing baseball, I stumbled and rolled onto my shoulder in tagging out a baserunner hung up between third base and home.  I ended up separating my shoulder and damaging the AC joint when I landed heavily on it.  There was no question what I did that hurt myself, but I was quite surprised after the doctor looked at scans.

The x-ray brought to light I had--at some point prior without my knowledge--sustained a Hills-Sachs fracture of the shoulder.  I could only theorise what had happened.  Maybe it happened when I injured my shoulder throwing a baseball during high school or at a point during my working career.  Looking at the scan it was clear there had been trauma to the shoulder, even though I could not say when it happened or what caused it.  Healing had taken place but the evidence of the break remained.

My situation illustrates to me the grace of God who enabled me to press on with playing baseball, worked in a trade to provide for my family, and continue living as if I had never sustained an injury.  God is faithful to protect and help us when we cannot help ourselves.  The LORD did a similar thing for me mentally and emotionally when I went to 8th grade after being homeschooled for years.  I remember in my adulthood I ran into one of my classmates in a Bible study where he apologised profusely for bullying me in school.  Honestly, I could not recall a single thing he did or said that disturbed or troubled me.  It was another case of God's protecting, healing hand upon my life when I was clueless of how completely I needed Him.

The separated shoulder event I knew perfectly well happened also had a valuable takeaway.  Rather than throwing the ball to my teammate to tag the runner, my lack of confidence in his ability and self-confidence led me to overexert myself by taking matters into my own hands.  Sure, the runner was tagged out, but it came at a heavy cost that has impacted my ability to sleep on that side every night until this day.  I should have distributed the responsibility to make the play to my teammate by throwing him the ball, yet the priceless lesson of learning to trust the LORD by entrusting important tasks to others has served me well.  Pain is a skilled teacher, but the LORD is the greatest Teacher because He can use every experience of life--and the experiences of others--to teach us life-changing lessons money cannot buy.

Praying Changes Us

I was impressed to read the testimony of Hannah and how praying to the LORD made an immediate impact in her life.  For a long time she had been provoked by her husband's second wife who pitted herself against Hannah as her rival.  Hannah's adversary Penninah had children and Hannah was barren, and year after year she heaped scorn upon Hannah concerning something she could not change.  She wanted children, and as the years dragged the continuous provocations wounded Hannah to the point she lost her appetite.

During her annual trek to the tabernacle with her family, Hannah wept before the LORD in prayer.  She prayed God would giver her a son, a child she promised to lend to the LORD all his days.  Eli, the high priest at the time, observed her praying and assumed she was drunk because her mouth was moving but no sounds came forth.  One might think with all Hannah suffered--and then to be falsely accused by the high priest as a drunk--would only have added to her pain and led her to further despair.

This wasn't the case at all!  Having poured out her heart to the LORD and refuted the accusation of being drunk, she explained to Eli her demeanour in prayer was the result of great sorrow and grief.  Eli then blessed Hannah and encouraged her with agreement that God would hear and answer her request.  1 Samuel 1:18 says, "And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.  So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad."  Crying out to God in faith did not immediately change Hannah's barrenness, but praying changed Hannah.  Her pained expression turned to gladness, and she ate the portion provided by her husband who loved her.

Casting our cares upon the LORD knowing He will hear and answer may not change our situation, but exercising faith in God in prayer works to change us, our attitude and perspective going forward.  The very situations we desire God to change can be employed by God to change us.  It took great provocation before Hannah was moved to desperately seek the LORD in prayer, and when she later conceived and bore a son by God's grace she testified of God's faithfulness all along.  We can know we have cast our cares upon the LORD when we are changed and encouraged by doing so--not because our circumstances have changed.

Minds Set Right

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

Colossians 3:1-2

In a sermon I heard many years ago, the pastor urged his hearers to consider how our perspective should be ordered as children of God.  Rather than being at the mercy of our circumstances, emotions or feelings, we are to remain grounded in the sovereignty and goodness of God in every season of life.  Unlike a ship adrift that is carried by wind or currents, we have an anchor for our souls by faith in Jesus Christ our Saviour.  We can see the waves and feel them beating upon us, yet we can remain immoveable, fruitful and abounding in the work of the LORD.

He used an illustration of the difference Jesus makes in our lives, not to pump us up that we can feel "in control" during the storms of this life, but to know that whatever happens God remains on the throne over this world and us personally.  My takeaway from the message was to ask myself, "Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?  Do you register or regulate?"  A thermometer passively displays the ambient temperature, but a thermostat is set in an air-conditioning system to change the temperature of the air.  Thermometers and people both register, but as we submit ourselves to God's rule in faith we can make a positive impact that will be felt by others--like an unexpected cool breeze on a sweltering day.

It is important in the thermostat analogy to recognise it is God who is established over all things, and He is the one who sets us right by the Gospel.  In response to our glorious God and Saviour and our good standing in Him we are called to purposely seek Him and to set our minds on things above.  By faith in Jesus we are enabled to stand by the power of the Holy Spirit even in the midst of trials and troubles.  It is natural for us to be mindful of earthly, temporal things because we continue to live in perishing bodies on the earth.  Reading through the Psalms of late I can say David was both a thermometer and thermostat:  the trials and persecution he faced registered in his heart, prompted him to seek the LORD, and then his heart was fixed (set) to wait on the LORD with the firm conviction he would see the goodness of God in the land of the living.

How about you?  Do you tend to be a thermometer or a thermostat?  Should there come a day when the pains or difficulties of life no longer register in us at all, it may be because we are dead!  By God's grace He has given us feelings, emotions and desires, and it is good for us to seek God and His wisdom so He might establish us by faith and reliance upon Him.  Our LORD regulates the fiery trials He allows, and may His testing result in our faith growing exceedingly, our love abounding, and entering into the rest made possible by our Saviour Jesus.  May this overcoming, conquering faith in Christ bring great glory to our LORD who is the Rock of Salvation our lives are built upon.

Loved Without Reproach

The book of Ruth is a beautiful and heartwarming passage of virtue, kindness and redemption.  The most compelling and romantic fairy tales written by people fall infinitely short of its perfection.  This historical narrative is no work of fiction dreamed up by man but is the word of God that leads us to wonder and marvel over the Redeemer of lost sinners, Jesus Christ.

The plot of the story is simple:  Naomi went to Moab to avoid a famine in Bethlehem-Judah with her husband and two sons, and she later returned widowed, childless and bitter accompanied by her loyal daughter-in-law named Ruth.  This industrious woman went to glean in a field which turned out to be owned by a rich older man named Boaz, who was unmarried, and he also happed to be a near relative of Naomi.  He was aware of Ruth and her relation to Naomi, and he did everything to generously extend kindness to Ruth.

Boaz urged Ruth to only glean in his field to protect her from unsavoury men.  He provided access to water, shade and bread--though she was a foreigner and a Moabite.  Boaz invited Ruth to eat with his own servants and gave directives concerning her in Ruth 2:15-16:  "And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. ¹⁶ Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her."  Boaz extended unrestricted access for Ruth to glean even among the sheaves without reproach or rebuke.  He told his workers to intentionally let grain fall so she might gather it up for herself and her mother-in-law.

Ultimately the book comes to a close with Boaz and Ruth being wed and Naomi holding her dear grandson Obed--who would be the father of Jesse and grandfather of king David.  Boaz fulfilled the responsibility of a kinsman redeemer, and the Bible reveals Jesus far outshines the great kindness Boaz showed Ruth through the Gospel to redeem lost sinners to be citizens of His kingdom and members of the people of God.  Jesus is the Bread of Life who does not reproach us for our unworthiness, nor does He rebuke us for our woeful sinfulness:  He invites all who are hungry to come to Him and freely receive Him, and all who are thirsty are invited to partake of His living water by faith in Him.  Instead of us needing to find Him, Jesus has drawn near to us in person and given us the Bible so we might feed on His faithfulness continually.

I love the scene of Boaz generously telling his servants to do a lousy job of gathering grain so Ruth might benefit.  How awesome it is when we are empty, hungry, thirsty and needy, we can rest assured Jesus provides us access into His presence, and in Him all our needs are met by grace.  At all hours of the day we can hear His voice through His word and venture into His presence through prayer.  It is bad manners to overstay one's welcome as a guest, and though God regards Christians as His beloved children He does not whisk us off to bed so He can have quiet or rest:  our rest and peace is found in the living God with us!  Christians can identify with Naomi, Ruth and Boaz at various times in our lives, but we have a source of joy, prosperity and fruitfulness through the everlasting Gospel that overwhelms the temporal happiness of family and friendship.

Seasons come and go; a spouse passes away and a child is born.  We are perpetually worthy of reproach and rebuke for our sins, yet God graciously made a way of salvation and redemption by His own Son.  He does not remember our faults but commends us for our faith we received from Him.  He gives wisdom and life liberally without reproach.  The LORD sent word to shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem in Luke 2:10-11:  "Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  The death of Jesus and Calvary, His resurrection and ascension reveals our Redeemer lives and has drawn us to Himself by His grace.  No longer need we be bitter, for the sweetness of His love, grace and acceptance fills and satisfies with His presence.