The Satisfying Answer

At camp last week I had the privilege of some lovely conversations with leaders and campers.  One camper in particular had a question to which there seemed no satisfactory answer.  Often this can be the case, where we have a desire to know something definite when God in His wisdom has seen fit to conceal it.  There are many legitimate questions we can ask without a single answer provided satisfying our curiosity.  We want to know how, who, what, when, where, and why, and even if all these were laid out for us it doesn't mean we would agree or be pleased with the answers.

I love how Jesus answered questions people asked Him - or how He didn't answer them.  Read through the Gospels and take note of how Jesus dealt with questions.  Sometimes He answered them plainly with an explanation.  Other times He spoke in parables, even linking different parables which on the surface didn't seem to fit together!  Jesus also answered questions with questions.  And my favorite is when Jesus disregarded the question altogether and talked about another subject entirely.  This shows me I can be asking the wrong questions because I am focused on the wrong thing.  If we are satisfied with Christ and trust Him, then we can be pleased when He knowingly changes the subject to reveal important things our curiosity isn't keen enough to consider.  Is that possible, that God wants to reveal something far more fulfilling than the answer to my question?  Are you fine with that, even when at the time the answer to your question seems so important and critical for your rest?

Job was a man who asked a lot of questions, and rightly so.  He was a man who enjoyed fellowship with God through worship and sacrifice.  He trusted God even when his life seemed to go to hell after Satan attacked him (with permission under God's watchful eye) and robbed him of his goods, children, and health.  Some of Job's friends came to "comfort" him but spent the majority of their time attacking, judging, and suggesting his sin had contributed to his pitiful condition.  In his pain Job asked questions of men and God, and there seemed no answers for why such terrors had befallen him.  God finally weighed in on the conversation in Job 38:1-3:  "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ² "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ³ Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me."  God did not answer Job's questions, telling him why He had allowed him to be born or see such days.  Instead, God launched into a extensive series of questions and Job was unable to answer a single one.  God provided Himself as the answer and Job finally understood.  In trusting God He would find satisfaction - not in answers to petty or hypothetical questions.  Job put his hand on his mouth and was silent before God, repented, obeyed His command, and God restored Job.

God gave us minds to think and question, but there is no question or dilemma man can have which is greater than God.  Sometimes there are no answers to our specific question from God, the Bible, or our friends, but we are called to trust the God who has become wisdom for us.  He is not just enough but our everything, our life, our all.

Two Are Better Than One

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

During last week at Camp Kedron, I had the rare task (for me, anyway!) to prepare for, light, and maintain a campfire during two evening activities.  I don't have a fireplace at home and can't remember the last time I actually went camping so it was a fun challenge.  The success of dinner one night and sharing testimonies about how Jesus has saved and is working in our lives depended in part to my preparation and timely stoking of the fire.  The first night a fellow leader, campers, and I was able to gather enough sticks for kindling and wood for the fire.  During the men's night, all the male campers brought a can of food and we mixed it all together and cooked the "bivouac" (affectionately called by some "the biv") in a large pot suspended by wire from a long pole heated to boiling over an open flame.

The next day I was faced with a dilemma.  We had plenty of wood from gum trees gathered the previous day for the fire, but it was in large, uncut boughs.  All the large pieces of wood needed to be cut down to a manageable size, but finding a saw in the shed up to the task proved to be a challenge.  Had the wood been wet it would have been much easier, but some of the fallen branches were extremely dense and hard.  I was able to find a couple of pruning saws, but as I suspected the blades were far too flimsy.  Then I found an old rusty handsaw, but it too was useless to cut the wood.  It cut through bark easy enough, but the teeth were dull and the rust made pulling the saw through the wood impossible.

When I first poked my head into the tool shed, I saw a large two-man saw.  Because I was the only one working on preparing firewood for the evening, I didn't see it as a viable option.  But time was beginning to run short.  So I pulled the antique-looking saw from the tool shed and asked a fellow worker to help me.  It took us a few minutes to figure out the best way to position the limbs for cutting, but progress was being made.  About halfway into the process the saw bound right when I was pushing and injured a spot on my palm.  I could see the blood pooling under the surface, so I used my other hand to push and pull.  After about half an hour of coordinated pushing and pulling in unison the work was nicely done, and I am glad to say we had wood left over at the end of the night.

It occurred to me how we can approach our labours for the LORD in ministry in a similar way to how initially I went about cutting firewood.  We feel with the LORD alone we are sufficient to accomplish the work He has called us to do.  But the fact is, to do some work we not only need the right tool but other people united with us as well.  I could have tried using the big saw by myself, and perhaps the work would have been done in time.  Yet the saw was designed for two to handle big jobs, and with my partner the work was easily done.  As I looked at my injured hand after the work was done, it occurred to me that many pastors and leaders can be hurt in ministry.  A flawed response of mine would be to point to my injury and say, "Next time, I'm not going to ask for help.  I will do it myself."  If I could have used the two-man saw myself, who is to say my hand would not have been more damaged by the end?  I would rather sustain an injury and have the work finished than injure myself trying to do it myself and never complete the work.  In my case, I was only able to do the work with help and though I sustained an injury in the process, I could smile with a job well done.  Two are better than one.  When I dropped the saw because of the pain, my friend held the saw and asked if I was alright.  I wouldn't have been able to receive such care, support, and encouragement if I was alone.

If we want to work in unity with God, then we must be willing to take risks in labouring with others.  I am not suggesting we be cavalier, foolish, or irresponsible, but there are those among us who tend to take on more than we should because we feel comfortable with an illusion of control.  We want our firewood cut just so, and God help us if someone does things differently or questions what we are doing.  In our walk with Jesus there will be pains, difficulties, and injuries along the way, but it is important we do not allow these to deceive us to think it wise to push others away.  We must trust God has called us, and that He has provided the tools and people necessary to accomplish the work before us.  My eyes fell upon that saw at the very beginning, but I ignored it because it looked old and required two people.  It very well may be there are people serving alongside you who are perfect assistants for the work God has called you to do, but because they seem busy or some other hollow reason you have looked elsewhere.  I was looking for a power tool with a sharp blade, but the antique saw is what was needed on that day.  We all want perennial All-Stars on our team, yet it is the unified team of hard workers nobody has heard of but plays best together who wins the big game.

If I needed help to cut a few dry limbs from a tree, don't you suppose we servants of Christ also need help from others to accomplish great works for God?

The Scuff Mark Lesson

I have just returned home from a wonderful week as speaker at Camp Kedron, a Christian holiday camp.  God truly moved among leaders and campers alike, and over the next few posts I hope to share some observations and things the LORD revealed to me.  It all started with a scuff mark on the ceiling.

Lately my right shoulder has been a bit sore from landing on it awkwardly playing baseball a few weeks back.  As I lay down on the floor to stretch and adjust the shoulder back into the correct position, I noticed a small black mark on the ceiling.  Fixing my eyes upon it, a series of questions flooded through my brain, and to them I had no answer.

"Do you know who made that scuff mark?"  Nope.

"Do you know when that scuff mark occurred?"  No.

"Do you know what object made the mark?"  No again.

"Do you know how it happened?"  No!

Then came the kicker:  "If you don't know anything about a simple black mark on the ceiling, what makes you think you know anything about the problems others have in their hearts and lives?"  Laying on my back in my room, I had been wisely instructed by the LORD.  God knew all about the history of a scuff mark, and He also knows everything about people He created and loves.  He knows the painful history, the strong temptations, blind spots, sins, and issues people are facing.  And the best part about all this is He knows how to deal with them in love, grace, and truth.  While we might be preoccupied with quickly removing scuff marks or covering them up, He knows how He can redeem those mistakes and trials for His glory - even teaching from a scuff mark on  a ceiling.

That's the God I serve.  He is awesome, wise, and blows my mind continually.  I praise and worship the God of Israel, my heavenly Father, the One who knows me and loves me.  He speaks freely to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear by His grace.  He doesn't just point out our faults but freely forgives and redeem them for our good and His glory.

Freedom to be Honest

I saw an interview on cnn.com with Josh McDowell concerning the upcoming "Set Free Summit" and it made an impression on me.  I was not able to find the original video, but basically Josh McDowell was talking about the problems of pornography within modern culture and especially taking aim at the issue in the church.  He is a skilled writer, speaker, and apologist, but what impacted me in that short video was the freedom he had in speaking about his own painful childhood experience of suffering sexual abuse for years.  He candidly mentioned his abuser's full name, and the interviewer seemed surprised he was so candid.  But Josh went on to explain he had spoken to the man as an adult, forgave him for his cruelty, and that his abuser had passed away years ago.  The interview continued as normal, but it struck me how Josh McDowell's candor was quite abnormal - and a good thing.  Josh credits God with healing his heart and mind, and he shares his story not to shame his abuser, to dredge up pity for himself, but to encourage others to discover the healing and freedom only Jesus Christ can bring.

Many people tragically face abuse in their past quite alone, and the power their abuser once held over them weighs upon them heavily as they attempt to hide their past abuse, confusion, and current pain.  The pain people experience in this life as a result of sin is legion, and trying to cover up or deny the past causes pain to be multiplied.  Such concealment creates a perfect environment for a root of bitterness to grow.  Whether we have been innocent victims of wickedness or have been the cause of pain for others, Christ's blood washes us from guilt and shame.  Apostle Paul, when defending himself before King Agrippa, did not hide his misguided and violent past.  He said candidly in Acts 26:9-11, "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities."  Paul's past involved persecuting Christians, but he did not sweep it under the rug.  On the biggest stage of his life he was open and honest concerning his past faults, all to the end he might testify publicly of his transformation for the glory of Jesus Christ.

What Josh McDowell did in publicly speaking of past abuse he suffered showed the powerful feelings of shame, fear, and pain no longer had an unhealthy grip on him.  He had not forgotten, but he had forgiven.  No longer was he ensnared in the bondage of guilt or bitterness, but in trusting God and forgiving others he discovered freedom.  A relationship with God had redeemed his life and forever altered his perspective.  I in no way wish to minimise the pain of abuse or to suggest coming to Christ will make life easier or take all your problems away.  The point is all sin, whether inflicted by others upon us or through us, gains power and strength when we try to conceal it.  It is only after we admit we are hurting we will consent to see a doctor, and only after we admit our addictions and failures will we seek help outside ourselves.  Simply broadcasting our painful past or present hell does nothing to free us from guilt or heal our hearts, but Jesus can do all if we will humble ourselves before Him.  When we have been delivered from guilt and sin there is no need to pretend we are perfect.  It is Jesus who transforms us by His grace, and those freed from the burden of guilt are free to be perfectly honest.  When we experience this in our lives or in others, it is most refreshing.