Knowing Precedes Trusting

Have you ever had a hard time trusting God? Yeah, me too. Maybe you need to trust God for the healing of a fractured relationship or perhaps you're waiting on Him to provide a better job. Sometimes trusting God is just plain hard, isn't it?

Several years ago, when I was going through a difficult time, I was struggling to trust God when I happened upon this verse from Psalm 9:10

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

For those who are truly acquainted with God's character and nature, trusting Him becomes the natural conclusion. At the time, this verse spoke to the heart of my problem - trusting God wasn't simply about "naming and claiming" or mustering more faith mojo. It's all about knowing...because knowing precedes trusting. My problem was that I didn't rightly perceive God. I didn't know His name - I had a very limited view of His true nature and character. I thought of Him as a sovereign ruler but not as one who is also kind, gracious and committed to bring about good things in my life.

Where do you start on this journey of growing in faith and trust toward God? Here are three things I've found helpful -

1. Start with reading the Bible. God is uniquely revealed to us through Scripture and reading God's word will help shape our perception of God.
2. Meditate on His character. It's not enough just to read... we ought to let the revelation of God through Scripture take root by meditating on His revealed character
3. Cultivate faithful friendships. Growing in trust toward God is a community project - you need friends to remind you of who He is, especially in the midst of trials and tribulations of life.

Quote of the Week

"God works strangely. He brings order out of confusion, harmony out of discord... God often helps when there is least hope, and saves His people in the way that they think will destroy.... God's ways are past finding out (Rom 11:33). They are rather to be admired than to be fathomed"

Thomas Watson, All Things for Good, p. 60

Don't Waste Your Recession

Perhaps we're not quite out of that recession after all - now that unemployment has hit a 26 year high. Let's face it - economic downturns are not fun - companies fail, real estate prices plummet and hardworking men and women lose jobs. Yet, even in the midst of financial trials, God is faithfully at work to accomplish His purpose.

Where do you see God at work even in the midst of rising unemployment and financial uncertainty? What is He teaching you?

Here are a few ways that God uses financial trials to instruct our hearts -

1. We learn that wealth is fleeting - nothing like a loss of carefully cultivated nest egg to remind us of how fleeting wealth is ... how temporary its satisfaction. We are provoked to treasure Christ - the promise of the One who never fails, never loses value or beauty. We are reminded to find our joy in Him.

2. We learn to trust God - ever notice how we don't really exercise faith in the midst of prosperity? On the other hand, we are often compelled to turn to Christ when things are not going well..when we lose our jobs or when we're under stress.

3. We learn to testify to the Hope that is within us. We can proclaim the gospel by virtue of our response to the prevailing financial crisis. Instead of fretting over the loss of earthly treasure, we can testify to Christ, the eternal, incomparable Treasure - we can be otherworldly.

Here are a couple of resources on not "wasting" the recession.

Don't Waste Your Recession. by Mark Mullery

What is the Recession For? by John Piper

What have you learned? How has God met you in the midst of this recession?

Quote of the Week

"God's children are strengthened by their falls. They learn to stand by their falls. Like tall cedars, the more they are blown, the deeper they are rooted.''

Richard Sibbes, The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes. Vol 7, p. 222

No King is Saved By His Great Army

The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Psalm 33:16-17

Trials and obstacles are part and parcel of living in this fallen world. These days it can seem like bad news is lurking just round the corner - widespread financial collapse, rising unemployment, H1N1 virus, turmoil in the Middle East, etc... Maybe your concerns are much closer to home - perhaps you're concerned about holding on to your job or you have mounting personal debt or you're dealing with a chronic illness in your family.

In times like these, it's easy to locate our confidence in the wrong place. Perhaps Psalm 33 was written in response to such mounting pressure. If you're fighting a battle, it makes all the sense in the world to put your confidence in the size and abilities of your army. It wouldn't seem altogether unreasonable to hope in the battle tested assets that might secure victory.

Yet, the Psalmist reminds himself and us of the folly of such thinking. Despite conventional wisdom, no king is saved by such things. He looked beyond the means of salvation to the source of salvation - the LORD, the eternal God who is able and willing to rescue those who fear Him.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 33:18-19

When you encounter the next trial or challenge - whether at work or at home, whether great or small, where do you plan to locate your hope?

What's the One Thing You Want in Times of Trouble?

Life in this fallen world is messy - jobs are lost, family members become ill, projects fall behind schedule, etc.   Even as Christians, we contend with trouble everyday.    Perhaps you're one of the many who've lost their jobs in this economic depression.  Maybe you still have a job but it's fraught with difficulties and difficult people.   Or perhaps you might be battling a long standing illness.    

Sometimes the problems of life come upon us so unexpectedly that they can overwhelm us.   All we can think of in those times is our need for relief.  How do we contend with these and other challenges in light of God's active presence in our lives?   According to Psalm 27,  David faced many difficulties.   He contended with serious enemies who threatened his very life.   

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and my foes, it is they who stumble and fall

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me, yet I will be confident

Psalm 27:1-3

Under such pressure, what did David pray for?   What is the one thing he asked of God?  Not deliverance from his enemies, nor for his own personal safety.   Not for an unbeatable battle plan, nor the destruction of his enemies.

One thing have I asked of the LORD that will I seek after

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple

Psalm 27:4

Instead, David desired the nearness of God.  For David, to inquire before the presence of God was far better than a winning strategy.   If we have one thing to ask of God, what shall we ask for?   If we have deadlines to meet and troubles of every kind looming on the horizon, where are we going to find relief?   Where will we find peace and satisfaction?

Sanctity of Life

This coming Sunday, January 18, 2009 is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Since Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision legalizing abortions, there have been over 49 million abortions performed.

We've become so accustom to these kinds of statistics that it's easy to overlook of the scope of this atrocity. Even today, we're still horrified by the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center as we should be - 2,752 deaths in a single day is terrible indeed. But in 2003, there were over 3500 abortions performed every single day. Somehow as a nation, we're not as troubled by this.

We're sympathetic to the tsunami victims - approximately 169,000 lives were lost in this natural disaster. Yet, 49 million deaths since 1973 doesn't seem to affect us quite as much. 49 million is about the size of South Korea or Spain - an entire nation of babies has been lost.

As a nation, we no longer view life from a biblically informed perspective and we are lost because of it. The high value of a human life is ascribed by God himself in Genesis 1 -"Then God said, 'let us make man in our image, after our likeness". Imago dei -the image of God in us means that every life has value outside of our utility or function or viability. It means that human life is sacred.

This week, especially this Sunday, pray for God to be actively at work in our courts, our homes and our hearts so that life is regarded as holy and the wicked practices of abortion might be no more. Let's also pray for National Right to Life and other newer groups like Abort73 as they continue to labor on behalf of the unborn.

Speaking Good News in Financial Turmoil

This week was an especially tough one on Wall Street. The demise of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and AIG headlined news for most of the week. Even if you don't make your living in the financial industry, you'll feel the effects of its turmoil. Your nest egg might look just a little smaller this week or perhaps your company might be cutting back spending. If you're looking for a new job, it might seem just a little harder going. Or maybe you're doing just fine but your neighbors aren't.

How do you deal with tough financial problems? What tempations do you experience in such times?

Anxiety, perhaps? It's not uncommon for some of us to be tempted in this area. In the midst of mounting bills without corresponding income, we can be tempted to anxiety. How we can sustain such financial drain, we wonder?

How about unbelief? I remember when I was out of work in 2001. It was the post dot-com bubble era - it seemed like companies were shutting down every week and employees were being laid off daily. After several months of not finding work, I began to wonder if I'd ever get another job again!

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a message on Sunday by CJ Mahaney about how many of our struggles stem from spending much of our time listening to ourselves, instead of speaking to ourselves. Sounds a little confusing, doesn't it? The point of the message is that we spend much of our time, listening to our own negative, sinful thoughts -anxiety, unbelief, anger, etc... instead of actively speaking God's truth and promises to our own souls.

Here's how it might be applied in times of personal financial turmoil - instead of passively listening to our own thoughts of anxiety ("we'll get crushed by this mounting bills") or unbelief ("I'll never find a job"), we can actively proclaim to our own souls, God's unfailing promise to provide what we need -

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:31-32

or

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Psalm 34:8-10

Speaking good news - that's what we need in the midst of any turmoil.

How a Christian Loses His Job

Whether you've been fired, retrenched or euphemistically, "let go", losing your job can be a difficult trial to walk through. Given that an average person will have 10 to 12 jobs in a lifetime of work, losing your job at least once during that span of time, is actually a likely scenario. The question isn't whether it'll happen to you, but rather how you plan to deal with it when it does happen.

Can a Christian lose his job, yet keep his integrity in the process? How do you get fired and glorify God?

Perhaps, we can take a cue from renown Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards. That's right, Jonathan Edwards, one of the leading theologians in church history was once fired from his job. I was recently reading through A God Entranced View of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards, when I came upon this astonishing fact. Jonathan Edwards was voted out of his church - in essence, fired by his congregation, in a landslide vote of 230 to 23. The reason for his dismissal principally centered around his opposition to admitting non-Christians to the Lord's Supper. Jonathan Edwards stood for biblical principles and surprisingly, lost his job for it.

Perhaps more surprising is how Edwards responds to this wrong treatment. Even though wrongly dismissed, there appeared no trace of bitterness. His farewell sermon on 2 Corinthians 1:14 - "as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus." - sweetly testified of his gracious disposition toward his congregation.

Edwards also continued to serve his former church, agreeing to preach every Sunday until they found his replacement...which he did for 15 months.

I realize that a pastor's call is special in some ways but how many of us would remain to serve our employer after we've been wrongfully dismissed? I've never been fired or wrongly dismissed, but I'm not sure I would have responded with such generosity or grace.

I also recognize that there's a big difference between getting fired for lack of performance and losing your job because you're standing firm on a biblical principle. But the point here isn't to dwell on the different reasons people lose their jobs. Rather, we want to consider how a godly man responds when it does happen...even when he's been wronged.

Here are other points to consider if you do lose your job -

1. Like Edwards, resist temptation to become bitter - at the company for "not appreciating your contribution", at co-workers for "playing office politics", at the person responsible for "making you look bad". We know how 90% of the world would like to respond, here's your chance to respond differently because of the new life birthed in your heart.

2. Be accountable - in some cases where a lack of performance is identified as a reason for dismissal, be open to recognize how your sin or deficiencies may have contributed to that outcome.

3. Set your heart on the gospel - our comfort comes from the knowledge that because of Jesus' loving sacrifice for us, God remains committed to bless us.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32)

4. You may not know where your next paycheck is coming from, but resist the temptation for self-pity. Instead, look ahead joyfully, treasuring Christ. Here's how David looked at his life in the midst of nay sayers.

"There are many who say, "Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!"
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

(Psalm 4:6-7)

---

Regardless of how you lost your job, how did the experience affect you? What did you learn through the process? Even if you've never lost your job, what advice would you offer?

---

Shattered Dreams and Mid Life Crisis

My blogging friend Ted Gossard posted yesterday on how mid life can be a difficult time for many. Here's a brief excerpt from his blog:

"Recently I heard that age 44 is either the average or median age for adults worldwide feeling at their lowest. Of course we refer to this as "mid-life crisis." By that time there is a sense of having given up on one's dreams. And one is vulnerable then, to make huge mistakes."

Having just turned 44 myself, this naturally caught my attention. I must say that I'm actually as happy as I've ever been in my life. Yet, there is no doubt that mid life can pose particular challenges. As Ted correctly mentions, many difficulties stem from the realization that your dreams or aspirations might not be fulfilled. One of the first posts on this blog was on this very topic as I was reading through the book, Lost in the Middle by Paul Tripp. The point then and now, is simply that mid life doesn't really cause new problems (ok, maybe a few). Mid life actually reveals who we really are - what we really worship and who we truly love.

Ted says that mid life can lead a person to making "huge mistakes". If so, what are the keys to navigating through this period successfully? I'm no expert since I'm in right in the throes of the mid life but here are a few thoughts that have been helpful to me -

Every day is a gift - Some people hate the thought of getting older and diminishing faculties but what's the alternative? It's arrogant to take our lives for granted. Every day we have, to live together, to love others and to experience the grace of God in this present life, is truly a gift. It is not owed to us.

Dream new dreams - There's no doubt that I'm a dreamer - it's how God made me. As I've often remarked in jest, it's both a blessing and a curse! As our dreams are lost in mid life , we can trust God to give us new dreams and new aspirations, often reshaped with renewed purpose. Rather than resisting this, perhaps we can look forward in anticipation to what He'll do.

Trusting God - I know it can sound trite and simplistic but it's not. Taken from Jerry Bridges' book from the same title, this means knowing God as all powerful, all loving and all wise. Our dreams are in God's hands and He will do as He desires. Yet, we can take comfort that He exercises His will lovingly with untraceable wisdom.

It also helps me to remember the cross of Christ. In the wisdom of God, His divine love was extended to us according to His sovereign plan...maybe we can trust Him with our dreams after all.

---

What is your experience? Even if you're not in the throes of mid life, do share your thoughts.

---

Spurgeon on Working Joyfully Through Trials and Prosperity

I haven't blogged for well over a week so what better way to get back into the swing of things that to unpack wisdom from our friend CH Spurgeon.

---

We all encounter ups and downs as we work. At times, things go well for us, and other times we experience adversity or trials at work. If you're like me, it's easy to get tossed about emotionally. How do we stay consistently joyful through these ups and downs?

Here's what Spurgeon would say about these up and down feelings we encounter in our work - "...faith has a happy influence upon this present life, for it moderates a man's feelings towards his work." If inconsistent feelings are my problem, then Spurgeon would say that faith toward God is the answer.

"...perchance the result of all our work may be adversity. Some men row very hard, yet their boat makes no headway. When an opportunity comes their way, the tide of trade turns against them... Perhaps they lose all but their character, then it is faith that comes in to cheer them under the disaster."

It is faith that enables us to joyfully accept God's will when it seems things aren't going our way.

"We shall bear up and come through our trials triumphantly if we have faith in God. If our Father has appointed a bitter cup for us, shall we not drink it? ... Must it not be right if the Lord ordains it?... How many have been happy in poverty, happier than when they were in wealth! How often have the saints rejoiced more during sickness than in their health...faith has learned to sing in all weathers because her God is still the same"

Sometimes it is not adversity that trips us up but prosperity. We've discussed the test of prosperity before. Here is Spurgeon's take on the test of prosperity -

"Sometimes the result of our work is prosperity and here the grace of God prevents a surfeit of worldly things. There is a keen test of character in prosperity. Everybody longs for it but not every man can bear it when it comes. "

Yet, this is where faith is tested and proven true by restraining our sinful hearts and directing us to God.

"True faith forbids our setting great store by worldly goods and pleasures and enjoyments, for it teaches us that our treasure is in heaven...Many a man has reached the summit of his lifelong ambition and found it to be vanity. In gaining all, he has lost all; wealth has come but the power to enjoy has gone...It shall not be so with the man who lives by faith, for his chief joys are above and his comforts lie within. To him, God is joy so rich that other joy is comparatively flavourless."

Whether we find our work mired in adversity or flourishing in prosperity, Spurgeon urges us to keep the eyes of our faith set on God.

"O brothers and sisters, faith is a precious preparative for anything and everything that comes; mind that you have it always ready for action. Do not leave it at home in time of storm as the foolish seaman left his anchor...Oh, to feel the power of it, as to all that comes of our labour, that the life which we live in the flesh, may be lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us."