“Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands.” 

 

My oldest son is a senior in high school. He is excited not only about graduating but heading on to the next season of his life. Of the four schools he has applied to, there are two that were his top choices. He received one acceptance letter a few weeks ago and was excited. So we continued to wait for the other schools to respond. Fast forward to a week ago when he breaks the news, “Dad my grades slipped this quarter and I am worried about the one school I really want to get in too, I may have blown my chance.”

I could feel my inner man shifting. What will my son do? He can’t stay in our home. Is this going to be more money coming out of my pocket? (Selfish I know but I am being transparent)  I noticed how extreme my thoughts had become. Anxiety and worry had crept in. The thoughts permeated my mind and like a wildfire it spread to deeper levels. Then that morning while in prayer time with the Father he reminded me of Psalms 112.  “How joyful are those who fear the Lord, and delight in obeying his commands.”  This is the beginning of true joy for us. That fear is really our reverence for the Lord. There is joy in obeying God out of reverence not just obedience. Reverence is our respect for the Lord, which really conveys our faith that we trust in our Lord. You have an advantage that can be found in Christ when we have faith in Him. Not just know him but have faith in HIM. Faith friend is what we can rest in and also help others to hope in.

There are a lot of things happening in the world today that are causing fear and anxiety. But this is where we have the opportunity to help others experience calm and peace and the confidence that comes from Christ. Our confidence can be certain when we have or we take up FAITH.  Faith can be defined as a tangible response to a spiritual reality. It requires us to oftentimes do something or take action. Not just outward action however. It is action in our mind or in our thoughts.  Psalms 112 is a good expression of some of the benefits of faith in God. Especially now with the coronavirus upon the world it appears to be a situation that is producing anxiety and worry, but in the Word of God we can find hope and joy. There are a few things I want to encourage you with about placing faith in the Father.

First, we can find joy when things appear out of control or overwhelmingly against us. I must admit that when my son came with that news about his grades it did not bring me a sense of joy at first. This passage of scripture came to mind and then I realized that if I delight in obeying God and giving him my trust-there can be joy. What a relief. This reverence or respect for God is an expression of love that God accepts wholeheartedly. I don’t know about you but I have seen folks that are concerned when trouble arises.  So when you run across that person that is smiling in the midst of chaos they may just know the advantage of trusting God.

Second, we don’t have to worry with our circumstances when we know where our faith lies. In verse four it reads “that light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate and righteous.”  Light has the ability to overcome darkness. Think about when you come into a dark room and light a match, the light illuminates the entire room. That is our hope in the midst of a dark situation. Friends this light represents deliverance from affliction for us and also helps us to bring light to others in the midst of trouble. Christ needs us to be as a salve for the world that is hurting in the midst of uncertainty. We must be the salve that sends joy and light in a dark world. Scripture reminds us “Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 30:5 is our hope and is what we stand for.

The third advantage of having faith in God is we do not focus on what is before us but we look within.  Verse seven says, they do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” We know who has our best interests. We know it is God and we can rest that He has us. To “Confidently trust” does not mean haphazard, sometimes, or a little but it is an unwavering belief that we know who has us in His care. No matter if it is the coronavirus or something else, we know who takes care of us. Pandemics or any other trouble cannot trump God we must believe this. Focus on the advantages of Faith in God, focus on the care that He gives us in times of concern.

The advantages of faith in God remind us that we can rest in knowing that God is for us and we have access to benefits that only He can give. My prayer today is that you will trust God in your thoughts and actions today.

 

Be encouraged Family,

 

Charles

 

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.  Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth: Do you not see it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.  Isaiah 43:18-19

 

 

I know what you’re thinking-this scripture says nothing about uncomfortable spaces but oh friend it does. Often when we are in an uncomfortable space, we cannot see clearly. The only thing we are concerned with is getting out of the space, which is human nature.

Uncomfortable spaces manifest in our lives in different way, like being in a tight space. Recently I was on a plane traveling home from a writer’s conference.  It was a full flight.  My seat was stationed between two guys that clearly showed they were not willing to give up territory so I could have space to be comfortable. The space was tight. And there was nothing I could do about it because it was the only way I was going to get to my destination.  The man to my left was agitated and really did not want me next to him. So I just put my head down and closed my eyes.  It was the longest hour and ten minutes flight of my life.

There’s something about not wanting to be uncomfortable. Who signs up for that right? But there are lessons we can learn in this space.  Ask yourself – what if this uncomfortable season is what God has created you to be in?I want to highlight some lessons we can learn in uncomfortable spaces. While I was on the plane cramped between those two guys, it reminded me of how God uses some of the most inopportune spaces to accomplish His will.

The uncomfortable space stretches us.  One interpretation of stretch in Hebrew is paras, the spreading out of something to its widest extent.  An example would be of wings being fully spread. I think about the eagle mentioned in Deuteronomy 32:11, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,that hovers over its young. He spread his wings and caught them.” This imagery of the eagle speaks of God’s wise and loving parental care.  As an eagle must force its young out of the nest so they can learn to fly and fend for themselves, the Lord stretches us by spreading His wings to make us feel uncomfortable.  God stretches us by pushing us, just like the eagle does.  By spreading His wings He puts us sometimes in uncomfortable positions.

Like the eagle in order for us to leave what seems safe (the nest) to get to where we are destined- we must be stretched.

This stretching is what gets us to our purpose.  If the eagle never spreads its wings, the eaglets will not be stirred to a place of movement. The stretching is what pushes the eagle out of a safe place to the uncomfortable. The eagle goes from the safety of the nest to a place where there is uncertainty to learn to fly on their own.

• God stretches our faith. By placing us in these situations it creates our dependency more on supernatural as opposed to the natural. Friend, God seeks to show himself in some pretty amazing ways. The stretching of our faith is for us to recognize who we are. Think about the example mentioned above, if the eagle is not encouraged to step out of the nest-they will not know they have wings to fly. If we are never pushed out of the comfortable how will we know what we have been equipped with for the journey?

 

• God stretches our ability. On the plane I found myself between the two men and it was a very uncomfortable space. At one point I started looking around to see if I could find another seat but I realized that getting to my destination was more important than my comfort. The lesson for me was not to focus on how uncomfortable I was. Although it was temporary, it was necessary.  If we never embrace our uncomfortable spaces, how will we know we can endure under duress? God always provides what we need through the stretching. The uncomfortable space allowed me to not focus on what I was going through but where I was going.

 

• God stretches the level of our commitment. To be committed means to attach to a thing. Let me just say commitment is not always ideal nor is there always a reward that is seen. I knew I wanted to get home no matter what. My flight was uncomfortable, however, my reward would be when I landed safely at the airport. I did not attach my commitment to what was uncomfortable but to my destination. What are you committed or attached to? A great reminder of this is the Apostle Paul. He understood how to get along in various situations. If he had a lot or had none. (Philippians 4:12) Paul’s commitment was unwavering and in return he knew how to survive whatever he had to face. We cannot just break free but we are connected. There are blessings when we can endure uncomfortable spaces. It shows our level of commitment. God wants to stretch us so that when we look back we can say I survived in that small, uncomfortable space.

So when in the uncomfortable space do not focus on it but begin to change your mind set to forget that which is presently happening but focus on what is on the horizon. Friend I am here to tell you it will be good if we just look at it new and embrace how God views us. He asked in the scripture “Do you not see it”? Look with faith filled eyes to embrace God’s newness of where He is taking us through what seems uncomfortable.

Stay committed friend do not give up. It will pay off in the end.

 

Be Encouraged

Charles