Jump Start # 1258

Psalms 44:24-25 “Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul has sunk down into the dust; our body cleaves to the earth.”

  One of the hardest things to do in life is try to explain the “why’s” of life’s ugly side. Parents have to do this when their child’s beloved pet dies. With adults, the explanation is harder to find. A friend in Kansas City, a young man who himself has had many trials and is confined to a wheel chair lost his mother just three weeks ago. She was a godly person. I remember having Bible studies with her in her home. Her passing was tough. Now, just three weeks later, this young man attended the funeral of his best friend. One, like himself, who was in a wheel chair. They were always together. A mother and a best friend within a month.

There is a technical side that I understand. Their deaths were not related. Death happens. It is the curse of this world. Verses will support and teach those facts. We do this in Bible classes. Our sermons are based this way. But something is missing. At the end of the day, a broken and lonely heart doesn’t need principles and facts, it needs comfort.

When Paul wrote the Thessalonians about the death of their loved ones, God must have had this in mind. They were grieving. Their hearts were broken. After Paul explained that they were with the Lord, the section ends with, “comfort one another with these words.” Sometimes, often times, it’s not answers, but comfort that a person needs. We need that fuzzy blanket from Heaven to wrap ourselves up in.

Our passage tugs on the emotional strain that many feel. My friend in Kansas City isn’t the only one. There are some families that never got together this holiday season. Words were said years ago, feelings were hurt, and distance and separation has taken place. For others, there was an empty chair at the holidays because of death. The pain of life can lead one to think that God has deserted them and that they are abandoned in life. This passage from Psalms is directed that way. The sons of Korah are thought to be the writers of this chapter. They had a faith in God, especially from their parents. However, they were being oppressed. Things were going bad for them. They sought God. They prayed. Things didn’t get better. It began to chip away at their faith. In a very raw, real and emotional expression, they felt that God was hiding from them on purpose. Their pain didn’t end. They wanted comfort.

Cheap theology tells us simply to trust in God and everything will just get better. It might. It might get worse. Standing in Job’s shoes reminds us that pain can be very real. The emotional pain can be the greatest. No matter how much we pray, a person who has died is not coming back. No matter how much we loved them, need them, want them, they are not coming back. That hole in our heart is very hard to heal.

So what do we say, first to ourselves and to others when they stand where this passage is? What do we say to someone who feels that God has turned His face from them?

First, the amount of pain and sorrow is not an indicator of God’s satisfaction with us. If that were true, Job would have been one that God must have hated. He didn’t. It was just the opposite. God loved Job. God was bragging about Job. There was no one like Job in God’s book. Health, happiness and friends can be a false illusion. Those are not indicators of things going right in one’s life. Faith, character, hope, obedience and trust—those are the mileposts of doing well with God. We pray more when we hurt. We seek God more when we are alone. Spiritually speaking, hard times can be the best times spiritually. It’s hard to see that when you are knee deep in pain.

Second, as the hymn we sing, “Yes, He cares. I know He cares. His heart is touched with our grief.” No parent likes to see their child crying. God doesn’t either. He sees and He knows how a death will affect those who remain. God knows. Our sorrows tug on His heart. He hasn’t turned His face. He hasn’t walked away.

Third, there are some things that we just can’t answer “Why?” We want to know. Why now? Why this person? Some things are simply beyond us. Those things belong to God. Not knowing why can bug us and bother us, but we must accept that fact that we don’t always know why. God is good. We must trust Him.

Fourth, it is times like this that the people of God shine the brightest. It is time to rally and comfort the wounded heart. This is hard. Too many feel like that they must be professors who know the answer to all things. They generally make things worse. Comfort often doesn’t bring answers. It’s knowing that there are others who love, support and are there for you. In the movie, “It’s a wonderful life,” George Bailey, in trouble and without answers, feels that death is his only solution. The movie ends with tons of people coming to his aid and support. He had friends that he never realized. They were there for him. This is what the people of God need to do when one is hurting. Bring the food. Send the cards. Reach out. Connect. Hug. Be there. Nothing says you care more than presence. You gave up your time to be there.

A gentle reminder, after the funeral, after the food has been eaten, after the cards stop coming, everyone else returns to normal. There is no normal for the one who has lost a mate or a parent. Things are different. Remember that the next month. And the month after that. Recovery is a process. It takes people different amounts of time.

Fifth, the truly greatest help is God. Faith, convictions, and Biblical truth plows through the mountain of sorrow and grief. Someday, there will be no more death, crying or mourning. Someday, all these things that plague us, bother us and upset us will be gone. Someday, if we walk in righteousness, we will be with the Lord.

Why is it that some people have so much and others don’t? I can’t answer that. Why is it that some seem to get smacked over and over with bad news, hard luck and misfortunes? I can’t answer that. Why is it that some simply cannot get more than a step away from bad news? I can’t answer that.

What I can do is extend a hug. What I can do is let them talk. What I can do is let them know that they can count on me. What I can do is be there for them. What I can is what I’d want someone to do for me when it’s my turn. I can do those things.

Can you?  The “why’s of life,” are hard to deal with. We don’t know the answers often, but we do know someone who does, and that is God. Trust Him. He is good, even when things haven’t been good to us. He loves you, even when you cry yourself to sleep at night. He is there for you, even though you feel alone.

God is. He told Moses that His name is “I AM.” It’s not, I was. Nor is it, I will be. But rather, I AM. I am there for you. I am the one who will never let you down. I am one you can trust. I am the one who wants you to go to Heaven.

I AM…

Matthew, I hope these words help. You are loved, by me, but especially by God.

Roger

Jump Start # 1257

Psalms 13:6 “I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

Note to our Jump Start readers: We have placed our latest Jump Start book, about mental illness, retitled as “Depression and the Bible,” on Kindle. Starting tomorrow, you can download it for free for five days. The link is: http://ow.ly/GwmAf. There is a place for you to leave a review if you like. We are looking at other avenues to circulate our other Jump Start books as well. We hope through this means, more people may be helped.

Our verse today is common in the book of Psalms. Singing joyfully to the Lord expresses appreciation, love and thankfulness. We have grown up with music. Over the weekend I was watching my wife, who is very gifted musically, singing to our 6 month old grand daughter. The little one has heard her grandma singing and singing these songs to her. She recognizes them and just explodes with a huge smile and kicking her legs. Our movies are filled with music. Every college and branch of the military has their own songs. Loyal fans get fired up when they hear their songs being played. Major companies have songs that are recognized in commercials. Peyton Manning hums the Nationwide Insurance song in one commercial. So many of us learned our ABC’s, the books of the Bible and other fundamental things through songs.

All of this lead to a thought I had the other day about Adam. How did Adam know music? How did he know how to sing? We have lullabies, fight songs, pop songs, school songs, patriot songs, hymns and even those we designate as fitting weddings and funerals. Shows like American Idol and the Voice have promoted singing. It’s hard to imagine a world without music. We have songs on our computers, Ipads, Iphones, car radios and in nearly every room of our homes. But for Adam, how did he know music? He didn’t have a grandma singing him “Six little ducks,” as my wife does with our granddaughter. Did the birds teach him how to make music? Did God sing to Adam? Is it something inherit in our DNA? Not sure if we can ever know the answer to those questions. It isn’t too many pages after Adam that we read of singing in the Bible.

Our passage today show a connection to how we feel and how we express those feelings. The Psalmist realized that God had dealt bountifully with him. He understood that. God was in his life. God had blessed him. God had been a shelter and help to him. He was thankful. He was loved and He loved the Lord. His response was to sing. I will sing to the Lord, is what the passage says.

This tells us that God would hear the song. Why sing to the Lord if the Lord would never hear it? Not only would the Lord hear it, but it would be received as a “Thank you” card. When someone has gone out of their way for you, when you have received a gift, the right thing to do is to thank them. We remember the time when Jesus healed the ten lepers. Only one, a Samaritan, returned and thanked the Lord. Were the other nine not thankful? Did they think, “Great, now we’re healed. We have to go home and go back to work.” Absolutely not. They were blessed and glad to be blessed. They wanted mercy. They cried out for it. The Lord granted what they wanted. They simply never expressed it. Too often we can say to ourselves, “They know.” Maybe. Still, we need to say it. Be thankful in all things is what the Thessalonians were told.

Our passage illustrates one of the ways a person expresses those heartfelt feelings. Sing. Sing to the Lord. Sing as worship. I’ve noticed something about singing. There seems to be two categories and most fall into one or the other. Some can sing. They understand singing and they like to sing. Others can’t sing very well. They know that. They don’t like others to hear them sing. In our house we have both categories well represented. My wife knows music and sings beautifully. I don’t know music and I don’t sing very well. Still, I sing. I sing because it’s not what is coming from the mouth but what is coming from the heart that matters.

Do you have a favorite hymn? Do you have a hymn that takes you back to the day you were baptized or to a funeral of a parent or grandparent? Singing will do that. We don’t remember prayers. We don’t remember sermons. But songs stay with us. They get in our head and the next think you know, we are singing or humming that song all day long. Spiritual songs, especially, have a way of picking up our spirits. They have a way of bringing in sunshine on a dark and dreary mood. This is the value of music.

I have also seen that not every one can preach. Not everyone can teach. Not everyone can put the words together to make sense to others. Not everyone can write. Not everyone can draw. But just about all of us can sing, even those that can’t carry a tune can sing. Singing is something that you don’t have to have others around to do. Try preaching when there is no one else to hear you. Not very effective. It doesn’t take books, special equipment to sing. Just get a song in your head and off you go. Little children can sing. Senior citizens can sing. There is something magical and special about singing.

So give it a try today. Get a good song in your head and heart. Sing to the Lord. You’ll notice, your day turns out a bit better when you have been singing to the Lord. You’ll notice things don’t get under you skin quite as much when you are singing to the Lord. Others will see that you are cheerful today. They won’t know why, but you do. While they are grumbling because it’s a Monday and they are back to work after a holiday, you’re bouncing around in a good mood. Why? You’ve been singing to the Lord. Something else will happen when you do this. You’ll tend to be more thankful when you are singing to the Lord. Your eyes are opened wider to what the Lord has done for you.

Sing to the Lord…what a great way to tackle a day!

Roger

Jump Start # 1256

Psalms 118:23 “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

NOTE TO OUR READERS: There will be no Jump Starts tomorrow or Friday. We hope you enjoy the day with your family and friends. Be thankful. Be a servant. We will be back on Monday, Lord willing, with some thoughts and plans for the New Year.

Christmas is upon us. Children go to bed this evening with dreams of not sugar plums but of presents. Parents do their best to get everything done in time. It’s a mad race against the clock. But in the end, it’s a special time for families. Some of our favorite memories are looking at the old photos and videos of Christmas’ long ago.

There is a common question that will be asked several times tomorrow. Young people ask it as well as older people. After all the presents have been unwrapped, someone will ask, “What did you get?” Friends will be asking each other that question. What did you get?

That’s a great spiritual question as well. Our verse today follows a statement about the rejected stone that became the chief corner stone. That expression is found more than once in the N.T. It is used in reference to Christ. The illustration and analogy is interesting. Stone masons would begin a project with leveling the ground and then carefully picking out the first stone, the corner stone. It would have to be square and solid. The rest of the foundation stones would line up with the this first corner stone. After the foundation was set, other stones would be placed on top of them. Getting the right stone and setting it right was very important. Inferior stones, or stones improperly set would almost certainly doom the project. The structure would collapse. It was the job of the stone mason to get it right with the first stone.

So these early masons would carefully inspect the stones. They looked for cracks and other things that may be a defect. Many stones might work later on in the structure but not for the corner stone. Our verse tells us that the stone was rejected. The masons didn’t want it. It’s not that it was rejected without inspection. They looked it over. They gave it some thought. They didn’t like what they saw and they tossed it aside. That rejected stone became the chief corner stone. It was used. It was right. It was solid. What the builders rejected, God chose.

This is a prophecy about Jesus. He was examined closely. He was questioned. He was under the microscope of the Jewish leaders. They picked apart just about everything in His life. His words, His actions, they were put to the test. They questioned Him. They tested Him. They tried to trick Him. They never backed off. In the end, Jesus didn’t pass the test for them. They rejected Him. To the cross Jesus went. Yet it was that rejected Christ that became the rock that the kingdom of God is built upon. That rock is what holds the house up during the storm. The builders were wrong about Jesus. They missed it. They were suspicious and had prejudice blinding their eyes. They refused to see and accept who Jesus was. The rejected Jesus became the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords. How did the rejected stone become the chief corner stone? Our verse. It says it all. This is the Lord’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.

Jesus Christ, the Savior upon the Cross gave the greatest gift of all—eternal salvation. So, what did we get?

• We got  a God who loves us and forgave us
• We got a God who wants to be our friend
• We got a fellowship of the greatest people on the face of the earth
• We got hope, joy and freedom from sin
• We got Heaven
• We got Jesus who is always with us

This gift can’t be wrapped and squeezed under a tree. This gift is alive and generation after generation benefits from it. This gift is salvation. Paul thanked God for this indescribable gift. Words can’t define it, touch it, or explain it. It’s too much. It’s more than we deserve. It came with a great price tag, the blood of Jesus. It comes not because we are so great, but because God chose to love us.

No gift that I will ever give will be as precious and wonderful as what God has given to us. Be thankful. Be thoughtful. Be obedient. Believe. Share. Tell others.

It is marvelous in our eyes, as our verse today says. So marvelous.

Roger