Upheld

For several weeks now I’ve been dwelling on Casting Crowns’ song “Just Be Held.” You can read the lyrics here: https://www.castingcrowns.com/music/lyrics/just-be-held

The story behind the song says that when we’re in the storms we try to hold onto whatever we can for security, but we can remember that we’re in God’s hands and we can trust His control. Scripture is full of reminders of God’s loving care:

“He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11 ESV).

“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a).

“I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:15-16).

I’ve been thinking about God’s care in the Body of Christ as well, and the fact that He has placed us in relationship with those who can be His physical arms of comfort and strength during our storms. Exodus 17 recounts the story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ arms so that the Israelites would defeat Amalek in battle. Chapter 18 then contains Jethro’s advice to Moses that he needs help judging the disputes of the people. Although these passages are usually preached in terms of church governance and supporting the pastor, the fact is that we all need those who can come alongside us and lift us up in the times of battle, weariness, and busyness. Whether it’s through prayer, encouragement, or physical provision, we need one another.

Unfortunately pride, fear, and inattention can keep us from either giving or receiving the loving care we all need. One evening recently I read Proverbs 12:25: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” When I read that, I thought about posting it to Facebook and just stating that I needed a “good word.” But I chose not to do so because I didn’t know what people might think. Out of pride I probably denied some people the opportunity to be encouragers. One thing I have tried to do sometimes is when I feel in need of encouragement and prayer for myself, I take that opportunity to pray for and encourage someone else. Whether or not that person reciprocates, I know I am honoring the Scriptural admonitions to love one another and pray for one another. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone who isn’t grateful for a word of encouragement.

God may express His love and care directly through His Word or by His Spirit, or He may call someone in the Body of Christ to come alongside us. No matter how it happens, we can trust that He has His hand upon us.

“But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand.” –Psalm 31:14-15a

Fully Invested

In Philip Yancey’s book Vanishing Grace, he shares part of the story of Gina Welch, an atheist journalist who decided to research Christianity from the inside. Her story of involvement with a church eventually became the book In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart ofthe Evangelical Church. Over the course of a year she went undercover to join a new members’ class at Jerry Falwell’s church, attended their singles ministry and worship services, got baptized, and joined a mission trip that included street evangelism… all without becoming a Christian. Her conclusion? “What I envied most about Christians was not the God thing—it was having a community gathering each week, a touchstone for people who share values, a safe place to be frank about your life struggles, a place to be reminded of your moral compass. Having a place to guard against loneliness, to feel there are others like you.”

That comment made me wonder whether many who call themselves Christian would say much the same thing. Particularly in America, it seems that the church has become more of a social club for moral, likeminded people than a place to meet God and learn to follow Him. Some mega-churches continue to thrive despite obvious faults in the teachings being presented. Families seek out churches with lots of programs for their children. Church social events draw bigger crowds than Sunday school and prayer meeting combined. It’s been noted that the more spiritual the activity, the fewer people interested in attending. Pastors and church leaders have a pretty good idea who is fully invested and who is just along for the ride. Although statistics can be misleading when it comes to spiritual growth, they do reveal what percentage of the membership shows up for different types of events. Faith can become a tangent for church members rather than the central purpose of life.

As was noted in Sunday’s sermon on Jesus the Teacher (podcast here), within the church we tend to focus more on the fact that Jesus is our Savior than on His teaching. If we pay attention to what He taught while on earth, as well as what is taught in the rest of Scripture, we may be challenged to do some things we don’t want to do. Having Jesus as Savior is comforting, but calling Him Teacher and Lord can take us out of our comfort zone. Having a circle of supportive friends is comforting, but holding one another accountable to be obedient to Scripture can be uncomfortable.

In thinking about this subject, I looked at several different church covenants and how they define membership. While they vary in the wording and specific expectations, the general idea is that members are to participate in the activities of the church and in the spiritual disciplines for the purpose of growing in relationship with God and with one another as the Body of Christ. How many people would forego church membership if such membership covenants were always taught and members were held accountable by one another? But we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes and imply that freedom and independence are not biblical values, so we build our cozy social club sanctuaries and then wonder why people only show up when they feel like it.

We’re treading on dangerous ground when we treat church membership with such nonchalance. On the Judgment Day, there will be many who say, “Lord, didn’t I attend church frequently, and helped clean up after the potluck dinners, and sorted clothes for the shelter?” And He will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23 ESV). I certainly don’t want to hear that for myself or for any of those within my church family, do you?

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these [the new heavens and new earth], be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace… Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” -2 Peter 3:14, 17-18

In Your Eyes

You saw me there, far from home,

Feeding pigs that weren’t my own.

You saw me there, beside the well,

You knew the secrets I would not tell.

You saw me there, among the graves,

Screaming and fighting in my rage.

You saw me there, beneath the tree,

And called me then to follow Thee.

You saw me there, within the crowd,

Years of suffering my back had bowed.

You saw me there, though I could not see,

Until You reached out and touched me.

You saw me there, as demons screamed,

You delivered me, my soul redeemed.

You saw me there, washing Your feet,

Though Pharisees called me indiscreet.

You saw me there, clothed in my shame,

They only wanted one to blame.

You saw me there, my son had died,

You said, “Don’t weep; child arise.”

You saw me there, I could not hear,

You sighed and gently touched my ears.

You saw me there, where I knelt,

“Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

You see me here, within the dark,

You formed my body, You know my heart.

You knew my thoughts and every word,

Long before my voice was heard.

You know my joys, You see my tears,

You keep repeating, “Do not fear.”

I thank You, Lord, for seeing me,

And making me who You’d have me be.

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” -John 10:14, 27-28

See also Luke 15, John 4, Mark 5, John 1, Luke 13, Mark 8, Luke 8, Luke 7, John 8, Mark 7, and Psalm 139.

Whatcha Thinking?

A couple books I’ve been reading lately have challenged me to think about thinking. It’s so easy to fall into the cycle of negative thinking and not even realize it. John Ortberg wrote:

“You can’t stop thinking wrong thoughts by trying harder to not think them, but you can do something else. You can ‘set your mind,’ for the most basic power you have over your mind is that you can choose what you pay attention to” (The Me I Want to Be).

Leslie Vernick put it this way:

“Once we become aware of our negative thoughts or feelings we often try to suppress them because we don’t like having them. Other times we acknowledge they are there but feel guilty or shamed because of them. The result is that now our original emotions are compounded with additional toxic feelings and negative thoughts” (Lord, I Just Want to Be Happy).

One morning recently I woke up long before my alarm, so I lay there for a couple hours trying to occupy my mind with good things like Scripture and prayer. I was doing okay for awhile, but then my brain latched onto a negative subject that I really didn’t want to think about, and I found myself getting angry. Eventually the only solution was to read a few chapters of Genesis until I could relax and go back to sleep. Ironically, while I felt like a slave to my brain, it was the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and ending up in prison that came up in my reading schedule. Somehow in the midst of terrible circumstances, he apparently kept his mind on holy things and remained faithful to God.

When there are truly difficult situations, it’s hard to discern exactly what you can and should think or say. You can’t live in denial and pretend everything is fine when it’s not. But you also can’t obsess over it constantly and analyze every worst-case scenario. I imagine Joseph wondered if he would ever get out of jail after having been framed by his boss’s wife. Perhaps he feared that his childhood dreams would not come true, or maybe he clung to them in faith that God would provide a way.

The Apostle Paul made several comments about our thought life:

• Colossians 3:2 (ESV)- “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
• Philippians 4:8- “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
• Romans 12:2- “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-5- “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Obviously we do have the power to choose what we will dwell on, though that might be difficult at times and can even be a battle of spiritual warfare. Our enemy would be glad for us to waste time and energy thinking about failure, pain, and resentment. One of the ways we can fight that battle is to choose gratitude. Henri Nouwen wrote:

“Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of complaint. I can choose to be grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly” (as quoted by Vernick).

While it’s not always true that positive actions and words will produce positive thoughts and emotions, it certainly can help over time. Households and businesses would quickly deteriorate if people only did things when they felt like it. Since most of our thoughts involve relationships, it’s an ongoing process of loving people in word, in deed, and in truth.

I had never noticed before that following the description of godly love in 1 Corinthians 13 comes this verse: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (v. 11). Love should somehow inform the way we mature in our thought processes. I can quickly recall many times when my thoughts have been childish and petty, and I would hate for anyone to judge my level of maturity by such thoughts. Thankfully God doesn’t leave us in our immaturity, but keeps refining us through the trials and difficulties of this life.

“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” -1 Corinthians 14:20

Three Sheepish Questions

I had thought perhaps I would have nothing to post this week, but an impulsive decision to pick up a book from the church library changed that (and I came home with two books instead).

I was thinking about what it means for us to be sheep under God’s care, and wanted to revisit While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, by Tim Laniak. In the first chapter he quotes Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (ESV):

“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart... And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna... that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

That led me to the question— What hunger is God allowing in my life right now in order to make me realize my need for what He alone can provide?

A similar thought came from the second book I picked up, Lord, I Just Want to Be Happy, by Leslie Vernick (p. 35):

“Whether we realize it or not, many of us are captive to the lie that something other than God will bring us happiness and fulfill our longings. When we put our hope in or expect something or someone other than him to fill us and make us happy, he will surely frustrate us. But he doesn’t do it to punish us. He does it to rescue us from our disordered attachments and delusions, and from ourselves. God promises to meet our needs—but what we feel we need, and what we truly need, may be very different.”

So I come to another variation of the question— What are the false expectations that I need to let go of in order to find God’s provision to be sufficient?

And in another book I’m rereading, John Ortberg lists in The Me I Want to Be several counterfeit “me’s” that we fall prey to, including the “me” I think I should be and the “me” others expect me to be. I’ve been reminded that many of the expectations I place on myself have nothing to do with God’s desires for me. I mistakenly think I should be a certain way or do certain things to fulfill what I think others are expecting of me, and heaven forbid that I should say No or admit that I can’t do everything.

Thus my third variation of the question is— What does God really expect of me and how do I live accordingly?

Those three questions are probably ones we should all consider at times. They can help us align our priorities with God’s, reduce some of our anxieties, and perhaps even lead to greater peace and joy. I don’t know how others might answer those questions. I thought of a few specific examples of things I’ve been dealing with lately:

1) The lie: I need to resolve this situation by myself in a way that doesn’t cost the company money.

The truth: I need to admit that I’m stressed and I don’t know what to do and remember that this is not ultimately my responsibility. The company, the money, and the problem are all in God’s hands. It may be more important for me to remember that I am not autonomous than it is for us to save a little money. It’s also more important for us to honor God with our actions than to pinch pennies.

2) The lie: I need to provide every detail of information on this subject in order to protect people.

The truth: I will do my best and provide what I know, but I will never have all the knowledge I think I need or the ability to make others heed it. There are people far more qualified to answer most questions, and I can only urge people to find the best resources available.

3) The lie: I need to be victorious over depression in order to be a good witness.

The truth: God doesn’t need me to be fixed, perfect, or even okay. He can use me for His purposes no matter what. Although I may not be a good example of endurance, I am learning to endure. And though my faith is often weak it is growing.

Some of the things I need to let go of in order to trust the provision of the Good Shepherd are my pride, perfectionism, and performance. God doesn’t need me to have all the answers, because He has them already. God doesn’t intend for me to be autonomous, but He gave me a place in the Body of Christ. In order to live under His shepherding I need to admit my weakness, ask for help, and accept the grace and mercy that is all around.

I don’t think this is the end of the subject for me. It’s something I need to keep wrestling with every day in order to become the me God has created me to be.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” –Psalm 139:23-24