Fear

Do Not Fear

Posted on by Bob Mathews

“It is said that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.” – Unknown

Stalin is a man with the exact opposite attitude of Elisha. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha is being hunted down by the Arameans because being a prophet of God he was sent word and warned the king of Israel where they were going to be. The king of Aram couldn’t have Elisha giving valuable information away so he sent a great army to go get Elisha. When that great army arrived, Elisha’s servant seeing the city surrounded went to tell Elisha because he was afraid. After telling Elisha the servant asked, “what shall we do.” Elisha simply answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Now the servant couldn’t see the physical presence of God and His army but Elisha knew that they were there and trusted in God, which allowed him not to be afraid.

Today we often forget that God is still there protecting us as He did for Elisha. We are more like Stalin afraid of the things that may happen or the people that may be after us. Jesus even gives us some comfort about this problem of fear. Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). If we are going to fear anything or anyone it should only be God. It is possible that something could happen and we may lose our life, but nothing can take away our soul but God. If we stay faithful and fully trust in God like Elisha even if we die in this physical world our eternal soul will be safely tucked away with God. So, what is there to fear other than being separated from God?       Jacob Saarloos

Romans 8:28 – #3

Posted on by Bob Mathews

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (NLT)

Although other translations will do the job, the NLT has the better presentation of what is here meant. That is important for 8:28. It also is important for 8:29f. Remember, every text has a context. We come up short if we cherry pick. We may well miss the intent of God in saying things as He does. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at how Paul elaborates upon the working of God in regard to believers who are suffering.

29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.

Suffering and hardship in this life cannot torpedo God’s arranged redemptive plan for all those who love Him in Christ.

See that little word “for” which sets in motion v.29? Well, it is no mean word.  “For” is the link, the connector. It leads to the reason for the “we know” of v.28. The reason we have confidence in what God is doing about our trials in the present is because of what He already has done ABOUT US in the past and will do in the future – and how He looks at it all. What God has, in Christ, done ABOUT us far outweighs anything life can do TO us! (That, by the way, is the basic message of the book of Revelation to believers suffering unspeakable things at the hand of persecuting Rome. You may want to look at some of that.) Here, Paul wants us to see our temporal trials as God sees them. Perspective in our pain can be huge! (Remember from the last note: we may never understand but we can stand under certain staggering realities about the God we know and love in Jesus.

So, 8:28 is true because 8:29-30 is true – and 8:28 is going on because 8:29-30 has already gone on, in the mind and purposes and workings of the One Who is before and above all. Regardless of how you slice 8:29-30, Paul’s point is this: from beginning to end, God has, according to His eternal wisdom and power, worked out His perfect arrangement in Christ for our eternal blessing and well-being. It is a done deal in the eyes of God. Regardless of its severity of the moment, suffering and hardship in this life cannot torpedo God’s arranged redemptive plan for all those who love Him in Christ. 8:29,30 is a panoramic statement of immense magnitude. It is overwhelming. It leaves Paul open-mouthed, saying, “What then can we say to these things” – 8:31? It is as if he were saying, “This is too good to be true.” Well, considering that God is in the middle of the whole movement, it is too good NOT to be true. It is the difference God makes in Christ and in YOUR trials. Paul is in awe of it. Is that not what you get out of 8:31-39? Look at it:

31 What then are we to say about these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He did not even spare His own Son
but offered Him up for us all;
how will He not also with Him grant us everything?…
35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
Can affliction or anguish or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… 
37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious
through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life,
angels or rulers,
things present or things to come, hostile powers,
39 height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

If you don’t mind,  I would like to come back to this. I need this for me. Do you need it for you? Here is a thought: why don’t we read 8:28-31 every day for the next week? Then, pray believing it. You see, having God’s perspective on things elevates everything about our lives as believers, especially how we think and how we pray. Nothing here has been said in levity or indifference about our hardships and heartaches. We dare not minimize the pain and fears many experience. But it emphatically matters that we get God’s view of the whole thing, don’t you think?

peek

Romans 8:28 – #2

Posted on by Bob Mathews

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 

I think the NLT has it more accurately translated:

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose. 

See the difference? “Things,” much less “all things” are not always going to work themselves out, much less for my good.  The events and circumstances of life are under no moral obligation to benefit me. It can be a crap shoot at times. BUT, Romans 8:28 is God’s word about what HE is doing with the events and circumstances of human history at a given moment, especially as they bear upon the lives of His own in Jesus. Romans 8:28 is not about what is going on, but about what God has going on with what is going on. We cannot fathom the immensity of all the workings of God in time and space, which is the world in which we live. We could not grasp it were it tossed into our laps. It is infinitely beyond our comprehension. It is a God-thing. But the Lord tells us enough to trust Him in how He is managing it all for our good, including its ultimate outcome.

It is our nature to want to make sense of things. That is a repeated scene in the Psalms: If I am trying to serve and honor God, why do people hate me, why am I suffering and/or sick, why do bad things happen, etc? Add to that the fact that the ungodly often seem to have it better than I. What is the deal? How can this possibly be for my blessing? You see, we want to make sense of, to UNDERSTAND things that are happening. Here is a thought: instead of demanding to understand it all, why not STAND UNDER what I clearly do know: about God, Who He is, what He has already done, how He already has proven His love and faithfulness, so forth? (That, by the way, is how most of those Psalms conclude: with an affirmation of confident trust in the Lord and His unfailing kindness. Check it out in your reading.)

Just how well do I know God? How well acquainted am I with the Lord? And isn’t that the gist of David in Psalm 23: that He knew God so well from past experience that he would trust Him in the present and with the future?

This leads to another kind of question, a deeper one: just how well do I know God? Not know “about” God, but God Himself? Not just facts about God, or even Jesus. I can know facts about a person without ever really knowing that person, right? The important question is: How well acquainted am I with the Lord? If someone were to ask me how to really know God, how would I help them?

This is so important. Whether or not I ever know the whys and wherefores of life, I can know God in His Son Jesus. In Christ, we see and hear God on earth applying His control and power to life on a daily basis, in all walks of life, the good, bad, and the ugly. (That’s exactly what He was doing with the twelve, is it not?) If He did so then, will He not do so now? If He was in control then, will He not also be in control now? He was FOR us then, to the point of the cross – 8:31,32. Is He not FOR us now? He wants us to see and hear and feel and know Him. He was on earth for us not Himself. Consider that in how you look at you and Him. The better I know Him, the better I can trust Him to do what only God can do about the workings of life.

And isn’t that the gist of David in Psalm 23: that He knew God so well from past experience that he would trust Him in the present and with the future? A relationship like that does not happen in a vacuum. God had proven Himself to David over a lifetime. David had experienced God in a personal and intimate sense. So, though now in the dark valley,  David couldn’t forget that. It sustained Him in the presence of his enemies. It does the same for me.

Life will not always be my friend. I cannot really trust it.  But not so with the Lord! Is it not comforting to know that, when things have gone haywire, God has not gone anywhere! He is with me. Beyond that, He is over all that other stuff. God is not controlled by life. Earth does not run heaven! Heaven runs earth! That is why God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him. It is because He CAN!

What about the questions we ask when things are going badly?  Things can be just so very hard for us at times, right? Well, why not think about the questions we ask, and if they are the ones most helpful?

For example, we usually ask WHY, right? Why NOW, why THIS, why ME, why US? (By the way, I don’t see God striking people with lightning in the Biblical record when they cried out with their “whys.” He loves us far beyond our doubts and confusion. Never tell someone that they cannot ask God, “Why?” Sometimes we kick people when they already are down.)

But I will agree that WHY is not the most helpful thought for my heart when life seems to be imploding. Here is a thought: would it be more useful for me to ask the Lord HOW: as in how do You want me to respond to the circumstances I face? See the difference that can make? Another good question to ask could be WHAT: as in what do You want me to remember and/or see in this situation? Above these could be the question of WHO: Lord, how can I best acknowledge You and Your glory and Your faithfulness and Your control and Your kindness and Your love during this hard time in my life. I just want to know and see You, God, and trust Your perfect compassion and control above all that is happening.

Think about the questions which can hurt and help. Romans 8:28 lies within a context of suffering in the world but also of God’s supremacy and absolute sovereignty, to the point of superintending the outcome of it all – AND THAT FOR MY GOOD IN JESUS!

That will have to do until our next talk on it. Our intention is to help and not in any way to make things more difficult.

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

peek

Romans 8:28

Posted on by Bob Mathews

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

On numerous occasions, the Lord spoke of painful trials coming upon those who follow Him. Some of these sufferings would be intentional, others, incidental. Either way, they would hurt and, sometimes, perplex. Romans 8:28 is one of scripture’s most quoted texts about painful trials in life. In our current time of Covid 19 crisis and challenge, it is important to see what it means and how it can help.

By the millions, we are hurting, but our hurting did not originate with the current pandemic.

By the millions, we are hurting. Not all in the same ways, but still hurting. But our hurting did not originate with the current pandemic. Romans 8:28 is a word of PERSPECTIVE from God on it all. (How I look at a thing affects how I deal with it, right?) Now, it is a weighty thing to suppose oneself to wholly have the mind of God on a matter. Knowing that limitation, it is yet my hope that the following will do a little justice to what He is saying about life’s hardships and heartaches.

First, consider the CONTEXT of Romans 8:28. Context ALWAYS is critical in drawing out (exegeting) the meaning God poured into a thing. Biblical truths do not exist in a vacuum.  You may want to open your Book to this. The larger immediate context is 6:1-8:39. Its emphasis is upon the sanctified (holy) life of the believer as an outgrowth of being justified by faith in Christ Jesus. Since God in the holy Christ has, by His grace, made things right between the sinner and Himself, certain things should follow. Those things include a holy mindset shaped by the same cross which gives eternal life.

Now, in the latter part of that context, Paul speaks in chapter 8 of two areas of tension for the believer. One is the battle/tension on the INSIDE between the flesh and the Spirit, and how God has equipped us to win that thing. That is 8:1-16, more or less (Chapter 6 also speaks to it, as does Galatians 5). The other stressor mentioned by the apostle is that which emanates from the OUTSIDE: “the sufferings of this present time” – v. 18. We are not sure about precisely what he was talking with the Roman church, but you can be sure that they knew (or would soon know). Paul expounds upon how God has provided for us to win against whatever comes at us, painful though it may be. In 8:31-39, he celebrates that with an overflowing exuberance about how God has provided victory in any and all circumstances. (The preceding is more or less a drum roll to the consummation of the unstoppable redemptive purpose of God for all things. You do yourself a favor in reading it.) That is the context of 8:18-39, in which is nestled our 8:28:

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 

What are we to make of this? Well, first, what are we to make of 8:18-25: the immediate context of 8:28? At the least, we see that the world (creation) in which we live is a broken and suffering system. How else can v.20-22 be understood? The good news is that God has established a hopeful outcome for His once-perfect physical creation. (You can check it out. He did choose that word: hope! Maybe we should do more thinking on our ideas about II Peter 3, huh?) The creation, this world, was His, right? And still is, regardless of how broken it is, right? So, He still can do what He wants with it, right? (He already has willed to curse it, at the Fall account of early Genesis, right?) Well, it seems that He also wills (wants) to deliver it from its bondage and brokenness. At least, that is what He SAYS, right? (Yes, I know how some have sought to “explain” these words. But is it not possible that the Lord has it here that we might know and believe it? Hmmm.) You see, the events of the cross affected more than the sin of man. They triggered a cosmic shock wave that had far-reaching effects upon the outcome of the physical creation. That outcome now is a hopeful thing – v.20. And, more so, it includes hope for those in Jesus – vv. 24,25.

Because we live in a sin-broken and suffering world-system, it is inevitable that we will suffer. Bad things will happen simply because of where we are.

But our focus is the current state of things in our world, life as we know it. You know how we say it: “Stuff happens.” “Life happens.” So forth. Because we live in a sin-broken and suffering world-system, it is inevitable that we will suffer. Bad things will happen simply because of where we are. Things can turn south in a heartbeat. On the other hand, there is the grind: unrelenting chronic trials of those who virtually never know an easy day. All that because of where we are, not counting the fact that we are, at best, sinners worthy of no good from God. Don’t forget that. In Jesus, we have received good – and good news – from God. But that is by grace, right?

Now, here are some things which may help us with the grand truth of 8:28:

  1. It is best to know and love that truth BEFORE we need it. (Which is true of anything God says about anything, but our focus is this particular thing of suffering and perspective.) Mark it ahead of time, for your own sake.
  2. Remember that 8:28 is preceded by some assurances that God is moving His entire creation (believers included) toward an inevitable glorious outcome. That is 8:18f.
  3. Because of the immense pain of our trials, we may not even be able to articulate how we feel in prayer. Because of weakness, we don’t know what to say to God Himself. We try. We feel guilty in our failure to do so. But we are so hurting that we can’t even think right much less pray right. Well, the Lord also has help in that event. That help is the Holy Spirit. He will do our thinking and praying for us during times when we are shut down. Is that not wonderful? That is 8:26-27. Read it without dissecting it. And why all this? BECAUSE GOD INTENDS US TO MAKE IT! No matter how painful the situation, He has planned and provided for His own in the Son to persevere and win in the end.
  4. Due to the severity of my trial, there is something I may NOT KNOW: how to pray as I should (8:26 says that). But 8:28 points me to something beyond that: something which I CAN KNOW. Note the contrast: NOT KNOW and WE KNOW. I may be in such pain that I do not know how to pray. But I still can know how to think. I can know what I already knew: that I love and trust God regardless of how my plight unfolds. And because of that, I also KNOW that He will have the last word on the outcome of things for me, that the sufferings of THIS time are not worthy to be compared to the glory of THAT time! How can you beat that?
  5. Think on this, friend. It is no mere pep talk, no “Don’t worry, it will be fine.” Hogwash! My situation may never be “fine,” but God will be faithful in His plan for me, in and through and beyond all of it.

We will have to pick this up later, don’t you think? Maybe one of you can say it better.

Just keep this mind. Regardless (and I know this may sound elementary but it is so very critical), regardless of what Covid 19 has done or will do to you or yours, if you will trust the God of Romans 8:28, the score will be:  God 1  –  covid 19 O. You don’t have to understand all of it. Just trust it. There is more.

robert

Confessing faith in the face of fear

Posted on by Bob Mathews

(Remind me to add a postscript to our earlier Psalm 27 entry.)

John and James speak to us about confessing our sins – I John 1:9 (to God) and James 5:16 (to one another). Needs to be done. Sincerely and consistently. How so? Because the Lord can help us a lot as long as we are honest about our lives. He can’t do much with pretense. Same as with a parent-child relationship. Perfection in a child is not expected but honesty is. Else, you don’t know who or what you really have in front of you. Right?

One cannot look at the Psalms for long without hearing their authors speaking with God about their fears.

Well, how about confessing my fears – being open and honest about them? Does not God also want that from me, or would He be ashamed to hear it? And, is that not how trust in the Lord is exercised, through being open about my struggles and equally open about my confidence that the Lord is my Help and Hope? If not, why not? One cannot look at the Psalms for long without hearing their authors speaking with God about their fears. Check for yourself. Examples are all over the place. Well, if that was okay for them why is it not for me as His child in Jesus? And the good news is: biblical authors did more than record and confess their fears. They confessed faith in the face of their fears.

That being said, see what you think of the following confessions which contain both the problem of fear and the answer of faith:

Lord, my fears have made me feel so alone – but I know that is a lie, for You are always near. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears seem to be overwhelming – but I am Yours, and nothing is greater than You. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears make me feel so weak – but You are my rock and shelter. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears are trying to stop me from going forward – but You are my strength. I will go on. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears seem as if they never will end – but only You are eternal and You will have the last word. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears make me feel like a failure – but I know You are pleased with me and understand. I trust in You.

Lord, my fears make me feel ashamed – but I know You spoke about fear to even the most brave-hearted. I trust in You.

We all are different. Each of us handles things differently. That surely is true of how we go about prayer and communion with God. So, the above thoughts are simply there if you find them helpful in dealing with fear (or anything else) in your thought and prayer life.

(Oops, thanks for reminding me about that p.s. to our prior article on Psalm 27. Here it is: Psalm 27 is not about fear. It is about FEARLESS FAITH! That is our ambition, right? Enjoy it again and see what you think.

robert

Perspective about the pandemic: Psalm 27

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Fear is one of life’s most powerful factors, for good or bad. There is the standard “fight or flight”  type of fear, such as when a sudden danger pops up out of nowhere. Then, there are phobias of all shapes and sizes. Such fears can literally shut down a person’s ability to handle things in a typical way. And, of course, there are the standard fears which also can really affect us, such as fear of failure or rejection or growing old or being without income or dying. Or SICKNESS.

Believers play their cards differently than do unbelievers when confronting their fears.

The Covid 19 pandemic has the entire world on its heels. It is a fearful adversary of both life and faith. The good news is that God is not silent (as we shall soon read)! Now, I don’t buy the idea that fear equals sin. (And I can reference all the Bible texts to which some turn to “prove” that.) Instead, I see fear as a normative reaction to the unpredictable and/or painful things of life. On the other hand, scripture is not silent about how the child of God can look at and deal with fear. I need help with it and God is not indifferent to that. Indeed, fear can become sin when it, rather than the Lord, is allowed to control a person. Unfortunately, I have been on that south side of it. Have you? Am I? Are you? I don’t want to be there now, nor do you, I am sure. (And some of us face more fears than the current pandemic. Fear is fear is fear. Will it handle me or will I handle it?) Read on.

How do you deal with fearful things? Believers play their cards differently when confronting their fears (and they must be confronted lest they control us). By His mercy, we have numerous lines of attack against this enemy of our peace and joy. What works best for you? For some, it is prayer. Others handle fearful times better through song. Still others find it most helpful to talk about the matter. What works best for me is listening to and thinking about scripture, the Bible. Hearing God’s voice just fits me best during dark or fearful times.

Lately I have been walking around in Psalm 27, listening through the wall of time/space to David as he speaks of dangerous adversaries arrayed against him. The great warrior-king had formidable enemies. Notice how this man of God has learned to look upon dreadful and dangerous times. See how fearful things have become subjected to the power and practice of God during David’s lifetime of faith. As you do so, notice the following things which may help:

David speaks of what he FEELS in his situation. So can I.

David speaks of what he KNOWS of God. So can I.

David speaks of what he REMEMBERS from experiences with God. So can I.

David speaks of what he WANTS from God. So can I.

David speaks of what he WANTS FOR ALL OTHERS WHO TRUST GOD in the midst of their fearful times. So can I.

Go ahead. I have posted the Psalm so you can read both it and yourself at this sitting. Transplant what David has to say about pandemic-times into your thoughts and feelings. After all, it was written for you, for times like these. Hopefully, Psalm 27 will help us all keep perspective during a pandemic.  Be blessed.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 
2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident. 
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. 
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. 
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” 
9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me. 
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. 
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 
14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

robert

Fear and Faith-1

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Psychologists say we are born with two basic fears: falling and loud noise. But it doesn’t take us long to develop a lot more of them. Fear has 1,000 shapes and sizes. And, it can either work for or against us.

Let’s zero in on how that applies to living as believers in Christ. Fear can work FOR me when it motivates me toward faith and fidelity in the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13). Unfortunately, fear also can work AGAINST me. Check out Peter in Matthew 16:21f. Why was this disciple so adamant toward the Lord? Well, look at the context. Peter did not go into a meltdown because he was afraid for Jesus. Peter was afraid for Peter! In I Samuel 17,  the people of the Lord were being defeated, not by the Philistine army but by their fear of Goliath. It took only one teenager with faith (David) to show that God is a dragon slayer. Jehovah used a child to teach adults what He really wanted from them. Seems like He did the same thing a couple thousand years later?!

It took only one teenager with faith (David) to show that God is a dragon slayer.

Now, I want to think about churches and those who are to be spiritual leaders. Joshua faced a huge task when he assumed the reins from Moses. It would be his frightful responsibility to finish what Moses had started: getting an entire nation settled into the land of promise. But Joshua was a battle-tested leader. He could handle it. No problems!  Really? Hear the word of Jehovah at the outset of this great undertaking: “…do not be afraid, nor be dismayed…” (Joshua 1:9). Who brought up fear? God did! God knew that even the strongest can become rattled in the face of great undertakings.

How many times has fear triumphed over faith in our churches and pulpits? It can be a controlling and crippling adversary. In my personal life and as an evangelist, faith always has added while fear always has subtracted. Faith has made me more while fear has made me less. I have seen the many things faith can do and the many things fear can undo, both with myself and the church of God. All this considered, certain fears keep cropping up among those who lead God’s people. Here they are (and we may revisit this):

  • fear of failure
  • fear of criticism
  • fear of change
  • fear of who will be in charge
  • fear that people will not follow
  • fear of finances
  • fear of offending others
  • fear of power brokers
  • fear of inadequacy
  • fear of responsibility

Now, none of these fears has the right to decide the future of any enterprise of the Lord. But any will compete with faith to have the say-so. And such things never end with a tie! Do I need to mentally circle which is trying to control me?

Look again at Joshua 1:9 and notice how Jehovah sandwiched His word about fear. He said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage”   –  “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  And what is meant by “God is with you?”  The idea is that God will be with Joshua as an active participant in the execution of His purposes. The same thing is said in His great commission in Matthew 28:20.  “I am with you always.” Hmmm. Now, would that not also be His word to leaders in our times?

Where God guides, He also provides. He always has. He always will. And He will do it with those who trust (have faith) in Him. I don’t need to know all the answers or outcomes, but I need to know HIM. And the more I know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. Where am I in this thing of fear and faith? Where are we?

One thing for sure: we know what time it is. This is our time for faith not fear.

robert