From Worry to Joy in the Journey

As Joel and I are going through this time of transition from Michigan to Kansas, I'm discovering that I am more of a worry wort than I ever thought possible. Even though I can recite several related Bible verses, my emotions are not in sync with what I know to be true. I'm beginning to remind myself of my grandmother, who seemed to occupy her days looking for worry subject matter.  That's not a good thing.   

First it was the cats. How are we ever going to transport Phoebe and Beatrice over one thousand miles over two days when they pitch a meow fit just going one mile to the vet?  Will we be able to find a suitable pet-friendly motel?  How will the cats react to staying in a motel?  And what about their reaction to our new home?  How will they respond to the residual scent of the four cats who currently live there?  Will we be cleaning up markings all over the house? 

Then I directed my worry to the fact that since we haven't sold our home here in Michigan, we might have to leave it unattended for several months until it sells.  Who is going to take care of the mowing and the falling leaves in our large yard as we go into autumn?  And what if its not sold before winter?  How will we handle the snow removal? Should we program the lights so the house looks inhabited?  And at what temperature should we set the furnace before we leave?

I rest my case. 

As I was cleaning yesterday, I noticed the book by R. C. Sproul, Jr. that we bought on the Ligonier cruise - Believing God:  12 Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept.  I thought surely he has something to say about worry or anxiety.  As I glanced through the contents, there it was, chapter 9 - "All Things Work Together," based on Romans 8:28:  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  R. C., Jr. began the chapter by telling of his struggle with anxiety over a trip to Southeast Asia.  It helped me put our move to Kansas in perspective.  He then discussed his two part "internal liturgy" that he goes through when confronted with life challenges:

Part One:

1.  What's the worst that could happen?
2.  Whatever the worst thing is, it's not that bad.

Part Two:

1.  What am I due?

"It is all too easy for us to lose sight of what we are.  We move through this world forgetting that we are, in ourselves, an unhappy joining together of dust and rebellion.  Because of our rebellion, we look at the world and its Maker as if we are owed peace and comfort.  The truth of the matter is that no matter what kind of hardship we might find ourselves going through, every human on the planet . . . moves through his days in a context of unfathomable grace . . . What we are due is eternal torment.  This is what God owes us, according to a strict standard of justice." (p. 91)

2.  What have I been given?  

"Here we enter into the depth of the blessing God has given us.  We enjoy much more than merely not getting what we deserve.  We receive from Him our daily bread.  We enjoy relationships with people we love.  We are all richly blessed." (p. 92)

3.  What have I been promised?

"When I take my eyes off my troubles and look instead to God's promises, my troubles melt in a sea of joy . . . We will see Him as He is.  We will be with Him.  We will be like Him.  We will enjoy at His right hand pleasures forevermore . . . How can we despair when He who made all things, whose word is truth, promises us that our joy will be such that no eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, and it has not entered our minds to think it." (p. 93)

But there's more to this point:

"Our calling isn't to suffer through our threescore and ten, knowing that things will get better in the end and make all our suffering worthwhile.  We do not manage this hardship or that by means of a promise about the future promise.  We do so in light of a present promise, a present reality.  The good news isn't that we can endure a present hardship because of future blessing.  The good news is that the hardship itself is, according to biblical promise, the blessing."  (p. 93)

How so?

That's where Romans 8:28 comes in.  Do I believe God's promise that He is working through this stressful time in our lives for our good and His glory?  Do I remember that my purpose on this earth is different from those outside the kingdom of God?  R. C. explains:  "If . . . we understand . . . that our end is something more significant than personal peace and affluence, then we can begin to see how these hardships might in fact be good things.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism . . . begins with this question:  'What is the chief end of man?' It answers, 'Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.'" (p. 95) We exist that God's glory might be made manifest and that we might delight in Him always."  If we are in Christ, all the events of our lives are helping us grow in grace, as we are becoming more like Him.  R. C.  refers to our sanctification as our "Jesus-ification."  I like that.  

It is my prayer that through this time of transition,  I will trust that each day is part of the Heavenly Father's plan to "Jesus-fy" me.  I want to see the blessings of sanctification along the way, rather than only focus on the joy to be realized at the end of the journey.  To Him be the glory. 

The Main Ingredient in Preaching

Occasionally, Tim Challies links a blog post from the Ordinary Pastor blog, and I have always appreciated what Erik Raymond, a pastor in Omaha, Nebraska, has to share.  In his latest post, he discusses the "missing ingredient in many sermons," that one ingredient that can take a bland sermon and make it memorable: is the preacher personally "wowed" by the text of scripture? 

Erik explains this indispensable aspect of preaching:

"I have seen this in some otherwise terrific sermons. Guys can be exegetically sound, communicate with clarity, illustrate with profundity, and then at the end of the sermon it tastes like grandma’s meatloaf: somewhat filling but not so memorable.

On the other hand, we can probably identify a sermon that we have heard where the guy was working out of a passage with passionate engagement. And as he was doing this he was wringing out the text with personal adoration and joy. In other words, the text had gotten into him! The man went from a tour guide to a resident; a lecturer to a preacher! He goes from bland to flavor by seasoning the sermon with personal reflections of the infinite value of Christ; his beauty and unsurpassed glory."

He continues with another analogy:

"Preachers cannot be content to glide along the surface of the biblical ocean telling their hearers of the great treasures that lie under the boat. Instead they are to dive down into the depths of the water, see it themselves, marvel, and then come up and exclaim, with sea-weed on their shoulders, as one who has themselves seen, “This is who God is!” “This is what Christ has done for your souls!” It is easy to be sterile when we are dry and in the boat–preachers need to get wet, get deep and come up and preach like they have seen something!"

You can read the entire blog post here.  

The Prayer That Changes Me - Part 2

In the first post on "The Prayer That Changes Me," I shared that the life goal of Christians should be pleasing God in everything we do.  Dr. John Barnett, our conference speaker, systematically took us through the Lord's prayer as a pathway to pleasing the Lord. Our prayer life is a reflection of how much we think we need him and desire to please him. 

Matthew 6:9: Jesus said, "In this manner, therefore, pray:  'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."  Ask God to focus us on who he is.  Take time to prayerfully acknowledge him as the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, our Creator, the only one who is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, completely just, holy, righteous, loving, and the list goes on.  Spend time dwelling on his character.

Matthew 6:10a:  "Your kingdom come."  Ask the Lord to control us because he has a plan for our lives.  He is on his throne as Ruler over His kingdom.  Picture the throne room described in the book of Revelation where all creatures are oriented to the throne.  Acknowledge that we are not on the throne. 

Mathew 6:10b:  "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Request that God lead us to do his will in our lives, as we are surrender our own wills and demands. 

Matthew 6:11:  "Give us this day our daily bread."  Ask the Lord to supply our needs, so that we can see his hand of provision for our physical needs on a daily basis.  

Matthew 6:12:  "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."   Pray that the Lord will cleanse us, so we can keep his blessing on our lives.  We cannot claim God's blessing of forgiveness if we do not forgive others.


Matthew 6:13a:  "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  Ask the Lord to protect us, so that we do not lose sight of his power in our lives.  In the midst of trials and the temptations of the evil one, we have confidence that the Lord will see us through.

Matthew 13:b:  "For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  Pray that God will empty us so he receive all the glory and credit for our lives.  He alone is worthy to receive the praise. 

The Prayer That Changes Me

I'm pretty much a homebody at heart.  I wasn't excited about leaving for a work-related conference just two days after returning from the ladies' retreat at Camp Barakel.  But between the two events, I've been treated to some excellent Bible teaching, so the time away has been worth it!  

Dr. John Barnett, senior pastor at Calvary Bible Church in Kalamazoo has been leading the conference attendees through a study of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, as "the prayer that changes me" to live in a manner that is consumed with pleasing God.  The Christian life is simple, but it's not easy. We are always presented with two choices in everything we do. . .pleasing God or pleasing self.  Jesus said in John 8:29, "And he who sent me is with me.  He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."  Jesus always chose to do what was pleasing to the Heavenly Father.

To follow in Jesus' example, we looked at the following verses as a foundation to praying the Lord's Prayer:


Romans 8:8-9a - Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Reference Galatians 5 for the contrast of the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.)


Philippians 2:13 - For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."  

Colossians 1:10 - So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  It's not enough to read and understand the truths of God's Word; we must seek to do his will.


I Thessalonians 4:1 - Finally, then brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more." 

II Timothy 2:4 - No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.  God called (enlisted) us, so all our life should be directed to pleasing our Commander.  

I John 3:22 - And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.  When we love the Lord and are living a life of submission to God, we will be blessed with answered prayers.

In the next post, I'll cover Dr. Barnett's seven aspects of prayers that are prayed in the manner of the Lord's Prayer, not in vain repetition, but from hearts that desire to please the Lord.  

"And Then?" A Parable from Octavius Winslow (1808-1878)

A young man, whom he had known as a boy, came to an aged professor of a distinguished continental university, with a face beaming with delight, and informed him that the long and fondly-cherished desire of his heart was at length fulfilled - his parents having given their consent to his studying the profession of the law. As the university presided over by his friend was a distinguished one, he had repaired to its law school, and was resolved to spare no labor or expense in getting through his studies as quickly and ably as possible. In this strain he continued for some time; and when he paused, the old man, who had been listening to him with great patience and kindness, gently said, "Well! and when you have finished your career of study, what do you mean to do then?" "Then I shall take my degree," answered the young man. "And then?" asked his venerable friend. "And then," continued the youth, "I shall have a number of difficult and knotty cases to manage: shall attract notice by my eloquence, and wit, and acuteness, and win a great reputation." "And then?" repeated the holy man. "And then!" replied the youth, "why then there cannot be a question- I shall be promoted to some high office in the state, and I shall become rich." "And then?" "And then," pursued the young lawyer, "then I shall live comfortably and honorably in wealth and respect, and look forward to a quiet and happy old age." "And then?" repeated the old man. "And then," said the youth, "and then- and then- and then I shall die." Here his venerable listener lifted up his voice, and again asked, with solemnity and emphasis– "And then?" Whereupon the aspiring student made no answer, but cast down his head, and in silence and thoughtfulness retired. This last "And then?" had pierced his heart like a sword- had darted like a flash of lightning into his soul, and he could not dislodge the impression. The result was, the entire change of his mind and course of his life. Abandoning the study of the law, he entered upon that of divinity, and expended the remainder of his days in the labors of a minister of Christ. 

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  Romans 8:5 - 6