A Physician Who Always Cares

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mr 2:17 AV)

 

I know this verse is in the context of being sin-sick and not physically sick, but I cannot help but see the compassion of Christ towards those who are ill.  This verse does not promise that no matter our physical trials, Jesus will automatically heal us.  We know this is not the case because unless the rapture happens, we will all eventually die.  Many have been disappointed when applying this verse to disease and wonder why the LORD did not remove all signs of their condition.  They wonder why the Great Physician did not make them whole.  The verse above is for those who are lost in their sin and have no hope in this world.  If they turn to Him, they are guaranteed spiritual health and eternal life.  I have done that forty years ago.  I am saved and on my way to heaven.  What stuck out to me this morning is our Physician’s heart.  He may not solve our physical troubles to our liking, but that does not mean He lacks compassion.  And physician worth his weight in salt cares for his patients and never allows the condition of his or her patient to callous his or her heart towards the person before them.  Even though they may not be able to bring complete relief, they still care.  That is what I see above.

Recently, we have been introduced to health care to a level we have never experienced before.  Such is the case for those who are aging.  As our bodies degrade, attention to our health becomes more of major concern.  We are slowly inching towards that age bracket where our weeks, rather than years, are taken up with appointments regarding our healthcare.  What I have noticed about our health network is their compassion for the individual.  They take particular interest in the patient as a person.  This was so true just the other day.  We sat in an office and spoke to a couple of healthcare workers assigned to us as our healthcare team.  This is in a department that often results in palliative care.  Working with such patients, one might be tempted to see one’s profession as merely clinical.  Emotional attachment to a patient may not occur.  Not in our case.  The ladies and staff that took care of us were awesome.  There was one worker whose job it was to canvass those waiting and see to their every need.  She offered coffee and other drinks upon request.  If there was anything else she could do for us, she tried her best.  Compassion goes a long way in the healing process.  Medicine has its place.  Treatments can only do so much.  Compassion is the encouragement to endure through difficult times.

This truth is what really spoke to me.  We have a great Physician.  We wouldn’t be so presumptuous to believe we would physically be cured of everything that ails us.  We wouldn’t assume we could live forever.  This does not mean that Jesus doesn’t care about what we face.  He does.  Part of the Physician’s practice is to empathize.  Jesus can in human flesh that, in part, He might experience the human condition.  He felt what we feel.  He suffered pain and anguish.  He suffered a painful death.  Jesus knows what it is like to suffer as we have or will suffer.  Because of this, Jesus cares!  He knows what our future is and also understands what our present is like.  Our Physician sits by our bedside, holding our hand, and comforting us in our trials.  Our Physician doesn’t have rounds.  He is always present.  He doesn’t go home at night.  He is there during the deepest and darkest of nights.  He doesn’t go on vacation.  He is always on duty.  Our wonderful Physician is a comfort to those who are ailing and if we are suffering from sin sickness, He is the only one with the cure.  Ready to carry us through, our Physician weeps when we weep.  He hurts when we hurt.  He holds us tight to Himself and tells us we will be alright.  His knowledge often makes up the difference for our weak faith.  There He is, in His glistering white garment, tending to our emotional and spiritual well-being even if our bodies may fail us.

Tell Them Jesus Said Hush

"And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” (Mr 1:34 AV)

 It is easy to forget the devil and his helpers are subject to the LORD Jesus Christ.  They can only accomplish that which the LORD allows.  This verse piggybacks off of another passage I read in Judges chapter two.  In that chapter, we learn the LORD left so resistance to Israel in Canaan that He might prove or mature them into the nation He desired them to be.  When we think of the harassment our enemy inflicts, and wonder why the LORD would allow such things when He could simply and permanently remove it, we must remember He permits it for our maturity.  That being said, we are not fatally subject to the harassment of the devil.  We have an advocate who is infinitely strong than he.  The devil knows Jesus very well.  He attempted a celestial insurrection that failed.  He knows his Creator and he also knows he is subject to the authority of the Creator.  When we are pestered by the likes of Satan or his cohorts, we must remember they are subject to the God who made them and all we need to do is resist by the power of prayer and they will flee.  We are not victims here.

Have you ever had such a teacher or authority figure that when they entered the room, the entire room went silent?  Growing up in Catholic schools, this was a very common occurrence.  It was not uncommon to have a class that was a bit rowdy and the Nun had stepped out.  But the second she entered the room, dead silence was the practice.  I cannot remember many of the names of the Nuns that taught us, but I remember two.  There was Sister Mary Martha and Sister Mary Margarette.  The former was younger and more lax.  The latter, not so much.  If you would going to cross one, the former would have been the choice.  Never the latter.  We could mess around a little in Sister Mary Martha’s classroom, but never in Sister Mary Margarette’s.  When she entered the room, her shadow cast fears that were felt to the bone.  It wasn’t that she was abusive.  She never hit us nor raised her voice all that much.  Her demeanor is what drove the fear.  Just how she looked and how her presence spoke of authority.  We knew that when she was in the room, she was in total control.  I’ve spoken of the time we played a practical joke on her before.  She had an issue with paper footballs.  She just didn’t like them at all.  One afternoon, when she stepped out for a bit, as a class we began mass manufacturing paper footballs.  We pilled them on her desk.  We really weren’t being disrespectful.  We just wanted her to laugh.  Or at least smile.  Not so much.  When she came in, we knew the Apocalypse had just begun.  We were looking for Jesus to come back!  When she came into the room, the room was hers!

Something is amazing about the verse above.  Knowing who Jesus is, evokes silence from His enemies.  The same will be true when He returns.  The planet will be humbled at the presence of almighty God and not a word will be spoken.  But here is the encouragement for today.  We do not need to wait until Christ comes back.  The devils are subject to His sovereignty whether His throne is on the earth or in heaven.  It matters not.  Because they know Him, they said not a word.  Maybe one of the keys to freedom from satanic oppression is to remind those filthy creatures who our LORD and Savior is.  Perhaps they would respect the name of Jesus even if they do not respect the people of Jesus.  Our LORD is completely in control.  They cannot harass us without His knowledge.  They cannot torment our minds without His knowing.  He allows it that we might mature.  We need to learn to fight the good fight of faith and the only way to do that is to face adversity.  So, do not despair.  The enemies of the Cross may harass us, but they have no power over us.  All we need do is remind them the One they know is our protector and friend.

Offended At The Judgment of God

“And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.” (Ac 5:13 AV)

This statement comes on the heels of the death of Ananias and Sapphira.  The Apostles continued to perform miracles and wonders at the temple, but those intimidated by the judgment of God wanted nothing to do with the grace of God.  Who these people are is a matter of conjecture.  Some believe them to be the impudent lost.  Other, believers who were offended at the death of these two people.  Regardless of who they are, the motive for disassociation is still the same.  God held two people accountable for hypocrisy.  They lied about the gift they gave to the church.  They wanted to be seen as more dedicated and sacrificial than they were.  Peter made the point that they were not required to give any of the profit off their land.  While the money was in their hand, they were free to do with it what they wished.  They have a portion and then claimed it to be to full price.  There was no need to do this.  They would have been thought generous and appreciated either way.  Their sole purpose was to be perceived to be something they were not.  Those who saw the swift and dramatic judgment on hypocrisy wanted nothing to do with the LORD.  This is an error to the highest degree.  God will not withhold judgment because we are intimidated.  This is exactly what those who rebel against God during the tribulation will think. They want nothing to do with God and think they can escape God’s judgment.  This is simply not true.

My father was a disciplinarian.  He handled things quickly and swiftly.  Sometimes, from our perspective, my father’s anger and action were too severe.  There were several times when we were in the wrong place and wrong time.  We would witness our father punish a sibling and because we didn’t understand the depth of the issue at hand, we would resent my father for the severity of his judgment.  Sometimes, it was greater than was needed.  He was human.  Most of the time, it appeared too severe, but it was spot on.  In our immaturity, we began to estrange ourselves from our father because we were offended for our sibling’s sake.  Trying to come up with one example is difficult since I have ten siblings and this was the rule more than the exception.  Whether it was a spanking, a grounding, or a tongue lashing, if we witnessed our sibling enduring dad’s judgment, we were offended for their sakes more than not.  That is, until we matured and came to the conclusion that misbehavior deserves judgment.  When we come to the conclusion that when we disobey our dad, there should be consequences, we are more apt to accept his judgment of our siblings.  It reminds me of a scene in A Christmas Story where Ralph is getting his mouth washed out with soap and his mother calls the mother of his friend would be blamed for teaching Ralphie bad words.  The narrator, who was the adult voice of Ralphie said, “Slug (his friend’s nickname) was getting his.”  Rather than be offended his best friend was getting a spanking, he accepted it as part of life.

It is hard to see God work with others whom we love so much.  We don’t like to see it when others get corrected.  We shouldn’t, anyway.  God has the right to do as He pleases.  God’s holiness cannot be compromised.   The LORD chastened two people who made benevolence, charity, and unity a mockery.  They misrepresented the gift of God.  They lied to the Holy Spirit and the church.  This they did in the infancy of the church.  When others saw it, they marveled at the judgment of God, and rather than submit to Him, they wanted nothing to do with Him.  They made a moral judgment on God that God was unfair.  When they wanted nothing to do with the Apostles, they were stating that God is mean, unloving, and unworthy of their submission.  In short, by avoiding the grace of God, they believed themselves to be superior to the God who they witnessed ending the lives of two liars.  They could not stomach what they perceived to be the faults of God.  God has none.  They simply lacked the humility and maturity to accept that God is God and His way goes.  They refused to grow up.  They became the judge of God rather than the other way around.  We deserve hell.  We owe God a debt we cannot pay.  In love, Jesus suffered and died for us.  Anything short of hell is the pure grace of God.

Quiet Credibility

“And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.” (Mt 27:14 AV)

Temperance is always a marvel in an out-of-control world.  Jesus is standing before Pilot and when the accusations pour in, he does not utter a word.  When the specific accusation of libel is leveled, the LORD does not say anything in his defense.  They raised His declaration that He would destroy the temple and in three days, raise it again.  We know that He was speaking of his body.  They took it to mean the actual temple.  They accused Him of blasphemy because they thought He threatened the actual temple.  Even if He did, the statement would not have been blasphemy.  For the many hours in which they held an illegal trial followed by scourging and ending in crucifixion, the LORD never raised a defense.  Even in His passion, Jesus tried to minister to His accusers.  The reaction is what impressed me this morning.  The governor marveled at the temperance of our LORD.  His self-control caused the governor to be amazed.  He was deeply impressed at the self-discipline which Jesus exhibited that he was extremely reluctant to pass judgment.  In short, if we exercise self-discipline and control our emotions, then the world will marvel.

It's always the one in self-control that others who are not, gravitate towards.  In my years working at the factory, I served on a safety committee.  Our job was to review all incident reports and near misses.  We met about once a month and reviewed all occurrences of accidents and policies which others believed needed revision.  The number one issue was the habit of retrieving or engaging a dragline cart without stopping the dragline.  At least once a shift, the dragline was broken because someone place a cart on the line without stopping the line and the cart got jammed in a doorway or something.  We spoke of this problem again and again.  The real problem without stopping the line when one was loading and unloading from it, is that someone might suffer a broken leg.  Or worse.  As we sat there discussing alternatives, I stayed quiet.  I didn’t say a word.  There was too much drama.  Much complaining but few solutions.  I figured I could use my time more wisely.  However, I was there to help solve a safety issue.  When I finally did speak, I had the room.  Because I chose to keep silent as they were processing their emotions and throwing out problems with no solutions, I didn’t feel as though being involved would result in anything productive.  When I did say something, it was usually the solution the group adapted.  I have heard more than once, “you really have to watch those quiet ones.” 

Being emotionally self-disciplined will result in opportunities for those who are not.  As the world reacts to all it hates, the child of God must show restraint.   If we are to be like Jesus, we need to learn to stand for biblical principles while keeping our emotional response to them in check.  Self-control translates into the ability to control any situation.  Since Jesus did not defend Himself or allow Himself to react to the abuse he faced, the governor marveled.  When He was crucified, the guards declared that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.  If Jesus lost it, He would have no credibility with His enemies.  The fact He held it all together may not have stopped the persecution, but when the time came, they sure had to admit who the Son of God was.  Self-control goes a long way in speaking to those who have none.  It is essential.

Our Debt of Love

“Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.” (Jos 23:11 AV)

The ‘therefore’ refers to the previous verse.  Joshua reminded the people that it was God who fought for them.  It was the LORD who defeated all their enemies.  It was God who destroyed Egypt and decimated all the heathen who had occupied Canaan.  If God did all that for them, then it stands to reason they love Him in return.  If the Father is going to care for His children, then it is only right they love Him in return.  Note especially how Joshua ties love God with taking good heed to oneself.  Love does not come naturally.  That is, godly and pure love.  Love of self often takes precedent over love for others.  God is the One who is loved the least.  Taking heed to oneself means we do an inventory of what or who we love more.  Do we love the LORD more than anything or anyone else?  Do we love ourselves the most?  If Jesus is going to save us, the Father is going to care for us, and the Holy Spirit is going to comfort us, then the Godhead should be that which we love the most.

A child cannot comprehend all that his father does for him.  He cannot understand all the labor that goes into providing a roof over his head, clothes on his back, and food in his tummy. He cannot fathom what it means when Dad spends all that time and resources to coach him in baseball, take him hunting or fishing, or simply sit and watch a sporting event.  He does not understand all that Dad is and what he has done and therefore, his love for his father is not nearly as deep as it could be.  He is seen as a resource for his own personal happiness.  As long as he is happy, he ‘loves’ his dad.  It is not until he matures that he sees the real value in what Dad provides.  He sees the value in encouragement.  He treasures the laughs.  He understands that when the deer is drug out of the woods and processed, that was the real memory that will last a lifetime.  He will begin to see why his dad’s favorite team is different than his own and care about it.  Or, he will treasure the fact that Dad changes his favorite team to match his and realize what that truly means.  A child is not bent on self-examination.  They do not possess that skill until adolescence.  When they begin to look at all that Dad has done, hopefully, they will look into their own hearts and search for gratitude.

Generally speaking, children do not love their fathers nearly as much as they deserve.  At least not until that child grows up and realizes just how much he sacrificed for his or her wellbeing.  Love is not automatic.  Although the world teaches it as such.  They treat love as an emotion that comes on spontaneously and uncontrollably.  That isn’t pure love.  That is infatuation.  Pure love is sacrificial.  Pure love is not possessive.  Pure love seeks the honor another better than oneself.  Pure love takes discipline.  It takes compassion.   It takes selflessness.  Pure love requires we place another before ourselves.  Whoever that might be, gets the best of us.  Not what is left over.  When it comes to loving the LORD, there are several ways this is manifested.  Obedience, faith, and emotional fidelity are the greatest ways in which we can love the LORD.  But it requires we take heed to ourselves.  Loving God as we should requires a self-examination.  This exam must be to the core of who and what we are.  Examining self rips out all that comes in conflict with the LORD.  After all, He has done for us more than we can ever comprehend.  This demands we love Him in return.

Never Alone

“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Jos 22:5 AV)

The context of this statement is Joshua’s instruction to the two and a half tribes who settled east of the Jordan River.  In particular, he is concerned their separation may cause them to abandon the law and the tabernacle.  He is concerned the heathen nations to which they would dwell very close, would become a greater influence than their brethren on the west side of Jordan.  Joshua shows a lot of wisdom with these two and a half tribes.  The rest of the instruction to these tribes shows equal concern.  He tells them if the land in which they dwell ever becomes inhabitable, they were to cross the Jordan and dwell with their brethren rather than to separate even further into the country of the heathen.  Joshua knows that even though there may be twelve tribes of Israel, the LORD deals with them as one nation.  Joshua’s concern was their seclusion.  The more secluded they become from their brethren, the much greater possibility that seclusion will become a permanent separation.

Several well-known movies depict the theme above.  Jungle Book comes to mind.  Jungle Book is about a young child lost to the Jungle and raised by wolves.  There are many different subplots to the story, but basically, the man-cub is hunted by evil wolves.  They see the man-cub as a threat to life in the jungle.  It was a man-made fire that separated the man-cub from his family and they figured when the man-cub grew up, he would do the same.  The good wolves knew the only way to protect the life of the man-cub was to return him to his human family.  The whole story is about adventures along the way and the ever-present threat the evil wolves posed.  We also learn the man-cub assumed many animal-like characteristics.  In a way, he was less human than animal.  As they traveled toward the human village, the man-cub’s friends tried to teach him how humans and animals were different to encourage him to assume his real identity.  By the time he reached the village, he was more human than animal.  This young man was separated from those with whom he should keep company and became what he was surrounded with.  A human child became an animal because he was separated from others of his own kind.

It is not healthy for the saint to separate him or herself from those with whom he or she should fellowship.  This does not mean total seclusion.  The two and a half tribes had fellowship with one another and eventually with the heathen.  We are social creatures.  We must have company.  When we say seclusion, we are saying seclusion from those with whom we should have fellowship.  Assembling ourselves is in the very name of our identity.  We are the church.  This means we are a called-out assembly.  By definition, the church fellowships.  The saints come apart from the world and unite around worship and service.  This is essential.  If we do not fellowship with the saints, we will fellowship with others.  Whoever we surround ourselves with, will influence us to compromise and stray from God.  This was Joshua’s concern.  Out of sight, out of mind.  If the two and a half tribes did not make the effort to remain connected with the rest of the nation, they would assume the lifestyles and habits of their nearer neighbors, the heathen.

Most Mature Request

“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.” (Jer 10:23-24 AV)

The prayer of the Prophet above is an amazing one.  From its very inception, humility and transparency exudes from his words.  The conclusion of his statements is equally impressive.  Very few individuals will ask for correction.  They wait until it is imposed upon them.  Correction comes not at the request of the one who needs it.  Rather, it comes at the timing and discretion of the one correcting.  Jeremiah examines himself and concludes he does not know enough to make decisions that always please the LORD.  He knows he is bent on disobedience.  He knows that given complete liberty, he would go down a path of life that would end in destruction.  By admitting these things, the prophet also admits he does not have it within himself to self-correct.  His nature is contrary to the word of God.  He will choose the wrong way more than the right way.  Therefore, he asks the LORD to correct him.  In asking prior to a problem, he is also asking the LORD to correct him in judgment rather than anger.  This means he is asking for swift and early correction lest his life become so displeasing to the LORD that He must correct in anger.  All in all, the request above shows great maturity, humility, and foresight.  To ask for such a thing is the height of spiritual maturity and is also an example to the fallen nation of Judah to do the same.

When you think about it, avoiding correction until it is forced is a carnal attitude.  To refrain from seeking correction before it is needed is what the most base of all beasts do.  To regret or chaff against correction is not what a thinking being does.  I have had several dogs in my lifetime.  What I know of dogs is they do not ask for correction.  They learn from it and do not shun it.  But they don’t ask for it.  I have a Cavalier.  He is a great little dog.  Teaching him to heal was a chore.  I finally had to settle on a choke collar.  The thing about Cavs is they go nuts around people and other dogs.  They are extremely social.  They would rather socialize than eat.  When I walk Toby, he is keyed in on people.  If he sees another person, he completely loses concentration.  When someone gets close, he will test the limits of the leash and choke collar.  He will test the limits of it to the extent that he snorts, gasping for air.  Before you call me an animal abuser, he is not hurt at all.  Gasping for air is a correction.  He must learn to sit and calmly engage his visitor.  He cannot go nuts and run after, jump on, and play with anyone or anything he sees.  If there was no leash, Toby would have been hit by a car many times over.  In other words, Toby does not have the foresight to see that his passion for others could cause him harm.  He does not see this trait as a deficit.  He has no ability to exercise humility and ask me for correction before he needs it.  This is a quality of the animal kingdom and therefore, carnal.

Rare is the person who comes to the end of himself and knows he cannot be what he desires and needs to be without the intervention of the Creator who made him.  This attitude is the beginning of rapid maturity.  The more one can get to this point, the quicker correction will come.  The more we get to this point, the easier correction would be.  The more we can get to this point, the easier we will learn.  The more we can get to this point, the more the lessons we learn will last.  Jeremiah shows the way for the rest of us.  He sets an example for all who find living godly, difficult.  To get to this point, it took exposure to a nation that refused such an aspiration.  The prophet saw the condition of Judah, knew their end, and was able to extrapolate it was their obstinance that caused it.  Not wanting to repeat their mistakes, the prophet asks the LORD to correct him early and often.  What a prayer!

Caring When One Cannot

“Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jer 9:1 AV)

Unlike yesterday’s passage, in this verse, Jeremiah is lamenting the inability to feel.  He has mourned the condition of his people to the point there are no tears left.  He is all cried out.  Now, he laments that he is emotionally burned out.  Yet, he wants to feel.  And that is the point.  We may be emotionally burned out because of the severity of another’s situation, but that is no excuse for losing the desire to feel deeply again.  Jeremiah is obviously a very emotional prophet.  He finds empathy an easy attribute.  He can internalize the suffering of others.  He can see what they are going through.  He knows what lies ahead.  And it easily disturbs him.  What he did not do was allow what he saw and knew to be a certain future to keep him from the desire to have feelings about it.  Jeremiah wants the situation to bother him.  He wants to be brought to continual tears over the sad condition of his people.  He doesn’t want to stop feeling.  His solution is to escape to a cabin in the woods so that he might temporarily recover from the scene before him.  What we want to consider is the desire to empathize when we have been drained of all ability to do so.

I don’t know how Oncologists survive their practice.  They deal with patients all day long who are often facing end-of-life decisions.  Day in and day out they have to talk with patients who do not have a good prognosis.  It must be a challenge to remain engaged with one’s patients when one knows the prognosis is not good.  It reminds me of my days as a Chaplain.  Every month I worked the overnight shift a few days here and there.  There were all sorts of patients in all sorts of conditions.  But the hardest floor to work on was the PCC floor.  These patients were suffering from a terminal condition and the only medical care given was that which made the patient comfortable.  There was no hope to be given.  This floor was necessary to visit, but for some, it wasn’t their favorite.  Sort of like a Mortician.  After a while, dealing with countless people who have lost someone very close to them, the challenge is to be compassionate and empathize with each individual as though they are the first.  The key is above.  There must be a desire to feel even if it is a struggle.

Each individual deserves compassion and empathy.  Constant interaction with those who are suffering, especially if their suffering is self-inflicted, can produce a calloused heart.  It can produce depletion of one’s emotional reserves.  There is a whole science behind it.  Years ago, I suffered an emotional crisis moment.  Many events all converged to drain me emotionally to the point of emptiness.  I was all used up.  There was nothing left.  Then the LORD led me to read several books on my situation.  A couple of them explained what the body goes through when we experience extreme emotions for an extended period of time.  These resources sure helped.  The helped me to realize what I was experiencing was normal and not to overreact to my situation.  The key was to manage emotional situations and learn to feel again.  The desire to empathize cannot be lost even though the ability to do so may be temporarily strained.  Just because one cannot feel the situation of another does not mean he shouldn’t desire to do so.  This is where Jeremiah finds himself.  He has emotionally burned out, but he knew enough that desiring to empathize remained.  Unless we can desire to empathize with the situations of others even though we may not be able to at the moment, is the saving grace for future ministry.  Never, ever get to the point where you do not even desire to be bothered by another person’s situation.

Maintaining Compassion Amid a Hopeless Cause

“For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” (Jer 8:21-22 AV)

These are the words of the Prophet Jeremiah as he considers unrepentant Judah.  His concern is two-fold.  He is astonished at the depth of depravity of his fellow Jews.  He cannot believe they have fallen so far from the law of God and are suffering serious consequences from their rebellion.  They cannot see just how sin sick they are.  The frustration and astonishment reach a crescendo when Jeremiah asks a follow-up question.  There is no reason for this sin-sickness.  There is a balm in Gilead that will heal the sin-sick soul.  There is a resolution to their miserable existence.  They do not have to suffer famine, warfare, and pestilence.  The blessings of God can be part of their daily life.  What impressed me this morning is the depth of concern that the Prophet feels.  There is nothing he can do about it.  Rather than becoming callous at the condition of a doomed people, he allows their condition to bother him.  He allows the hopeless condition of those whom he is trying to reach to turn him into a man who is consumed with their condition.  His is black (very discouraged and saddened) and astonished.  This astonishment has taken hold of him.  It controls him.  He cannot get beyond the reality of God’s people living in complete rebellion.

It is too easy to disengage from the reality of the situation of people if you are totally and continuously surrounded by it.  My wife has been diagnosed with a NET.  This means we will be frequent visitors to the Cancer department of our local hospital.  We will bump into all sorts of patients suffering from different types of cancer.  We will see those who are so weak they can barely move.  They will come in in a wheelchair and will need assistance with every single task.  There will be many patients with some sort of head covering because they lost their hair from treatments.  There will be some patients using walkers.  There will be some patients using canes.  There will be others who can walk on their own and if it weren’t for a head covering and the tone of their skin, you would never know they were suffering from cancer.  Then there are others, like my wife, who looks perfectly fine.  She is not suffering from any symptoms related to her cancer.  As we visit our doctors for treatment and follow-up, we will see all those patients in the same situation as my wife.  If we are not careful, we will cauterize ourselves against empathy for others because our situation is relatively the same.  When we see something for so long we tend to get used to it.  We lose the human element.  We lose the ability to feel.  It is not deliberate.  Sometimes it is necessary.  It is just a pattern of life.

The heart of the Prophet is obvious here.  A caution is in order here.  Jeremiah does feel things deeply.  He sees Judah and knows they are headed for real problems.  He knows no matter how much he preaches or what message he preachers or even the tenor of his message, nothing will change.  Judah is bent on rebellion and there is nothing he can say or do that will change it.  He feels compassion for those who are helplessly heading for a great diaspora and enslavement.  He sees their future.  He allowed this inevitability to touch him deeply.  So deep, that he quit preaching for a time.  Some might say that the saint should care for his emotions so they do not lead him to a fatal decision.  But the thing is, Jeremiah may have quit for a time, but the LORD revived him and he ended well.  As long as we maintain our walk with God, we will endure the emotional turmoil of a ministry that may not be all that we want it to be.  It is better to feel and need revival than to not feel at all.  This is our lesson today.  Do not allow the familiarity of a condition or situation to move the heart to callousness.  You may burn out.  But don’t let that stop you from feeling something.  Get revived.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a balance of compassion and patience.  Never stop feeling.  When we do, we cease to live.

Unopened Treasures

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mt 21:22 AV)

 What a statement!  If we only understood the power which resides in prayer!  Prayer is the most underutilized of all sacred disciplines.  We read our Bibles.  We go to church.  We even teach and preach.  But how much do we pray?  Do we really dedicate ourselves to intense prayer?  Do we really believe God can do what we dream?  Do we pray, expecting God to do the impossible?  Now, we know this promise is not unconditional.  We know that if we ask for something contrary to the will of God, we will not receive it.  If we seek God’s intervention while living in unconfessed and unrejected sin, the LORD will not hear us.  We know that just because we have for something does not obligate the LORD to give us that for which we ask.  All that being said, the promise above is still a remarkable one.  One wonders how much goes undone because someone did not pray.

To study human nature, a study was done on how people react to something offered free versus the same offered for a discount price.  The study group decided on a rather inexpensive item.  They here selling pencils.  Or, trying to give them away.  The first booth was set up and a sign was posted.  “On Sale – Incredible Price.  Buy five and get ten free.”  This booth was set up at one end of the fairgrounds.  On the other side was another boot that said, “Totally free pencils inside – no strings attached - inquire within.”  The first booth required no humble request.  It was a matter of business.  The other required the customer to come into the booth and ask for free pencils.  As the week carried on, an interesting result developed.  Over a week’s time, the vast majority of those who wanted pencils entered the first booth and paid for pencils whereas few entered the booth giving them away for free.  The vast majority would rather spend money and attain something in their own effort than be humbled to ask for something that would cost them nothing.

This is where we are failing.  Prayer requires humility.  Prayer requires we admit there is nothing we can do to attain that which we seek.  Prayer means God is in control.  Prayer suggests the only way we will see what needs to be is to go to God alone.  It is this lack of humility that keeps us from falling upon our faces so that the grace of God might shine upon us.  If we just understood how much God wants to do for us and through us if we were to just ask, we would spend many hours on our knees.  If we could simply roll back the curtain of heaven and see what the LORD had for us if we would just ask, our prayer life would be revolutionized.  The promise above is a challenge.  It is a challenge to the saints to commit to prayer that their world might be changed.  Prayer is the key to seeing God work as He did in the past.  Prayer is the active role we play in the divine purpose and plan of God.  Prayer must be that which we do not neglect.  To do so is like throwing treasures in the dumpster.  Prayer is necessary!  Prayer is commanded!  Prayer is encouraged!  Prayer is that which changes all.

Fight Fear with Faith

“Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.” (Jer 6:25 AV)

 There are several ways to look at this verse.  Judah was told to stay safe in the city of Jerusalem.  If they tried to leave, then the enemy would kill them.  As long as they were in the center of God’s will, it may have gotten uncomfortable, but it was the safest place to be.  However, something else jumped out at me.  The weapons of our enemies are many.  The wiles of the devil are several.  One of those weapons is listed above.  Fear!  Fear is on every side.  Fear can be debilitating.  Fear can stop us in our tracks.  Fear can cause us to make hasty decisions that only make our situation worse.  Fear is perhaps one of the strongest emotions we possess.  Fear becomes the lens by which we see all that we face as bigger than God.  Fear is a direct criticism of who and what God is.  Fear is a horrible emotion.   We know the Bible says that perfect love casts out fear.  Fear is horrible.  It is captivating.  Fear is a prison that is difficult to escape.  To do so, we need to see that fear is a tool of the enemy.  At least the type of fear mentioned above.

One of my son’s favorite TV shows is Monk.  Adrian Monk is a detective who lost his wife to a violent car bomb.    Monk is a recluse and works as a consultant for the police department.  His detective skills are second to none.  The problem with Monk is he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder.  He is literally terrified of everything.  He is a germaphobe.  He cannot step on cracks.  Etc.  His whole life is controlled by things that scar him.  He sees a psychologist every week to try to overcome some of these fears.  One of the themes of every episode is how a crisis situation forces Monk to face a certain fear for the greater good.  He usually does so without thinking about it and after his fear is faced, he recedes back into his fear.  There is nothing that can help poor Monk live a normal life.  In one episode, Monk was particularly stressed and couldn’t concentrate on the case.  His friend and boss took Monk to a clean room.  It was a white room that we completely disinfected.  Everything was white including the clothes they wore.  The only non-white surface was their faces.  They held a meeting in that room to discuss the case at hand and because Monk felt completely safe and organized in his mind, solved the case sitting there in that room.  I felt sorry for Monk because he could not function in the world around him because fear held him as a prisoner of his own mind.  Fear can do that.  This kind of fear is not of the LORD.

Paul tells us,  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Ti 1:7 AV)  We know that fear is essential to wisdom.  There must be a fear of and for the LORD.  But the fear which we see above is not that fear.  The fear above is a paralyzing fear that believes what one faces is bigger than God.  This type of fear subjects God to our circumstances rather than the other way around.  Fear can be a good thing.  It can motivate us to avoid danger.  Fear can motivate us is stay in line.  But the wrong kind of fear can keep us from living a life in faith and obedience to the LORD.  The fear above stops all growth.  The fear above ceases all life.  This fear is the fear which the adversary desires us to be captivated without any hope of escape.  This kind of fear is not good for a testimony to the world.  This kind of fear will keep the devil as our master and not the LORD.  The best thing we can do is remain in the center of God’s will and trust Him to get us through our circumstances.  This is what Judah was told to do and this is what they failed to do.  They panicked.  In doing so, many were lost to the sword.  Stay in the center of God’s will and presence.  That is the safest place to be.