What a Trumpet, a Clay Pot, and a Light Taught Me about Fighting Pain and Problems

“Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he (Gideon) placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside”
(Judges 7:16).

When I think of Biblical warfare strategies, I usually think of the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6, but this passage gave me some more insights.

Gideon and his men were outnumbered by their enemies, but they followed God’s directions.  They blew their trumpets and shouted.  Their clay jars broke and their torches shone as they fought their way to a triumphant victory.

I see some great lessons for me here as I battle with pain and problems.  My trumpet is my voice of praise.  We are called to praise God regardless of our circumstances.  When we do, our spirits are encouraged and we are able to view things differently.  And for those times when nothing changes, we have the assurance of knowing we are being obedient to God and will be rewarded in eternity – which will be well worth the wait.

Scripture compares our physical bodies to jars of clay.  We are molded and made by God, but this earthly body is temporary.  Gideon’s jars were shattered in battle.  Each battle we fight with pain or problems causes another crack in our jars until we feel we can no longer hold together.  But what happened when Gideon’s jars were shattered?  The light was revealed.

When we allow God to break us through the pain and trials of life, then the light of His Spirit and Presence is able to shine through.  As we die to self and hopefully glorify Him in the process, His light guides us through our battles and on to victory.

Our pain and problems may seem overwhelming.  We may feel more outnumbered than Gideon and his men did.  But God’s battle strategies are better than ours.  So let’s praise Him while walking in faith and allow ourselves to be broken so that His power and light may be revealed in us. With God, we have the victory.

Prayer:  Lord God, so many times I feel outnumbered by my pain and problems.  May I not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not ours but Yours (II Chronicles 20:15).  Amen.

Moving Forward with God

“He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live”
(Acts17:26).

Perhaps you have heard the expression “moving forward” in reference to letting go of something difficult and moving on to a healthier state emotionally or relationally.  Right now I am dealing with moving forward in a literal sense – to another state.

My husband is planning to retire next year and we want to move closer to our children.  We have lived in this area for 32 years so this will be a major adjustment.  We will soon be visiting various locations hoping to finalize where to move. 

Although I am more than ready to downsize, I am already becoming anxious about how I will survive this move.  I am concerned about finding the right grocery stores, doctors, and church. I am wondering how I can pack and unpack with my back and fibro issues.  So many anxious thoughts, and I don’t even know when or where we are going yet!

This verse in Acts is a great comfort to me.  Although we may not know where we are to go, God does.  He will guide and direct us.  It may be very challenging and require much patience and faith on my part, but God will bring me through it.

Even if we are not facing the difficulties of moving, chronic health problems bring other struggles.  The above verse says much more to me than the fact that God has chosen where and when I am to live.  It reminds me that there is no aspect of my life that is not under His divine control, including my pain and problems.  He has a plan and will direct me through it all.  I need to trust Him and move forward through whatever I am facing.

Life is not stagnant.  Some things improve and others become more difficult, but we are all walking out what God planned for us.  Each step is bringing us closer to the best location ever – our eternal home – so let’s keep moving forward.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, what a comfort it is to know that You have a perfect pre-ordained plan for my life.  As I give You all my fears and uncertainties, give me the faith to trust Your plan and move forward in my walk with You.

Colliding with God

“All your waves and breakers have swept over me”

(Psalm 42:7).

Our family spent many vacations at the beach.  I enjoyed the ocean, but I never liked being caught by a wave.  I still remember having huge ones crash down on me, sucking me under and dragging me along the ocean floor.

One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is “The Hurt and the Healer” by Mercy Me.  It reminds me of my wave experiences and the words are very appropriate to my life of pain.  The song acknowledges that even though part of us seems to die as we collide with God in the midst of our pain, He restores us, and one day all will be made plain.

Through my years of pain, I have had many “collisions” with God over His plan for my life.  At times I have felt that the waves of physical and emotional struggles were so overpowering that I would be drowned by them.  They have dragged me along the ocean floor leaving me bruised and exhausted, but God has breathed life back in to me time and time again and He has been glorified.

There is one lesson I learned from my beach experiences - the best thing to do when facing a wave is to dive in to it rather than run from it.  When I try and outrun a wave, I get caught and pulled under.  However, if I dive in to it, I am lifted up with it and brought safely down again.

I want to have the faith to face and dive in to the waves God brings into my life rather than running from them, trusting that He will lift me up and carry me on them.  I may still be dragged around, but I don’t need to fear.  He will bring me back to life.  And one day I will ride one of those waves out – all the way to the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel that my collisions with You are too much for me to withstand, but I know in faith that is not true.  As I face my waves of challenges, give me the courage to dive in to them, knowing You love me and will carry me through each one.  Amen.

 

 

 

Hope – the Anchor of Our Souls

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”
(Hebrews 6:19).

One of our favorite vacations spots is the beach, and I always enjoy watching the boats out in the water or in the harbor when we’re there.  My nautical knowledge is limited, but I do know the purpose of an anchor – to keep the boat in a certain location so that it doesn’t drift where it should not or does not want to go.

In order for an anchor to hold a boat fast it must be heavy and secure enough to hold the weight of the boat.  Many anchors actually have hooks which dig in to the ocean floor to keep the boat secure.  The anchor is attached to the boat by chains, ropes, or cables.

This verse gives a wonderful description of our hope as an anchor for our souls.  In the verses preceding and following this verse, we learn what this hope is.  It is the certainty of God’s promise that we are his heirs and that He is our great High priest, who even now is interceding for us before the Father.  We are also urged not to fall away from the truths of Scripture and to continue growing in maturity.

As we sail through our days – particularly those of pain and suffering - we need an anchor to keep us from drifting into wrong ideas and beliefs.  Our lives get quite choppy at times and it is easy to slip away and lose hope.  Our faith is the chain which secures us to the anchor of hope in Jesus.  And that anchor of hope in Christ will not fail us.  His promises are hooked deep into God’s eternal plan.

Many of our days may be overcast or stormy.  It can be tempting to pull up anchor and allow ourselves to drift away.  But placing our hope in who we are and what we have in Christ will keep us anchored securely until we reach the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus, for the hope I have in You. Keep my faith firmly anchored in all You give me both now and eternally, despite whatever storms I must go through.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

“In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and confidence is your strength”
(Isaiah 30:15).

May is Military Appreciation month, and in David Jeremiah’s May devotional booklet, he relates the story of a signboard that was used in Great Britain during World War II to boost morale.  “Keep Calm and Carry On” was rediscovered a few years ago and is impacting people again.

We may not be in a physical war, but all believers are in a war against sin and evil.  Those of us with health issues also “battle” with our pain and its repercussions on a regular basis.  This signboard is appropriate for us as we relate it to our faith.

In my battles with pain, panic easily come upon me, and this verse in Isaiah is one I have repeated to myself many times.  When I become fearful, anxious, worried, or negative, I need to repent of that sin.  I am not trusting that God is in control of my life and will bring me through whatever I am facing.  I then need to rest in that truth.  The Lord has not only saved me eternally, but He also saves me continually from my lack of faith and trust in Him and the problems those weaknesses bring.

When I am losing my battle with pain due to stress and fear, I become an easy target for Satan and his lies.  But if I remain quietly confident in God’s love and power, I am filled with the same power that raised Christ from the dead.  When I keep calm in the Lord and His Word, I truly can carry on.   

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I praise You that I can keep calm and carry on because:  “There is nothing – no circumstance, no trouble, no testing – that can ever touch me until first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me.  If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment.  But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift my eyes to him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret.” (taken from Victorious Christian Living by Alan Redpath).

 

Don’t Waste Your Exile

“How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?”
(Psalm 137:4).

Many of us are familiar with the book Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper.  Our pastor recently began a sermon series related to this concept, and not wasting our “exiles” was one of them.

This verse in Psalms was written when the Israelites were captives in Babylon.  Their captors taunted them to sing, and they felt they could not do it.  Their joys, hopes, and dreams were left behind in their homeland.

Chronic pain and illness can feel like being exiled in a foreign land.  Our hopes and dreams have been crushed.  We may have been in this land of pain for so long that we don’t feel capable of singing.  The outlook for returning to our “promised land” of health may be bleak if not impossible.  This exile of pain may be our home for the rest of this earthly life – definitely not something to sing about.

In Jeremiah 29:4-7, the Lord told the Israelites to build homes, raise families, and even seek good for others living in that foreign land.  We can do the same.

Living in a land flowing with milk and honey is enjoyable, but it may not cause us to look to God for fulfillment.  Exile does.  Exile teaches us to adapt to change, to be thankful for even the smallest blessings, and to learn contentment in want rather than plenty.  Daily we see signs of God’s mercy and grace.  Exile also provides opportunities to help others in adjusting to this foreign land as we share lessons we have learned.

Our exile will end at some point.  When it does, will we be able to stand before the Lord and say we made the most of it for Him?  Even if we can’t literally sing, we can find other ways to bring praise and glory to God in this land of pain if we look for them.  And when our exile is over, our homecoming will be that much sweeter for the waiting.

Prayer:  O Lord, although I am in this seemingly exiled place of pain and suffering, You are still with me.  May I not let my exile defeat me or define who I am, but may I be refined by it and make the most of its lessons and opportunities.  Amen.

 

Running the Race of Pain

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever”
(I Corinthians 9:24).

Lately I have been reminded of the fact that I can’t run – or even walk well.  I have seen countless cars with stickers for running half or full marathons.  Two of my daughters ran in a mud run.  And our area is again hosting the Marine Corps Half Marathon race.

Years ago I exercised faithfully and enjoyed staying in shape.  Giving that up due to back pain was very difficult, and at times like these I still struggle with that loss.

As I noticed yet another marathon sticker, I realized that those of us with health problems run a race with pain every day.  Serious runners are in continual training mode and so are we.  This may involve our diets (because we can’t eat certain foods), our sleep (or lack of it), and our activities.  We are continually adjusting and reworking our lives to accommodate our limitations.  We live and breathe our training.

All of this is quite exhausting.  Yet at the end of each day, God enables us to win our race.  On less painful days the race may seem like a stroll through the park.  Other days it may be a marathon.  We may run this race on foot, with a cane, in a wheelchair, or in bed.  But whether we end the day standing up straight in victory or unable to stand at all, we have won.

I don’t need to envy any runners.  I am one.  One day I will be able to run a literal marathon and perhaps I will.  But somehow I don’t think that satisfaction will compare to the knowledge that right now I am persevering with God through my race of pain.  I want to keep running, regardless of how exhausted I am, until I run right up to God’s finish line and get that crown of life.  And because of His mercy and strength, I will.

Prayer:  Lord, you have chosen me to run in this race of pain.  Continue to give me the endurance and perseverance I need to run this race to the end, and to do it for Your glory.  Amen.