April 2022

Life gets rough. How people respond is well known. “Why did God do this to me?” “How can God be good if he allows this to continue?” Adversity can foster many temptations. What role doesGod play in all of this?

James’ letter takes us straight to our questions about God. He does not answer every question we might pose. Rather he counsels us how to think about God when we are in the thick of it.

To set the stage, consider how James leads us toward reflecting upon our thoughts about God. His letter opens with a counterintuitive command to the harried life, “Consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials” (James 1:2). The first thing James wanted to impress upon our minds is the attitude we should adopt when adversity tests our faith.

Without pausing, he quickly leads us into considering how we might perceive ourselves in view of our economic status. Everyone faces temptations! The Christian in humble circumstances should not succumb to poverty’s temptations like jealousy, bitterness or covetousness. Rather, if we struggle financially we should focus upon our “high position” (James 1:9), likely a reference to having developed a rich faith (James 2:5).

Economics, however, do not just test the poor, they also assay the comfortable. If we are comfortable, we are tempted to view ourselves in light of all we possess. James commands us to deflate our inflated thinking by focusing not upon what we have, but rather upon our human frailty (James 1:10-11). Being mortal we are dependent upon God.

If we have been reading James not with an academic distance but rather empathizing with its content, he has us right where he wants. Does God tempt the rich with pride or the poor to be jealous? Is God causing our hearts to brim with those temptations we encounter in crises?

James knows us. When adversity with its accompanying temptations loom large, our minds gravitate toward asking: What role does God play in all of this?  James trains us to focus upon several truths (James 1:13,16,17,18):

1. God does not tempt us, nor can God be tempted.

2. Every good and perfect gift has come from our Creator.

3. The Creator does not change. We can rely upon who God will be tomorrow.

4. The Creator’s work in our lives gave us birth into becoming a kind of firstfruit of his creation.

Did you notice a common theme in this list? Every item exalts God and God’s work! In duress remember truth.

When we are tempted to doubt, disparage, demean or dismiss God because life is rough and the temptations are thick, James guides us toward esteeming God!  Remember who the Creator is and how he rescued us. In our prayers, praise should precede petition.

When we approach God praising him for who he is, what he has done as well as what he has promised, it sets us upon a spiritually healthy path. At first it may not always be easy. It is, however, transformative and spiritually centering.

Excerpt from the article:

[Considering Psalm 22 and referring to David] Hunted by Saul; branded a usurper and rebel; living in the wilderness; at times surrounded by Saul’s men; at other times betrayed by the people he would eventually rule; hungry; perplexed; angry; despondent; fearful. He must have felt forsaken at times, and the fact that he had been anointed by Samuel must have made the confusion more poignant. He cries out to God, looking for answers, hoping for consolation, feeling rejected. His emotion is expressed in hyperbole – “You delivered others, but not me. Everyone ridicules me. I’m surrounded by wild animals. I’m starving to death. They’ve taken everything I own. They’re ripping me in pieces. I’m empty inside.” Franz Delitzsch in his commentary brilliantly observes that such “hyperbole becomes prophecy.” David is expressing the anguish of a man experiencing life. God used his words to point us to the Son as He did the same. And that’s important because we all feel the anguish of men experiencing life.

Psalm 22, like all of the psalms, reminds us that emotions are a part of our being and that, as people of God, it’s OK to express them, even if what we feel is frustration and fear and confusion and desertion. When life is hard, it is natural to cry out to God – “Where are You? Why aren’t You helping me? Don’t You see what’s happening to me?” Suffering raises questions in our mind about God – His love, His justice, His activity. Such drives the entire book of Job. And we often exaggerate our circumstances in our cry – “I’m cut to the quick.” “I’m all alone.” “No one understands/cares.” “I can’t take it anymore.” “The sky is falling.” It’s not unusual for David to so express himself. Anguish is real. Faithful men have felt such. Our Lord felt such. Our emotional reactions to life do not mean that we have lost our faith. It’s OK to have them and to express them.

The challenge, amid such angst, is to keep God on His throne. Jesus cries to God. David cries to God. “But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Ps.22.3). This fundamental conviction is not defeated by the power of their emotions. Godly men may feel forsaken, but they continue to look to God in faith. True trust is not rooted in feeling, nor is it to be uprooted by feeling. This psalm reminds us of how powerful our feelings can be, and the thoughts to which they may drive us. “You listened and helped others…why not me?” (v.4-5). “There is no help for me.”(v.11) “I’m at the point of death” (v.15). Yet the psalm also reminds us that we are to turn to God in the midst of such despair. “Do not be far…hurry to help…deliver…save me” (v.19-21). Why? “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when he cried to Him, He heard” (v.24). The circumstances of my life do not determine the character of God.

This psalm never describes the deliverance David sought. But it does describe the reminder that David needed (v.22-31). God is still on His throne. He cares about His people. He provides for His people. His kingdom will prevail. Generation after generation will seek him and praise Him. And that is the reminder we all need in the midst of our anguish. “Where is God?” He is right where He has been since the day Jesus quoted this psalm – saving us.

In John 6, Jesus fed thousands of people on the one side of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples entered a boat and went to the other side of the sea. Jesus did not go with them. But when the disciples started to look for Him, they found Him and wanted to know how He got there.

 Jesus made a statement in John 6:26 – “You seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for food that endures to everlasting life.” The people were not interested in the things which showed them His deity and His power to save. They were just interested in the food that benefited their physical hunger.

We see the lesson for us is not to make the primary focus in life on the material but the spiritual. Too often we get busy with the material have no time for spiritual matters. If we put the spiritual first, the material will come (Matthew 6:33). Food for the soul gives lasting strength and that is what is primary.

Excerpt from the article:

All plants depend on sunlight and water to grow. But during the winter months the shortened day provides less sunlight and freezing temperatures means water is frozen and inaccessible. Freezing temperatures also rupture plant cells. So what’s a plant to do?

First, as the days shorten and the cold sets in, many plants become “hardened”. Water is pumped out of plant cells into the roots and any remaining sap, which is a sugary solution, often acts as antifreeze. Broadleaf trees, like maples and oaks, shed their thin, flat leaves each fall to reduce water loss. Evergreen trees and shrubs have waxy, needle-like leaves (pine, spruce, fir) or tough, broad waxy leaves (holly, magnolia) that are more resistant to the cold and moisture loss. Plants can also modify their life cycles to deal with the changing seasons and lack of moisture.

Some types of plants only survive for one growing season, dying back at the end of the summer or early fall. But they make lots of seeds that will sprout the next year. These plants are called annuals. If you purchased pansies or marigolds for your garden last summer they are examples of annuals. The whole plant, roots, stems, and leaves die but the seeds endure. In order to germinate next spring, many seeds require a period of cold weather which our area certainly supplies.

My Thoughts:

I feel there's a metaphor here for us when we go through difficult times. 

Our heavenly father has created us, and just like plants, we go through periods of our lives where we must be hardened to survive. If our strength is rooted in faith, we can resist afflictions and adapt to our situations just like Paul did (Philippians 4:12-13). Remember that our God has said that everyone will face both good and difficult times in our lives, and that certainly includes His people - "...He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). We may be tempted to question his motives by asking ourselves why during the most trying times. But we must remember that you can't tell a person's spiritual condition by the climate he is currently living in. It's only after we persevere under pressure that our genuine faith is demonstrated and we learn to accept that his grace is sufficient for us. Our time on earth may be short, but if we live righteously we can set an example for all those we leave behind to follow.