A Remedy for Rough Times
I hold in my hands a copy of the cover of Time Magazine for October l3th. The heading is “The New Hard Times”. It contains a picture of men lined up at a Soup Kitchen during the days of the depression in the l930’s.
I was a young child during the depression. My most graphic memory of it was when my father came home one day and told my mother that he had been laid off. As a child I understood that my father had lost his job, but the implications of that did not penetrate my childish mind. I did not understand how that would effect my life. Food would be more scarce. There was the danger of loosing out home. How would we get help from welfare? I can remember my father selling shoe strings and other small items on the street corner. Those were rough times.
Today our country is going through hard economic and financial times. People are in danger of loosing their homes. Banks are threatened with closure. 401ks and other retirement and savings funds are taking a tumble. People face loosing jobs as employers cut their costs. Economists say we are heading for a recession. The only questions are how bad will it be and how long will it last. The bailout may help, but Wall Street faces rough going. The prediction is that l00’s of banks may fail. The pain of Wall Street will trickle down to become the plague of Main Street.
The bottom line is that the financial crisis will eventually effect almost everybody and have repercussions around the world. Who can deny that these are rough times? All ages will be effected by the crisis from the youngest to the eldest. The difficulty in getting credit, the loss of jobs, the hardship in sending kids to college, and many other things, will effect everyone in some way. Stores are going to face a rough Christmas season as customers cut down on their buying. Churches like this one face rough times as giving tends to fall because of the economic situation. These are rough times.
Then others face rough times of another kind. Many are growing older and face the loss of energy and strength as aging takes its toll upon the human body. Almost overnight, we discover we cannot do what we used to do. We can’t walk as long or as fast as we used to. We can’t see or hear as well as we used to. Senior moments become more and more frequent. These are rough times for many people.
Some may face a crisis in the family through illness or some problem with the children. Young people are having a rough time adjusting to new school situations or in getting along with peers or family members. They may face rough times in a relationship with a girl friend or a boy friend. Even if we are not going through a rough time now, rough times will surely come. All of us from the youngest to the oldest will experience rough times sooner or later.
We were never promised an easy road on the journey of life. No one is immune from rough times. You can take a flue shot or some other immunization to ward off illness. But there are no shots or immunization to protect us from rough times. No matter how young or how old we are, rough times will come. You may say that you are not going through a rough time now. But just keep on living, and sooner or later you too will come face to face with rough times.
If you are going through a rough time now, no matter what it may be, you are looking for a remedy. A remedy is that which cures or restores or corrects or helps relieve any ailment, disease, or condition you may have. If you are sick or afflicted in any way, spiritually, physically, mentally, or emotionally, you need a remedy, something that will help and assist you and hopefully relieve you or rescue you from the condition you are in. When we are in a rough situation, we are looking for some remedy.
If you have ever had a prescription filled for some medication, you may have noticed there is a symbol on the prescription which says Rx. Rx is a symbol for recipe in a prescription. Rx means you are to take the medication described on the prescription according to the directions for the administration of a remedy for whatever ails you. We need a remedy for rough times.
Maybe someone here is going through a rough time. I want to suggest to you that God has a remedy for your situation. God is always ready and able to write a prescription that will speak to the situation you are in.
In the 31st Chapter of Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking from Jerusalem to the captives who have been led off into Babylon. In 606 B.C. the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem and eventually took the king and many of the outstanding people to captivity in Babylon. Daniel and his 3 friends were among those carried off at that time. But those captives in Babylon were going through some rough times, far away from the familiar surroundings of Jerusalem and caught in the strange environment of Babylon. These were rough times for the captives. No longer could they view the towering pinnacle of the temple or lift their eyes to the hills surrounding Jerusalem. They were forced from their homes and ushered into this new state of being. These were rough times as they had to adjust to their new situation. They felt homesick for the familiar surroundings of their homeland.
If you have ever had to adjust to a new situation, such as going away to college or moving to a new home or maybe in a new city, you can understand how they felt. A move is one of the most stressful situations a person can experience. Even a good move is stressful. I have moved 7 times in the last 20 years. I know how stressful moving can be. But Jeremiah wants to remind the people that God has a remedy for rough times.
Let us see what the prescription looks like. The first ingredient in the remedy is to remember the provisions of God. God through Jeremiah tells the people that their fore parents found grace in the wilderness. When you are going through rough times, remember the provisions and blessings of God. Don’t forget how God has provided for your needs in the past. Don’t get amnesia when it comes to remembering how God has helped you in the past. The people of Israel were in another wilderness experience, but God was still the same. What he did then he would do again.
God is a repeat provider. We hear about repeat offenders, people who keep on doing the wrong things and wind up in jail time and time again. But God is a repeat provider. He keeps on providing for our needs time and time again. God never gets tired of providing for his people. He provided for the people of Israel in the wilderness; sent manna down from heaven; caused water to gush from rocks; preserved their clothes and shoes so they didn’t wear out, and led them as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.
As you face your rough times, no matter what they may be, remember the provisions of God in the past. As he provided in the past, so he will provide in the future. Even now God will provide. He will supply our needs as we struggle through hard times. We have heard over and over again how God will provide for our needs. But we repeat these phrases over and over again because they are true. If they were not true, we would not say them over and over again.
God will make a way out of no way. Has anybody here found that to be true? God will open doors that no one can shut. Has anybody here found that to be true? God is a rock in a weary land. Has anybody here found that to be true? God is a shelter in the time of need. Has anybody here found that to be true.? God is good all the time. Has anybody here found that to be true? Remember the provisions of God.
The second ingredient is to respond to the promises of God. Verse 3 says that the Lord appeared to him (Israel) from far away, as God appeared to us in the past. The sense seems to be that God appeared to his people in the past with his promises, but now it seems as if God has hidden himself. Someone has written that it is hard to take comfort from former smiles under present frowns.
In rough times we have a tendency to believe that God has left us or forsaken us. We feel as if God is absent. We remember what he has done for us in the past. But this is a new situation. We ask God what he has done for us lately. How do we know that God will come to our aid this time?
But God answers his people by saying he loves them with an everlasting love. His promises are forever. There are no expiration dates on God’s promises. When we buy merchandise from stores or even medicine, there frequently will be an expiration date. A notation will say to use before a certain date, or best used before a specific date. But there are no time limitations on God’s promises. They are good forever. God never goes back on his promises. It is impossible for God to lie. If he went back on his promises he would be a liar.
Even though Israel had sinned causing God to punish them, He still loved them. You can’t do anything to make God stop loving you. That’s what unconditional love is all about. Sometimes in anger a spouse may, “I don’t love you anymore.” We should never say that no matter what.
But God will never stop loving you. God may disapprove of something we do, but he will never stop loving us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even our sins. God’s word is his bond. If God has said it, that settles it. His promises never fail. God continues to surprise us with his amazing grace and love. He moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. The Lord has promised good to us.
We respond to God’s promises by putting our trust in them. This is where faith comes into play. His faithfulness never fails. Our faith may grow weak, but his faithfulness never fails. Someone has said that sitting on the premises will not do. We need to stand on the promises. When we stand on the promises of God we cannot fail. Precious promises God has given to the weary passerby. On the way from earth to heaven I will guide thee with my eye.
For almost every rough time you may go through there is a promise in the Bible that fits that situation. Trust in the promises of God with all your heart. Respond to the promises of God.
The 3rd ingredient is to relax in the process. God says in verse 4, “Again I will build you, and you shall be built.” God is talking about the future. God is in charge of the future. We have to wait on his timing. Give God a chance to work thinks out his way. He knows the end from the beginning. Don’t be anxious for anything. Leave things in the hand of God. The people of Israel did not get back to their land overnight. They spent 70 years in captivity. I don’t say we have to wait 70 years. But the idea is that God works on his own time.
We may get impatient with God, but God does everything in His time. We have to wait on him. He does not work by the clock of time, but by the calendar of eternity. A delay by God does not mean a denial. We have to wait for God to do his thing. We may think he is late about seeing about us, but God is never late. He is an on time God.
When God’s time came, he sent Jesus Christ full of grace and mercy. When God’s time came, sin was dealt a mortal blow and the grave was swallowed up in victory. When God’s time came, death lost its sting and eternal life became a reality. When God’s time comes, justice shall roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. I have never seen a night yet that was not followed by a dawn. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Relax in the process, and let God do his thing.
The 4th ingredient is to rejoice over the prognosis. God says in verses 4 to 6, “Again you shall take your tambourines and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountain of Samaria. The planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.
I like the emphasis on the word again. Again says that restoration will come. Again says that things will get better. Again says that the prognosis is good. When you take medication, you want to know will the remedy be successful. We have been diagnosed with some illness or ailment. Now we want to know what is the prognosis? Will I get well?. Will the remedy work?
But God told the people that your prognosis is good. You will recover. You will be renewed You shall once again plant and enjoy the fruit thereof.
You may be going through a rough time now. Maybe you are worried about your finances, your 401k and your savings and retirement funds. Maybe you are fearful about losing a job. Maybe you are having physical problems. Maybe you are having a crisis in the home. Whatever your rough time, God has a remedy, and your prognosis is good.
For every ailment there is some kind of remedy. If you have hay fever, you can take an antihistamine. If you have a headache, you can take an aspirin. If you have diabetes, you can take insulin. If you have kidney stones, you can take a sound wave treatment. If you have high blood pressure, you can take a diuretic. No matter what your ailment there is a remedy. Sometimes the remedy works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But God has a remedy for rough times that works every time.
God wrote the prescription a long time ago. God provided the remedy. It’s left up to us to follow the directions. When you get a prescription, you have to follow the directions. There is a certain way to take the medication. Follow the directions for God’s remedy. Remember his provisions. Respond to his promises. Relax in his process. Rejoice over his prognosis.
Sometimes on the medicine bottle there will be a little sheet describing the side effects of the medicine you are taking. But there are no side effects from taking God’s remedy. The only side effects I know are love, joy, peace, and satisfaction.
But the ultimate remedy for rough times is Jesus. He is the great physician. Many have come to him for healing of mind, body, and spirit. You ought to try him when you are going through hard and rough times. He doesn’t have office hours. You can call on him anytime. He is always ready to hear your call. He’s on call day and night. You may be going through a rough time now. But God can bring you through. The remedy might not meet your expectations. But the remedy is always for our benefit.
Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who are the called according to God’s purpose. We don’t know how the remedy is going to work out. But it will always work out for good in the final analysis. Rejoice ahead of time in the prognosis. Everything will work out for your benefit. Maybe the rough times seem impossible right now. Maybe there seems to be no way we can survive our rough times. Maybe there seems to be no way you can climb up that rough mountain of trials and tribulations.
But for those financial difficulties, God will provide for all your needs. For that family crisis, God will make a way somehow. For those physical problems, God will provide a spiritual or emotional healing. For those facing the twilight years of life, God has promised that in his presence there are fullness of joy. Rejoice in the prognosis. God will work things out eventually for our benefit. After awhile, everything will be alright. Hold on a little while longer!
I have been going through a rough time ever since my 3rd wife died back in February. I have been buffeted by the storms of loneliness and boredom. But I have the confidence that God will work things out for my good. I don’t know how he is going to do it or when he will do it. But I can rejoice in his prognosis ahead of time.
Already there are harbingers of better days to come. Already he is my comfort by day and my song in the night. Already he is my very present help in time of need and my only hope for years to come. Already I see signs of a new day dawning, because even now he is my comfort by day and my song in the night. I have confidence in God’s remedy for rough times.
Maybe the bailout is not the proper remedy for financial rough times. But I know that God’s remedy will work for us no matter what. The bailout may not fix the financial crisis. But there is a song which says Jesus will fix it for you. In your rough times, let Jesus fix it for you. Let Jesus own and rule your heart, and he will fix it for you. He knows just what to do. Whenever you pray, let him have his way and he will fix it for you. God has a remedy for rough times.
