James 5:11New International Version (NIV)
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Mine today, is a message of hope!
Many of us, if not all have been through trying situations. They may not necessarily be as daunting as that which befell Job in our current study but I’m sure its nothing new to most of us.
We have often heard the axiom that when life serves us lemons we should turn the lemons into lemonade. I don’t know about you, but I find that is not always an easy thing to do. There have been times when I have been confronted by an issue the seemingly overwhelms me. I twist and turn and cannot see my way around the issue or circumstance. It is as if my brain, if not my life, has been put on pause. How can one turn lemons into lemonade if you do not have the water, sugar or a lemon squeezer?
I must confess there have been times when it took me a few moments to remember that prayer will provide the tools to get beyond the problem that perplexes me. I might even be provided with the smile and cheerful outlook to overcome the issue.
Sometimes, all we need to do, is to live our lives bearing the end in mind; the end that the lord wants for us, not our own end but the lords…
A lot of us here, who have gone to school would know what we pass through when preparing for an examination, but we continue to persevere because we have in the end in mind, so we study hard, stay awake sleepless nights and burn the midnight candle because we are hopeful! Hopeful of the reward that awaits our success.
So it is with our Christian race – we need to often bear the end in mind as we pass through life’s travails. It may not always be smooth, the road may be windy, but Joy comes in the morning as we encourage one another with the words from the prophet Isaiah (40:31) but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
HISTORY
Certainly, history is fraught with individuals confronted with a situation and finding unique ways to overcome life’s most difficult problems.
On April 15, 1912 the RMS Titanic, the Unsinkable Ship, did the unthinkable and sank after hitting an iceberg. Unfortunately, there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate all the passengers and crew. Famously, a decision was made to save all the women and children first. Then the men and crew members. Knowing that there was not enough room in the lifeboats for them the Titanic’s band led by Wallace Hartley played music continuously to keep the passengers calm until the ship slipped under the waves.
There are many legends, myths and folklore surrounding the sinking of the Titanic, but the story of the band in the face of certain death playing music to soothe the passengers is an enduring and true story.
To persevere even under the worst of circumstances is truly a daunting and difficult task. Oftentimes we may not succeed in completing the task, yet there is strength and honor in the attempt.
Paul, was often beaten, bruised and lonely at times. Yet, he continued to pursue his task of spreading the Gospel message. He left us these words of encouragement:
Php 3:13 My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul knew that he stood out. That he was different. Others may have looked upon him as a perfect Christian, but he knew better. He also knew that he needed to set an example. Not to rest on what he has already achieved, but to continue forward, always improving, always reaching for the prize that God is holding out to all believers.
A famous theologian from the early 20th century Peter Marshall is quoted to have said this truth, "Never let the past be so dear as to limit the future."
And in Luke 9:62 we find this quote: And Jesus said to him, No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
In 1992 during the Bosnian War the city of Sarajevo came under siege. A siege that lasted four years and resulted in thousands of deaths. Vedran Smailovic and cellist in the Sarajevo String Quartet was haunted by the killing, the hunger of the children and the daily crescendo of bombs falling.
So, every day he brought his cello and a chair and sat in front of a bombed out building in the city square by the Sarajevo River and played his cello. He usually started with Albioni’s Adagio in C Minor.
It should be noted that where he sat every day was in direct sight of a sniper who was in a bell tower overlooking a bridge. A bridge that was necessary for the citizens to cross to the market for their food. On some days the sniper killed as many as 12 men, women and children. Mr. Smailovic was never targeted.
Mr. Smailovic played to give encouragement to the living as well as to honor the dead. He played on that street corner for over a year. A book has been written about him and an opera also. Mr. Smailovic now lives in Ireland.
Even in our deepest grief we can still inspire others to persevere and to hope. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 15 : 58 1 Corinthians 15:58 (Darby)
58 So then, my beloved brethren, be firm, immovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in [the] Lord.
Paul is telling us to not resign ourselves to our fate, but to keep on trying, to keep on moving, to keep on challenging what fate throws our way. We will never fight in vain, as the Lord will be fighting right along beside us!
TESTIMONY FROM CROWD – SOMEONE SHOULD SHARE WITH US
How do you approach the challenges that come your way? For many years I always thought of them as obstacles. Then I sought out the definition of each.
From the Oxford’s English Dictionary (the foremost expert on the English Language)
Obstacle: Noun A thing that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress.
Challenge: Noun A task or situation to tests someone’s abilities. A call to take part in a contest or competition.
Notice the difference? An obstacle prevents or hinders. A challenge tests one’s abilities.
I decided from that point on that I would never encounter an obstacle again. I would always face a challenge. When you change your mindset it does wonders to your outlook on life.
I confess, I have not always won a challenge. But most certainly, it was not because I didn’t put in the effort to succeed!
BACK HOME
Elder Egure
DO WE SOMETIMES FEEL EMPTINESS AND GOD’S ABSENCE IN OUR LIVES?
We are not alone…
MOTHER THERESA
I believe we are all familiar with Mother Teresa; known the world over for her work with the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in the slums of Calcutta, India. By all measures, she was and is an exemplar of the Christian faith. But as we began learning after her death in 1997, Mother Teresa’s faith was not as rock-solid as outward appearances would indicate. Like so many who seek after God, Mother Teresa struggled in the midst of great doubt, wondering about the presence of God. In 1979, three weeks after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for her work, Mother Teresa wrote in a letter to a spiritual confidant, “Jesus has a very special love for you. [But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see,--Listen and do not hear – the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak…I want you to pray for me – that I let Him have [a] free hand.” In personal letters and writings, Mother Teresa spoke of “dryness” and “darkness.” In a lament to Jesus, Mother Teresa wrote, “When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven – there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. – I am told God loves me – and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.” At times, she was even driven to a doubt about the existence of God. This spiritual pain seemed to persist through much of Mother Teresa’s life and ministry.
In the midst of everything, Job never stops talking to God, and neither can we. Job may not understand how God hears him, but it is a statement of faith that Job is able to voice even his pain and confusion to God. We are better off to rail against God as Job does, or cry out to God in pain as Mother Teresa does, than to turn away from God in our time of darkness.
JESUS CHRIST
God has willingly entered into an hour of darkness on our behalf. God in Jesus Christ came to this earth and subjected himself to hatred, brutality, and even death, so that we might have hope. Will we shun that great act? We know God more fully because God incarnate walked on this earth. We know God’s love and grace more fully because Jesus not only taught us about God’s love and grace, he demonstrated it as well. Might we know God more fully even when God seems absent? In some way, we often come to know the meaning of a thing through its absence rather than its presence.
Think of it this way. A carpenter goes into his well-furnished workshop, complete with stacks of wood, containers of nails, and racks and racks of tools. As the carpenter focuses on the work of his project, he thinks very little of the individual items. The wood, the nails, the hammer are simply taken for granted as part of the carpenter’s activity. But then, in the midst of his diligent work, the hammer breaks as the shaft snaps off at the head. Suddenly, the carpenter is acutely aware of the hammer. Once simply taken for granted, the image of the hammer, what it does, how essential it is to his work, are all vividly present to the carpenter precisely because of its absence. So it was for Job, who felt not the justice of God, and so longed for it even more. So it was for Mother Teresa, whose soul was empty, and so she prayed God’s hand at work in her life all the more. And so it shall be for us, if we hold fast to the faith as Job did and as Mother Teresa did. God’s love and passion are no less real to those who hold fast the faith than the hammer is to the carpenter.
The truth is we all have periods of “darkness” in our lives. We all face the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one. Or we agonize in watching a loved one suffer. Some struggle themselves in the face of overwhelming illness or disease. Parents worry about their children; sons and daughters worry about their parents. Families break and marriages dissolve, leaving nothing but stress and depression in their wake. Presently, we are facing the darkness of a financial recession; once soon-to-be retirees have lost a lifetime of savings. Jobs are disappearing left and right. Such darkness in our lives is compounded when we cry out to God for help and for comfort and find no response, no reprieve, no respite from the agony. How can there be hope in the face of such hardships?
All is not lost. There is always hope. But hope is nothing without faith.
Job 42:1-10
Solomon says, "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof,’’ Eccl. 7:8 . It was so here in the story of Job; at the evening-time it was light. Three things we have met with in this book which, I confess , have troubled me very much; but we find all the three grievances redressed, thoroughly redressed, in this chapter, everything set to-rights.
(v. 1-6). II. It has been likewise a great trouble to us to see Job and his friends so much at variance, not only differing in their opinions, but giving one another a great many hard words, and passing severe censures one upon another, though they were all very wise and good men; but here we have this grievance redressed likewise, the differences between them happily adjusted, the quarrel taken up, all the peevish reflections they had cast upon one another forgiven and forgotten, and all joining in sacrifices and prayers, mutually accepted of God (v. 7-9). III. It has troubled us to see a man of such eminent piety and usefulness as Job was so grievously afflicted, so pained, so sick, so poor, so reproached, so slighted, and made the very centre of all the calamities of human life; but here we have this grievance redressed too, Job healed of all his ailments, more honoured and beloved than ever, enriched with an estate double to what he had before, surrounded with all the comforts of life, and as great an instance of prosperity as ever he had been of affliction and patience
Brethren, how do we live our lives today? Do we live with the end in mind? Do we only persevere for a short while after which we give in/ give up?
We often hear that our job is to plant the seed. It is God’s job to water and nourish that seed to make it grow. No seed will be planted if we give up.
If you want to succeed, you have to work for it. Success is never easy. Pollsters have found out the average millionaire has gone bankrupt three times.
How did Paul succeed in his ministry? Through prayer. Do you not think he had moments of doubt and despair? He most certainly did. But, he also knew that his strength came from the Lord and to the Lord he must always go when things looked bleak or cheery.
However, a positive attitude is never amiss. Hebrews 12:1 tells us Hebrews 12:1(Darby)
1 Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us,
Indeed, the moment we step out the door of our house a veritable cloud of witnesses watches are every step. They want to see us fail. They want to see us hang our heads in shame. Personally, I don’t want to give them the pleasure. How about you?
A young boy came home from school with report card in hand. As his father glanced at it he noticed that it was dripping with red ink and poor grades.
“What do you have to say about this?” his father asked.
“Dad,” the boy replied, “you can be proud. You know I haven’t been cheating!”
Sometimes, one does have to look for the silver lining in the clouds, eh! Never look back, but always forward. The prize is always in front of us and never behind.
Lou Holtz, former head coach of U.S.C. had many aphorisms he was proud of. One is very important to our religiousosity:
Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
In other words, “My attitude dictates my performance.” Similar to the concept of whether you face an obstacle or a challenge.
So, we have talked about perseverance, faith and hope. How do we keep hope alive in the face of all the trials and challenges that come our way?
Well, first let us discuss what kills hope or weakens it.
Discouragement
Suffering
Exhaustion whether physical or spiritual
Time
We have to study God’s Word through the Scriptures. We have to abstain from those things which distract our attention from God. We must follow God’s call and seek God’s will. Of course, none of these things are easy, but they are the building blocks of our faith and in turn our hope.
CONCLUSION
Hope is something we have to maintain. It isn’t automatic. We have to have faith. We have to have daily prayer. We have to have daily study of our Bible. Otherwise, our hope will atrophy and die.
One thing to remember, our lives are very short compared to the Heavenly host. A thousand years to them is like a day to us - Psalms 90:4
2 Peter 3:8-9
We have a tendency in our modern world to like things to be nice and clean; neat and easy to understand; joyful and upbeat. Job is really none of those things. We tend to try and make Job manageable by focusing on the “patience of Job,” it is even a modern-day cliché; but Job is far more complex. Job does much more than merely exhibit patience. The book of Job is messy, complicated, and even depressing at times. Yet, this is precisely why Job is so important. We balk at the idea of being angry at God. We look at God as an ever-present, ever-loving being, and when all we feel are emptiness and sadness, we are afraid to talk about it because somehow this seems to be an inappropriate front to God. We have this general idea in our heads that we are being disrespectful if we cry out that God seems totally absent from our lives. And yet, this is precisely what Job does,. Job gives us permission to feel bitterness in the face of injustice. Job allows us be upset and to cry out when God seems absent. But Job also tells a story of faith; a faith which does not falter in the face of the greatest trials. And like Job, we must keep the faith no matter what we face.
Sometimes, We come to points of deep darkness in our lives, but if we can hold fast to faith, we can keep hope. When we are relentless in our faith, we can hold on to hope.
Isaiah 40:27-31New International Version (NIV)
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
