Being real

 Psalm 145:1–21 (ESV):  

1  I will extol you, my God and King, 

and bless your name forever and ever. 

 2  Every day I will bless you 

and praise your name forever and ever. 

 3  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, 

and his greatness is unsearchable. 

 4  One generation shall commend your works to another, 

and shall declare your mighty acts. 

 5  On the glorious splendour of your majesty, 

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 

 6  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, 

and I will declare your greatness. 

 7  They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness 

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 

 8  The Lord is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

 9  The Lord is good to all, 

and his mercy is over all that he has made. 

 10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, 

and all your saints shall bless you! 

 11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom 

and tell of your power, 

 12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, 

and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. 

 13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 

and your dominion endures throughout all generations. 

  [The Lord is faithful in all his words 

and kind in all his works.] 

 14  The Lord upholds all who are falling 

and raises up all who are bowed down. 

 15  The eyes of all look to you, 

and you give them their food in due season. 

 16  You open your hand; 

you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 

 17  The Lord is righteous in all his ways 

and kind in all his works. 

 18  The Lord is near to all who call on him, 

to all who call on him in truth. 

 19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; 

he also hears their cry and saves them. 

 20  The Lord preserves all who love him, 

but all the wicked he will destroy. 

 21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, 

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. 

This psalm tells us that God; is your King, He is great, deserves praise, He is unsearchable, has done great things, He is known from generation to generation for His great deeds. He is glorious and splendid, righteous, gracious and merciful, He is slow to anger and His love is enduring and never-ending. What a Father in Heaven we have! Verse 10 then simply states, ‘All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you’. Everything God has made and done somehow thanks God for His goodness, Jesus declares that 'the very stones would cry out' If his disciples did not rejoice in and praise God (Luke 19:40), isn't that an interesting thought. I wonder what the praise of rocks would be like, or the worship of trees and the songs of the weather. If God's people do not glorify God, then all of God's works will praise Him somehow. So, are you giving thanks to God and blessing Him, or are you leaving it to the stones? 

I know life gets you down at times, and you may struggle to see the positive, but God hasn’t changed. He is still King, He is is still glorious, mighty, merciful, gracious and never-ending in His love for you. You have a duty as His child to show your gratitude, and to, ‘make known to the children of man’ His mighty deeds. Are you? What do others see and hear about God in your life? If you are busy moaning about how tough life is, what are they going to think about God? You can change the way you speak about such times through being grateful that God is sustaining you, and that you have an everlasting hope because of Jesus. Consider what you are sharing with others, it is great to be real about what is going on for you, but what is your overarching story? Is it that God is in control, glorious and powerful, or is it something else? Also, how honest are you with people about your life? Do you really share about what is going on for you, the highs and lows? People need to see that you experience both otherwise they will think a life with God is unreal and unachievable for them. When life is hard, through living your life transparently amongst others you can show that ‘The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down’. If you pretend all is well all of the time, what are they going to think about you and about God? 

You have a duty to demonstrate God's love and power in your life to others - to believers and not-yet-believers. That means being real about the struggles you face and the joys, demonstrating that you have One you are hoping in who is dependable, loving, generous and trustworthy. It is then that others will see the beautiful reality that God is real, relevant and interested in the lives of everyday people. When you lack resources, but are sustained, are you sharing that with others so that they see that God is the one that opens His hands to you and satisfies you? When you get brilliant news, do you share that with others letting them know that God is the source of that blessing? Your life and the way you talk about it should inspire people to believe in Him as you do, to trust Him and make Him their Lord and saviour as you have. So, what do people see of God from the way you live, and the way you talk about your faith in Him? 

'Count it all joy'

 2*Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, *3*for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. *4*And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

James 1:2–4.

I find these verses some of the most challenging in Scripture. Whenever I read v2 I wonder how am I ever meant to achieve that - how do you consider trials a joy? I recall what the early christians went through and how they were praising in prison, flogged, beaten, stoned and crucified and I wonder how did they encounter these things with such calm and joy? 

Even in the days we are living in now christians are horrendously persecuted. Some people are tortured and tormented, yet their trust and understanding of God remains, and even strengthens. They go through the pain and discomfort because they know the truth and they, ‘count it all joy’ to be persecuted for Christ. I have not experienced anything like the terrible and terrifying ordeals that some suffer, yet even in my sufferings and trials I struggle to count it a joy. As I write this, I acknowledge that I am currently experiencing, 'trials of various kinds'. I have felt; heartbroken, confused, defeated, loss and numb. I have not been joyful about these things at all and I do not think that James is saying that we need to be full of joy in the trials, but learn to, ‘count’ them a joy. It would be inhuman really to rejoice when pain and suffering come, but that does not mean that we cannot consider that these hardships are actually doing us good in the long-term. I think that this is what James was getting at. When you encounter trials, it is tough and they stretch and challenge us in ways we never expected or wanted. Yet when you and I endure these things continuing to trust in God, although you know that your faith is being tested and that is difficult, you also can know that this is an opportunity to grow steadfast, perfect and content. Who doesn't want that? - this is good news!

There is bad news however, and that is that trials will involve pain, suffering and waiting! In order to achieve these attributes it means that you will have to endure. You have to persevere and be determined to  keep hold of your faith in God and doing what you know is right even if no-one else is. It is hard, and none of us like it, but growing up to become steadfast and complete is the goal. It takes patience, endurance, mistakes and hardship to get there. I think we struggle with this so much today as it is so easy to see that society has grown away from patience and endurance. These are not attributes that many of us have or seek, i mean, who likes waiting for things? The world promotes instant gratification and quick fixes rather than permanent solutions built over time. We have seen an increase of self-serve checkouts, pre-orders, 24hour delivery, all because we want things done and we want it now! We have become a throw away culture; if it doesn’t work, throw it out, get a new one. If it hurts, get some pain relief, if it’s hard, don’t do it. If you have to wait, order it online. If this is our standard - How are you to grow in patience and understanding? 

Nowhere does the Bible teach that instant gratification or relief is a good thing. We actually see the complete opposite. Scripture, teaches instead that; hardship, endurance, suffering, pain and trials are a good thing! Probably not if you look at the here and now whilst in the midst of a trial, but if you take time to consider what it is doing in you long-term, you can see that these tough times do you good. They cause you to evaluate life and yourself in a new way, they can help you grow in empathy, understanding, appreciation and can bring about faith and steadfastness, completeness and contentment. This is what these verses show us as well as the rest of the Bible. James also writes in verse 12, ‘ Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.’ 

What a great promise! 

Yes, trials are tough and they last. The effects of the trials on our emotions, mental and physical health can take its toll, but what do they do for your spiritual health? Even if you are suffering, are you continuing to learn about God, still talking to Him and depending on Him? If so, then you will grow in faith and steadfastness, but it takes time. Faith is only realised when it’s tested. Steadfastness can only grow if you’ve endured through some trials. So, to achieve these things you have to accept the sufferings. You have to allow yourself to patiently go through it knowing that you can grow in character and faith eventually gaining the crown of life as your reward!

The power of gifts and community

This week, I have been struck by the way Daniel sees himself in the second chapter of Daniel, particularly in just this one verse;

To you, O God of my fathers, 

I give thanks and praise, 

for you have given me wisdom and might, 

and have now made known to me what we asked of you, 

for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” 

Daniel 2:23.

This verse is the end of Daniel’s recorded prayer after Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had been revealed to Daniel and his friends. 

Daniel recognises the gifts God has given him, ‘you have given me wisdom and might’.  Remember, Daniel is still a young man in this part of the book, possibly late teens yet he already knows who he is - a man of understanding and strength. Isn’t that pretty powerful?! 

Daniel is secure and unafraid to admit that his characteristics have been passed down from His God - like we inherit things from biological parents - we also inherit gifts from our Father in heaven. Daniel recognises that and is grateful for it. He admits and accepts that he has been given wisdom and might from God, as, a few verses before, Daniel has mentioned that all wisdom and strength are God’s. So, now he acknowledges that God has imparted some of that wisdom and might to himself. He is not ashamed of it, he accepts that this is how God has gifted him. He doesn’t feel proud of himself for his understanding and strength, as if he acquired them himself through study and hardwork, but he gives all credit to God. Eventhough Daniel, in reality, has been studying for 3 years (as a captive of the Babylonians). Yet he realises this knowledge he has is not from dedicated effort or appropriate learning from books or others, it is an insight, an understanding, a wisdom that only God can provide.

We see here how God has imparted part of His own character - his wisdom and might to Daniel. What part of Himself has God imparted to you? 

Each of us are made in the image of God as it tells us this in Genesis .Therefore we all, like Daniel, have inherited some of God’s character due to being made in His image - isn't that incredible?! What we see here with Daniel as well, is that he doesn't play down the fact that he is gifted in certain areas, but instead he acknowledges and accepts them, then uses them. God gives us gifts not to amuse ourselves or to just lay dormant, but they are an impartation to you to use that you may demonstrate to the world some of God's character! 

Daniel accepts and acknowledges  that he is graced with wisdom and might. He is not embarrassed by it, but he sees how he has something others don’t, and he gives God the credit - this is the right way to appreciate the way God has made you. By using his God-given abilities, Daniel saves lives and reveals who God is to the current king - that’s pretty epic! 

What could you achieve if you start to accept and acknowledge the character that God has imparted to you?

Another thing I notice from this verse is that Daniel takes no credit for the revelation he has received, do you notice that? He says, ‘for you have made known to us the king’s matter.’ Do you notice that little word, ‘us’? Daniel very graciously admits that the revelation is due to his friends as well as himself praying. He recognises the group effort, and that the revelation, the breakthrough belongs to them all, not just to him. 

Daniel has not prayed alone or been in this situation alone, he and his friends are immersed in it together. Therefore the recognition belongs to them all. As they have prayed together, so they share the joy together. Daniel knows his value as part of this faith community, and he honours the fact that this success is theirs too.

When you pray about significant matters, do you pray in community? 

Who are those that you can invite to pray with you? 

When you pray with others, do you also share the victory and celebrate the breakthrough together?

Daniel accepts, values and reaches out to the friends of faith in his life, make sure that you have people in your life that you can do the same with - this is what it is to be the family of God. It is not easy to trust people with the innermost hurts and difficult situations, i know, i am one that finds it hard to share, but we can see time and again throughout the Bible where prayer in community brings change. In Daniel alone, we see how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, the firm faith-filled friends; interpreted dreams, helped rule a nation, escaped death and saved lives! Through walking faithfully with God, acknowledging their opportunities and gifts, and by working together. 

If you want to see things change, if you want to grow in your faith, then spend some time figuring out what your gifts are - ask God, ask others, they will help you. Accept and acknowledge how God has made you, and get others of faith with you through thick and thin and see what God can do. With these four lads - captives, young, vulnerable, faithful and faith-filled, God was able to influence kings, and demonstrate that He is, "God of gods and Lord of lords"! (v17)

I wonder what you and I could do if we gathered together, prayed, celebrated and accepted our God-given gifts... 

Whatever has come to be has already been named

'10Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he.' 
 Ecclesiastes 6:10.

‘Whatever has come to be has already been named,’ - Whatever has happened in your life has already happened to someone else - Did you know that?

You may think your circumstances are unique, difficult, different, yet others have previously experienced the same as you.
Hopefully this gives you comfort, encouragement and relief. Whatever you are going through, there’s someone around who can appreciate your circumstances, or there’s someone that’s been in the same position before. That’s what Solomon is saying here, he has also stated previously that, ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
People in the past, present and future will have the same experiences as you, and they will probably have similar reactions and emotional responses as you.

If this is true though, why do we feel so alone? 

That’s a common response. Any time of trial can cause us to feel like we are; inadequate, weird, different and that no-one can possibly understand or appreciate our unique situation. Yet, the Bible here clearly says that whatever has happened has happened before and will happen again. So why do we feel so closed off and isolated? So different and distraught?

Well, it’s probably because our old enemy, the devil, likes us to think that no-one will understand us. He whispers to us that we are different, alone and odd. We hear these whispered lies in our minds that no-one can relate to us, that there is no point in talking about how we feel or what is going on because there’s something wrong or different with us that no-one will understand or be interested in. We can end up feeling that we are weird, unloved and alone.

I know that you probably feel like that at times because I have too.

I have believed these lies that I am different, weird, unwanted. I have kept my own thoughts and feelings private for many years. I have been convinced that I am weird and that my situation is different to anyone else so no-one could understand me or would want to even try.
Believing these thoughts kept my mouth shut, and kept the pain in. I ended up believing the worst things that rattled around my head, and no-one else knew. I can put on a good act, pretend it’s all ok, even laugh and participate in different things even though my own mind was eating up all my worth, my joy and peace. I am sure you can do this too.
If you don’t tell anyone your thoughts, no-one else knows about the battles in your mind. On the outside you may seem ok, yet there can be battles raging inside of you, wrestling with your worth, joy and peace as well.

I implore you - don’t wrestle alone.
Don’t let the devil win.
He whispers lies into your mind to keep you apart from others. He wants you to feel isolated, depressed and worthless. Today, wake up and realise there is hope. There is no insignificant thought or feeling, if it’s bugging you then it’s important, and you are loved and valued by others who will honour the opportunity to speak into your life.
We all, at some part of our lives encounter what we would consider an awful or embarrassing problem, or maybe its even the way we react to circumstances that even we think is a bit odd - don’t worry, you’re not so unique, its already been experienced by someone else. Other people have been where you are, and can relate to whatever it is you’re struggling with, that’s what this verse tell us, ‘Whatever has come to be has already been named’.

If you don’t know what to do - Pray. Pray about your struggles and about who to talk to. Then, be brave and approach them. You may be surprised by their reaction - they might just be able to relate to your circumstances, or at least empathise with your emotions. I have experienced this when I was really struggling with something. I prayed, and one particular friend came into mind. I had to overcome the fear of speaking out how I was feeling and allow my friend to speak truth and dispel the myth that I was so different and weird! It gave me great relief and comfort to be realise I was not alone in my internal struggles, I had someone I could trust. It immediately dispelled the lies that the enemy was speaking to me - I was not alone or weird, I was not different and I didn't have to fight a lonely fight any longer. The amazing thing was that although my situation didn't change by talking it through, the enemy couldn't continue to whisper these lies to me anymore because I had discovered that I was not alone, I was able to be understood and that released my mind to be able to deal with what was going on.
Do you need that kind of freedom too?
If you need some lies dispelled, are struggling, feel isolated or depressed - be brave and tell somebody. Not just anybody, but ask God for inspiration of who to speak to, then be brave and speak. This could be the start of a new phase of freedom for your life.

The Lord Knows...

'the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials'
2 Peter 2:9

Isn’t that comforting to know. God knows how to rescue you. Even if you are stuck and can see no way out - God can.

Keep your hope in Him and you will, in time, see how God has worked through your trials and even brought greater things out of them. Take comfort that God knows your situation and He sees the result of it.

None of us like suffering, none of us enjoy trials, yet we should get used to it. Trials will come, they’re a part of life, and we will in some way be caused to suffer. But take heart because God knows. He sees every angle of a situation and he sees the long-term plan. So dig in. Pray. Hope.Why? because.; ‘the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials’.

Joy in trials

This reminded me that a wise man, named James once wrote, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

For me, i am struck firstly by the first half of the first sentence! Does anyone have joy in trials? During the testing times every fibre of our being desires to be empathised with, to cry, shout, moan, hide or rage about it when things are not going well. But during those trials, are there also good things happening to? are there things that are wonderful and that can give us joy? 

And why would we want to consider difficult times with joy?

Consider this; what does reacting by; crying, shouting, moaning, hiding or raging do for us?

My experience is that it can build; anger, resentment, worry or distress. These things can lead to strain on relationships and health -mental & physical. So responding like this doesn't do us a whole lot of good. 

Maybe a different response would.

If we have hopes and dreams dashed, go through times of debt, depression or despair what would it be like if we were able to smile? 

How can we look at these times with joy?

I don't know about you, but I have found that I always learn something through the tough times, more than I do through the 'ok' times. Now, I try to concentrate on what it may be that I am learning, rather than feeling sorry for myself. It's by no means easy, I am a work in progress, but I am going to try a different response so hopefully they'll be a different outcome. 

Joy in trials? Let's give it a go! 

Blessings of life

A friend recently commented to me, "I know i could do with some wonderful things this year", a simple statement that got me thinking.

I know that life offers it's challenges, but I wonder, do we sometimes miss some of the wonderful things because we're concentrating on the trials? Can we be too focused on the difficulties and disappointments to see that wonderful things have indeed happened right under our noses?

Life can be challenging, disappointing and despairing at times but i know that i don't wanna miss out on the great, exciting, wonderful things that are going on because I'm distracted.

One spring i remember walking past a wood. I hadn't really looked, but I noticed the big bare trees. They looked quite austere, frightening and strong. This reminded me that life can have some huge boundaries in our lives (like the trees) that we don't know how to tackle or overcome as they are so huge. I didn't really take a close look as the bare trees weren't very pleasant to look at to be honest.
But as I carried on walking, I glanced over at the woods and suddenly noticed these beautiful bright bluebells springing up. This really surprised me. There were hundreds of them.

How had i missed them?

I realised then that we can sometimes be overwhelmed/blinded by the few big obstacles in life, failing to see the hundreds of beautiful, bright blessings.

I was so surprised that I'd missed appreciating those gorgeous little flowers.

I don't want to miss the wonderful blessings in my life.

So, no matter what huge obstacles come my way i will endeavour to search for those beautiful, wonderful things that enrich life,

So, if this year you are hoping for a some wonderful things, try taking a closer look at your life and see what is already there that gives you joy. I challenge you to take a close look, inspect your life and recognise the wonderful things that are already blossoming in it.

"whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."