hope

Dec

2019

Facing the future with hope

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 20, 2014.

Emily Shank wrote the following message as a devotion project for a theology class with me. She offers worthy reminders for all people of faith in Christ.

Trusting in God

by Emily Shank

We all have times when we wish we had a crystal ball, something which will show us what our future holds, what the outcomes of certain decisions would be. There are times in our life when we face changes which seem quiet scary, when we are worried about things going wrong. There are also many things in life which are out of our control and make us feel anxious. Yet, the Bible promises us that we can find rest in trusting God. How can that become a reality though? It’s all very easy to say, but how do we manage to make it something we experience as an integral part of our Christian journey?

Uncertainty about our futures can be unsettling. I struggle when there seems to be a lot of uncertainty in my life. When my future holds a lot of unknowns. There are many things to be concerned and worried about. When I was younger I think I enjoyed new things and embraced the adventure of change. I wonder what has made me want more consistency in my life? I think it also has something to do with experiencing too much change over the last few years. Being in college you meet new people and possibly change how you present yourself and also change certain ideas about your future.

Trusting God is a fundamental aspect of our faith; we trust God to strengthen us during times of change. Trusting God brings comfort when we are facing situations out of our control which make us feel under pressure or anxious. Trusting God can bring us security, safety and rest.

God gives us his wonderful promise. “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Isaiah 30:15).

Look at the words “in quietness and trust is your strength.” There have been times when panic and stress have been more the emotions that I have felt. So, how do we know rest from trusting God no matter what life may throw at us?

Trusting God comes from knowing him and spending time with him.

Moses said to the Lord: “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. Consider too, that this nation is your people.” And the Lord said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:13-14).

Knowing God and knowing his presence with us through everything we face helps us in trusting him. We cannot know our future; we do not know what the outcome of the decisions we make in life will be; we will face change, trials and uncertainty. Through it all, one thing remains constant – God’s presence going with us. As we take time to know God and spend time drawing near to his presence, we find it easier to trust him and find rest.

Trusting God comes from understanding our future and hope in him.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We will face hard times in life. There will be pain and difficulty, suffering and trial. However, God has a plan for us. A plan which gives us a future and a hope. We have an amazing promise of knowing our loving, wonderful Father God and above all things we can take joy, comfort and peace from this amazing, blessed relationship. No matter what we face in life we can be assured that we will spend eternity with him and that through the cross and resurrection of Jesus nothing can defeat us.

Trusting God comes from seeking God in His Word, through the counsel of others, and prayer.

God’s Word can provide us with so much comfort, strength and peace. The more we read it the more we understand who God is, his almighty sovereignty and his amazing power. He is faithful, full of love and completely just – our trust in him grows the more we read and understand the wonderful truths contained in His Word.

The support of other Christians also serves to strengthen us when we are struggling with the weight of worry and anxiety. We can grow in strength from their prayers, comfort and words. God’s presence is available to us through the Christians we have to lean on.

Trusting God, we go to him in prayer. Whatever is worrying us, whatever uncertainty there is in our life, whatever causes us fear can be given to God in prayer. We won’t necessarily know answers but we will know peace and rest, having the knowledge that we can trust in his presence.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help to come to you with our daily struggles and to put our doubts and uncertainties to rest. Please help us trust in you completely by staying close to your Word, coming to you in prayer, and going to other Christians for guidance. In your name we pray. Amen.

Dec

2019

Lifted up

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on August 22, 2014.

This week’s message, from Naomi Unnasch, looks at how God’s promises speak to us even in our darkest moments — especially in our darkest moments. The LORD lifts us out of the mud and mire and sets our feet on a rock (cf. Psalm 40:2). We have a “firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:3) when we stand on “the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1), Jesus Christ.

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Out of the Pit

by Naomi Unnasch

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:1-5).

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A year ago, the life of someone I loved was hanging in the balance. A deadly cycle of untreated depression, addiction, and self-injury was drowning him in the bottomless loneliness of self. After having unexpectedly discovered his cutting habit, I spent night after night tossing and turning, barely sleeping through harrowing nightmares. I awoke every morning wondering if I’d get a phone call that day telling me he was gone.

I happened across Psalm 103 one of those days. I’d read it before, of course. Praise the LORD, O my soul, praise the Lord, praise, praise… how often had I sung those words or mindlessly recited them? How mundane they’d seemed.

Now those words came to life, juxtaposed absurdly against the ugly picture of a rotting disease and a black, miry pit. Praise the LORD… but how could I, drowning as I was in fear and doubt? Praise the LORD… but how could my friend do that from the darkness of his depression?

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We don’t know exactly when David was moved to write this psalm, but we do know this: David understood what it was to inhabit the bottom of a pit. His life was riddled with troubles–troubles even of his own making. If anyone was qualified to write about sin, suffering, and regret, it was David.

What’s at the bottom of your pit? Empty bottles? A failed marriage? Crippling loneliness? Shame over a past sin? Forget about it. Leave it at the bottom. Your Father is calling, and he’s not leaving.

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A year ago, my days and nights were endless variations on the same prayer. Gone were the wordsmithing and formality I’d foolishly felt a prayer required. Instead, my relationship with God had become a wrestling match. I poured myself into his promises, and I thrust those promises into the very face of God, reminding him to be faithful.

As if he needed reminding.

God heard and delivered. Though it was by no means an easy recovery nor a short one, my friend now thrives in joy and vitality. He’s committed himself to hard work and a healthy lifestyle, and he praises his deliverer by reaching out to individuals from all walks of life. While he bears scars–both physical and emotional–he understands grace better than most. His Savior pulled him from the pit.

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No matter the depth of your pit or the ugliness of your disease, your Father calls. Despite the length of the list of your sins, he calls. And even if you close your ears to him, he will still be calling, relentlessly, lovingly pursuing you.

Your Father is a God of grace–of lavish, undeserved, faithful love. He will deliver you. Count on it and praise him.

Naomi’s friend also offered her this note when giving approval to publishing this message on The Electric Gospel. He offers these thoughts to us:

“God is not only calling us, but is reaching out for us, and never gives up on us. For people such as this, I think that it’s extremely important to know that there is still someone who hasn’t given up on them.

“There is a common myth that cutting is a strong sign of suicide or attempting suicide. This is not (usually) the case. Cutting is an addiction, much like alcohol, to endorphins in your body. When someone cuts, and cuts a lot, it releases a lot of endorphins and gives a sense of relief. It is similar to alcohol because it is not something you can be completely cured from. It is always an option and an easy route.

“If you ever come across something like this (and I pray you don’t), the last thing to do is to take it to someone else. Cutters do not [cut] for attention, and that attention puts more pressure on them and can overall make things worse. I would advise [you] to talk to that person first in order to understand better why [they are cutting]….

“This is an important thing to me that I want other people to know about, so I have no problems answering questions or sharing my story with others. If it will benefit someone else, I’m all for it.”

Dec

2019

Not dead, but sleeping

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on May 27, 2019.

On this Memorial Day, I think back to the funeral of a military officer a number of years ago. I’ve adapted words that I shared on that day for the benefit of other families who have lost a loved one in military service.

This is for God’s glory

by David Sellnow

Jesus had a very dear friend named Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, also were very dear to Jesus. They lived in Bethany, a short distance outside Jerusalem. Jesus had been a guest in their home. They were followers of his. They believed his teachings and knew of his miracles. They relied on him as their Savior. So it was natural for them, when they had a problem, to turn to Jesus for help.

Lazarus had become ill. His sisters immediately sent word to Jesus. “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick” (John 11:3). They assumed Jesus would come quickly; they knew Jesus could heal their brother.

However, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, “he stayed two days in the place where he was” (John 11:6). In the meantime, Lazarus died. By the time Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave already for a couple of days. Martha went out to meet him and said, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died” (John 11:21).

Think of the pain and bewilderment that Lazarus’ sisters felt: “Jesus, you knew and loved this man; he knew and loved you. We told you he was sick. We called for you to come because we were in trouble. Yet you let him die. You dawdled for two days while he was breathing his last. Why, Lord, why? How could you do this? Why didn’t you help? You had the power to stop this, and instead you let our brother die! Why? Why?”

Dear families of those who have given their lives in the service of our country: You’ve ve likely asked yourselves similar questions concerning the loss of a loved one. “Why, Lord, why?” Such questions are never easily answered. But when we face a tragic and untimely death, the loss of someone who is beloved of Christ, the words and actions of Christ when Lazarus died give us some insight. There are three key things Jesus said and did at that time. When he first heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus had said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it” (John 11:4). Then, speaking to his disciples about Lazarus’ death, Jesus said, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). To Martha, Jesus also gave an absolute promise: “Your brother will rise again. … I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies” (John 11:23,25). Finally, to prove his words, Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb, had the stone rolled away, and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43) – and the dead man came out of his grave, once again alive.

What Jesus did for Lazarus is not fiction. It is not fairy tale. It is fact. What Jesus did for Lazarus he will do for each of his people who fall asleep in him. Yes, he calls it “falling asleep.” Several times Jesus used that expression to refer to people who died. Sometimes he was laughed at for speaking that way. Once, at a wake where mourners were wailing over the death of a young girl, Jesus said, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep” (Mark 5:39). The mourners laughed and ridiculed him. But for Jesus, waking someone from death is no more difficult than waking someone from sleep. Death is not the end. It is a temporary state from which God, by his mighty power, will raise us up again. He will reconstruct each person, whether buried in the ground or scattered on the seas or blown apart in battle. The limits of our human mind may object to such a thought, but it us God’s truth. He guarantees it. And he has the authority and ability to do it. He did it for Lazarus, whom he dearly loved. He will do so for your loved ones too. He will raise each of us from our graves. We wait for the coming of the Last Day, when God’s promise to resurrect every one of us in Christ will be fulfilled.

The part of any death that’s hardest for us to understand is how such a thing could be for God’s glory. In Lazarus’ case, God’s purpose was seen rather quickly, within a few days. Jesus had said that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, and that God would be glorified. And so it was. The sickness brought about death, but the story didn’t end there. Death was reversed. The miracle was witnessed by many. The Son of God, Jesus, revealed his grace and power. The reputation of Jesus’ name grew, and people put their faith in him more and more.

Where is the glory of God for those whose lives are cut short prematurely today? God’s glory is there, but it is painfully hard for us to see. Those loved by the Lord live on in the eternal light of the Savior. But at present, all we see is the emptiness that is left behind. We grieve. We feel their absence. And that hurts. For the families of lost service members, when they died, you died too. You died on the inside. And you didn’t get to wake up looking into the loving eyes of your Lord in heaven, as your departed loved one did. God has asked you to stay behind in this world, now especially bleak for you without your beloved in it. But the glory of God still will be revealed in this. God, who has crushed your spirit, will strengthen and support you and revive you again. He will uplift your soul. You will never be the same; your lives will be changed. But God will give you reasons to hope and will work to draw you closer to him than you’ve been before. His purpose in life, in death, in all things, is to bring each of us nearer to him in faith. He has a plan, even when horrible tragedy strikes, to bring about blessing for each of his children. Bu remember–he counts blessings in spiritual, not material terms. What matters most to God is increasing and deepening your reliance on him, so that your hearts will be ready on the day he chooses to call you home to himself, to go and be with him, where your loved one now has gone.

You dear family members who are remembering lost loved ones, I know you know these things. I know that your faith in your Savior is still alive and breathing. Nevertheless, even as you hang onto hope in Jesus, you still will mourn. And no one can fully know how you feel. Friends and acquaintances will have a sense of your loss, but few can relate to the depth of loss you’ve experienced. And you yourselves have never felt heartache as severe as this. But keep the faith and take courage in this: There is someone who has experienced the loss of his One and Only Son. The Father in heaven watched his own Son, Jesus, die a bloody, heart-wrenching, horrible death, nailed to a cross in agony. It was a death so devastating that the sun stopped shining when it happened. But it was not a death without purpose. Jesus’ death was for our ultimate and eternal good. By his death, Christ became our Redeemer from death. He has taken our lost loved ones on angels’ wings to be with him. And God will fully, miraculously restore the bodies of all his people in glory. We have hope in a Savior who will do these things for us and a Father who understands the pain we feel. We believe that God is glorious and great and good, and that the only reason he allows death to occur to us is as a way to usher us into the glory and greatness and goodness of heaven. That is where those who have died in the Lord have gone. By faith, that is where we will follow also.

Dear God, make it so.

Dec

2019

Living in hope, not fear

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 9, 2017.

In the season of Advent, we are reminded of the hope we have in our God. For centuries God’s people waited on the promise of the Messiah’s coming. In lean times and dark hours, such promises from God seemed far away and uncertain; God himself seemed distant. But God’s commitment to us never wavered, and the coming of Christ was always a certainty. We live in hope, in confidence, in the certainty of faith, setting aside fear — because we know that God holds our safety in his hands. He keeps all his promises.

This week’s Electric Gospel message is one filled with hope in God, who is eternally reliable. As a child of God sings in a favorite song, “Jesus loves me, this I know. … Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.”

Living in hope, not fear

by Laurel Hirschmann

“Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10)

I am scared of losing my faith. I put off going to sleep, knowing that as soon as I go to bed, as soon as my brain shuts down for the day, I will tempted more than I ever have been. I am plagued with thoughts that have never challenged me more in my life. I try to reassure myself. I know God forgives me. I know God sent his Son to die in my place. I know Jesus rose from the dead and will come to take me to heaven someday. I know this is the truth. I know God is real. I know all the “right” things, so why am I so terrified that I will lose my faith?

Through faith alone. By Scripture alone. In Christ alone. By grace alone.

I did nothing to earn my salvation. I am a sinful human being who fell short and could not possibly come to the knowledge of the truth except through the Holy Spirit. And God gave me his Holy Spirit. God gave me the gift of eternal life, not because I earned or deserved it. He gave this precious gift out of love, completely free of charge. I take this knowledge for granted. I say these words without recognizing what comfort they bring. I do nothing – nothing – to earn my salvation. My sinful nature keeps trying to tell me I do, that somehow it is up to me. It is trying to say, “You have to hold on. You were given the truth, but now it is up to you to keep it. Do not jump out of God’s hand—that’s your responsibility.”

I know all the “right” things, but what I fail to remember is that my faith is not left up to me. I did not come to it on my own. God chose me. He set me apart from the beginning to be his child. He tells me this countless times in his word. Christ’s apostle assures me, saying God chose us in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another letter in Scripture provides further assurance of this: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9). I rest my confidence in God’s promise, which proclaims: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

I do not need to fear. My faith is not up to me. It is not my feeble, shaky grip on God, but God’s unwavering, firm grip on me that keeps my faith secure. I know God forgives me. I know he sent his one and only Son to atone for my sins. I know Jesus paid the price fully. I know he rose from the dead. I know I will not lose my faith, because God promises he will not let go of me, that nothing can separate me from his love (Romans 8:39). I know God chose me, and I know I will spend an eternity with him in heaven.

Dec

2019

Forgiveness brings peace

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on January 29, 2016.

Forgiveness brings peace

One of the readers of this blog sent a moving account relates what it’s like for a person when his view of God is misshapen by persons who fail to focus on God’s great love for us in Christ. Author’s name is withheld because of the deeply personal nature of the account.

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To live without forgiveness is to live without peace. It is going through every day wondering if you have been good enough. Day after day, you constantly have to make sure you did everything you were supposed to do. When you go to bed at night, things that may have been left undone may creep into your head as you drift asleep. You must make sure you have done every little thing that you may have not done right. If you do not, says your conscience, you might go to hell if you die.

Someone in your life holds grudges against you. You never can seem to get this person to forgive you no matter what you do to make up for what angered him or her. The silent anger of this person burns against you even though you beat yourself up as a terrible human being. You are told that you should feel terrible. You are told that it is good to feel that way. You are never told you are forgiven. You “know” that you are hopelessly wicked. You get upset with yourself, believing you are a very bad person. How can you ever be good enough? Your soul is tormented by the thoughts that maybe you are not sorry enough for your sins, or maybe you really don’t have faith. You don’t know where you will end up if you die. The thought of death can bring terror that will rob you of sleep.

The fears of what God may do to you rob you of so much peace and scare you so much, you push them out of your mind. You try to stay busy with things so you don’t have to think about your terrible situation. You try to push your fears out of your mind–but they won’t leave. There is no peace, at least it has not become a reality to you.

You imagine God like the person in your life who held grudges against you, whose silent anger burned against you and turned a deaf ear to your cries for forgiveness. You fall into sin and feel that God has turned his back on you. He is not there to help you because he wants nothing to do with you–at least that is what you feel. You feel God’s anger burning against you as you beg for forgiveness. You feel that God will not listen to your prayers because you have been too bad. Life in this sinful world as a sinner is torture. Your conscience screams in pain.

Then something happens. Someone helps you learn about forgiveness and even says, “I forgive you.” You are shocked in a good way. You see that there are no strings attached and you don’t have to earn this forgiveness. You learn that is the way God forgives. Jesus came to die for you, before you ever were sorry for even one sin. He wants you to be his precious child. You learn that you do not need to try to pay for your forgiveness by beating yourself up. In fact, you can’t pay for your forgiveness. It is impossible. That is why Jesus came and paid for all of your sins. He took them all on himself and died so you would be forgiven. You are completely washed by Jesus’ blood. When God looks at you he no longer sees your sin, he sees Jesus’ perfect righteousness. Your forgiveness is not dependent on how sorry you are. It is not dependent on your faith’s strength. It is a fact that was completed a long time ago when Jesus said, “It is finished.” His resurrection is proof that you are forgiven.

Forgiveness is so wonderful for you. You like to just think about the wonderful things God has done for you! You think about Jesus and how he died for you and how amazing that is. Because of your past when you lived in the law, without forgiveness, you see forgiveness as something completely amazing.

Forgiveness brings peace.

Dec

2019

Life is Worth Living in Jesus

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on April 26, 2014.

A friend shared with me her personal story of anguish … and of hope. For the benefit of others who may struggle in depression, she graciously has permitted the posting of her story here.

From Darkness to Light

Author’s name withheld by request

It started like every other morning. The alarm went off earlier than I really wanted, but I pulled myself out of my bed anyway. I went to the bathroom and started getting ready, the whole time waiting for my phone to buzz to let me know that he was thinking about me; but it never came. I left the house just after 9:00 to make the commute to a school 45 minutes away. Sitting through class, I never stopped thinking about the text that never came. “Why do I still get so surprised when he does this?” I remembered thinking to myself. The reality was that this was becoming normal, going days without speaking. And still, sadness overwhelmed me. When class finally finished, I decided I wouldn’t go to my other classes. After all, what was the point? I got back in my car and drove home, allowing that deep depression to overwhelm again.

By the time I got back home, I could barely hold myself together. Collapsing on my bed, I wept for too long. Looking back, I know that something so trivial shouldn’t have gotten to me, but after months of the same ritual the pain never really went away. I started to think, again, about all the bottles stored in the medicine cabinet. I remember thinking, “If you’re going to do it, stop thinking about it and just do it!” Gripped with sadness, I went and got a bottle of pain killers (to stop the ‘pain’) and a bottle of sleeping pills (to put me to ‘sleep’). I took every last pill in those almost brand new bottles. I sent a text to my mother, who was at work, telling her I was sorry, but that I just couldn’t stand the pain anymore. Then, I curled up in bed to let myself die.

I know you’re probably thinking: Isn’t that a little dramatic when she was only being ignored by some guy? And yes, I would agree with you. The problem is, though, that these thoughts had been racing through my mind for about 7 years. I had been able to ignore them, but the six months before this had been an especially trying time. It may have not gotten so bad if I had just talked to someone about it, but I was trying so hard to be the perfect child and I didn’t want anyone to know my dark thoughts. What’s funny, though, is my parents never put any pressure on me to be ‘perfect.’ They have always been very clear that as long as I try my best, they will be proud of me. I was the one putting the pressure on myself.

Until now, I haven’t mentioned prayer, or church, or anything about God or my faith. And no, this isn’t the story of my coming to faith after sinking to such a low place. You see, I was raised in a Christian family. I went to church my whole life, and am still a member of the church today. I went to a Christian elementary school and high school. I even enrolled at a Christian college upon my high school graduation. God was not foreign to me, but unfortunately he was not as important to me as he should have been. I was allowing my depression to lead me through life, rather than praying for strength and guidance.

Thankfully, after lying in my bed for only 10 minutes, I realized the foolishness of what I had done and got help. The embarrassment of having so many people know those dark thoughts combined with seeing my mom cry for only the second time in my life kept me from trying anything again, even though the sadness continued. I realized that doing nothing and hoping it would get better (my previous way of thinking) was not going to work. I started making a few simple changes saw tremendous results. I accepted that I had a problem and stopped trying to hide it from everyone; I sought counseling and was prescribed anti-depressants; I cut negative people out of my life; and I finally started going to God for help. I went to church and actually paid attention to what was being said. I prayed that he would take the deep sorrow away and help me to rely more on him. And you know what? He did. He reminded me that he gave his own Son, Jesus, to die for me, to make my life worth living, to give me life with him that will never end. Imagine that; my loving Father answering my prayers like he promised so many times in his Word. Crazy concept, I know. So next time you have a problem, no matter how big or small, try talking to God about it. He has told us to come to him with everything (Philippians 4:6). And he gives us life in Jesus as the answer to our anxieties.

Trusting in God

Out of the Pit

This is for God’s glory

Living in hope, not fear

Forgiveness brings peace

From Darkness to Light

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