08292020 Suffering Has Limits

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the all-powerful God. There are a lot of powerful forces and people in the world, but not one of them comes close to God. Thus the book of Job teaches.

Lesson #3. The extent of suffering is always under God's control. "And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand" (1:12). "And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" (2:6).

Satan had no qualms about destroying Job, and no doubt he would have placed no limits on his vicious attacks. Twice, though, God placed limits on Satan. God first restricted Satan from touching Job's person. When Satan protested that the permitted attacks were too mild to be effective (!), God set new parameters. He allowed Satan to touch Job's health, but still restricted him from taking his life.

Satan is powerful, but he is also limited. He is confined to operating within the boundaries that God sets for him. While we might think the attacks are too vicious and too difficult, God knows what limits can be borne, and He sets boundaries accordingly. Satan can't do anything unless God permits him to do it.

I am reminded of Peter, to whom Jesus revealed, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22:31-32). In that case also, Satan knew what he wanted to do. Again, he wanted to absolutely destroy. But God did not permit it. God placed boundaries, and He took steps to deny Satan's desire.

Satan is not the only being that God controls. Kings and other powerful rulers are also under the control of God. They can do only as much as God allows them to do (Psalm 2). God has often used wicked kings to accomplish His purposes of judgment (Nebuchadnezzar). But those wicked nations do not have impunity to carry out their depravity or power without limitations. Their time comes. Their power fails. Their reign ceases.

Not only does God curtail kings in their pursuits, but He also controls them by sometimes making them do something they would never have dreamed of. Did Pharaoh have any intention of letting the Israelites go, even for a brief and short foray into the wilderness? Pharaoh was determined not to let any of them go any distance for any amount of time. But what did he end up doing? He ended up commanding the entire nation to leave, with all their flocks and herds, never to be seen again. Truly, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs 21:1).

Satan and his attacks are under God's control. Kings and their plans are under God's control. Nature itself is under God's control. There is no galaxy, no system, no scientific cycle that is outside God's control. When God created the world, He created boundaries that no force of nature can breach. God says about the oceans, "And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?" (Job 38:10-11). God determines where every ocean stops. He determines how high every mountain rises. He determines the severity of every storm, the length of every season, the brightness of every star.

Does it ever seem like things are out of control? Does it seem like evil and calamity are unrestrained? Does it seem that there is no end of trouble? Well, appearances are deceiving to our faltering eyes, because the truth is that absolutely nothing is out of God's control. We may not see where the trouble will end, but God does. We may think that suffering is running with no boundaries, but God knows exactly where those boundaries are. He knows, because He is the one who set the boundaries.

A necessary application of the fact that God sets boundaries is that every trial has boundaries. We may be so deep in the midst of a trial that we cannot see any limitations in severity or timing, but those limitations do exist. They are determined by God, and they cannot be breached. Every situation that you are in is controlled by God. This far, but NO FURTHER!

"For which cause we faint not ... for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Corinthians 4:16-17).

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

Archived letters: www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com.

08222020 God-Initiated Suffering

Dear Missionary Lady, 

Greetings, friends. How are you doing? I know that for several of you the past few weeks have held particularly strong challenges, and my prayers have increased for you this week. Satan is at work in our world. He is trying to stop God's work. But he can't! Interestingly, this battle between God and Satan is precisely what came up in the next lesson from Job.

Lesson #2. Sometimes God initiates suffering. "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (1:8). Satan didn't bring Job up in the conversation; God did. There is no reason to believe that Satan would have pinpointed Job if God had not presented him as an example.

God was setting up a contest of supernatural proportion and implications. Job was the arena. By highlighting Job to Satan, God presented a challenge which Satan chose to accept, and the battle began. This was like a colossal chess match being played right on top of Job.

Could Satan win? Could he discredit God? Could he show that following God was a whim or a matter of convenience? Or would God win? Could He confirm that His relationship with His followers was unshakeable? Could He demonstrate that people were truly committed to Him because of a connection deeper than what Satan was willing to acknowledge?

The attacks were Satan's - the marauders, the fire from heaven, the plunderers, the great wind, and the horrific illness. Satan did those things after God set forth the challenge. God did initiate the contest, and God even claims responsibility. "Although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause" (2:3).

I think there are five primary sources of suffering. First, much of the suffering in our world comes simply because we live on a fallen planet. Ever since the fall of man and the start of the curse, this world has been broken. We have things like plagues, droughts, floods, decay, disease, sickness, and death. These very common trials are simply natural implications of the fall. Second, some suffering is inflicted by other people. Because people have a sin nature and because they are not perfect, they will sometimes inflict suffering on other people, either intentionally or unintentionally. Third, we bring some suffering on ourselves. By our own choices or by following our own lusts, we can create situations of suffering. Fourth, Satan initiates suffering. He is cruel and hateful, not caring about those who are in his kingdom and antagonistic against those who follow God. Fifth, some suffering is initiated by God. For the unbeliever, this can be either punishment or an attempt to draw the person to God. For the believer, God also initiates suffering for His varied purposes.

There is much overlap in these sources, as there was in Job's case. We may not always know which cause is primary, and as far as our response, it may not matter. What is important for us to realize is that God is always involved. Whether He initiated the suffering or whether He is overseeing it, it is within His control and is serving His purposes. In speaking of suffering, Peter said "if need be" (I Peter 1:6) and "if the will of God be so" (I Peter 3:17). Yes, God sometimes deems suffering necessary. God sometimes wills suffering to happen.

Through suffering, God is accomplishing His purposes. That was true for Job, and it is true for us. Those purposes often have something to do with us (James 1:2-4). Those purposes also have much to do with God. God uses suffering to display His glory, to reveal Himself to the spiritual world, and to accomplish things that are much bigger than us. We may have no idea of the scope of what God is doing while we suffer. The reality is that God will never allow suffering for a Christian - whether initiated by Him or from some other source - without having divine goals that He wants to accomplish.

Continue pressing forward this week with God's strength and God's grace. He has helped you in the past, and He will continue to help you in the present and the future. Remember, the victory is God's! Satan cannot and will not win.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

08152020 Bad Things to Good People

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great God who supplies through His Word all that we need to know for life and godliness.

There are times in life when particular Bible verses, passages, and even books are especially appropriate. In a particular context, the truth of these passages can open up to us more powerfully than ever before. During this journey through COVID-19, I have already traveled through the Psalms and I Peter. My current steps are taking me through Job.

I have studied Job pretty thoroughly in the past. With my health history, I have found the book to be particularly insightful as related to the specific trial of major health issues. I happen to believe that is the special thrust of the book, although it clearly can relate to other trials that are not purely health-related.

In the midst of our current situation, I was pulled back to Job, desiring to look at it through the glasses of a pandemic. What helpful truth does this book hold? I have made a preliminary list of impressions and lessons that I am now focusing in on and expanding. For the foreseeable future, this is probably where most of my letters to you will come, as I hope to share some of God's truth about trials.

Lesson #1. Bad things do happen to good people. Trials don't necessarily mean disfavor with God. That wasn't the case for Job. His friends did not understand that. They thought good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This is a common doubt in our world and a frequent accusation against God. People want to know why bad things happen to them when they are basically "good" people. Christians often ask this question in times of trouble.

Many people who ask that question or who express that doubt have far less to back them up than Job did. The Bible declares he was "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil" (1:1). God Himself states that same description (1:8). Even after Satan's first round of horrifying assaults, God said this description was still true of Job (2:3).

The book of Job goes on to confirm multiple times that Job was godly. It does so by recounting his actions (1:5, 20, 22; 2:10). Other people recognized it (2:9; 4:3-4, 6). Job repeatedly affirmed it and even offered supporting testimony (6:10,  28-29; 9:20; 10:7; 12:4; 16:17; 23:11-12; 27:4-6; most of chapters 29 and 31). God acknowledged that the attack was "without cause" (2:3).

The abundance of evidence, and the deliberate repeated assertion by God, ought to be rightly and soberly evaluated. Job was certainly not sinless, as no man is, but he had a high reputation before God and man. He was clearly a godly man.

Even so, bad things happened to him. Really, really bad things. Lots of really, really bad things. This book leaves no question that those bad things were not brought on Job as punishment or as consequences or in any way related to his failures or wickedness.

We may not be asking the question, "God, why is all of this happening in my life?" We may not be saying, "God, I don't deserve this." But sometimes a doubt lingers in our minds. We want to say it isn't right or that it's too much, and probably somewhere underneath those comments is the thought that enough is enough. We are trying to serve God, and this just doesn't seem like what should be happening to people who are trying to do that.

But God never says that. He makes it clear in this book and throughout the Bible that sometimes bad things do happen to good people. The trials may have very little to do with us personally. As in the case of Job, they might actually be permitted to us precisely because God knows we are sincere, just because He knows our heart.

Don't we sometimes do that with our children, students, teams, congregations? We give the heaviest responsibility to those we believe we can trust. In some cases, we might even regret that we have to do that. We might feel a burden in placing more responsibility or difficulty on someone. But there is no one else whom we think can handle it better.

God does that sometimes. He puts greater burden and greater responsibility on those who are already faithfully serving Him. This is not a sign of His displeasure. Neither is it a desire to place them under undue burden. It is, quite the opposite, a sign of pleasure and approval and confidence. God does this to people whom He believes will remain true to Him and who will glorify Him under the new burden.

And the wonderful thing is that God is not cruel in this. He does not throw us into the deep end to sink or swim. Knowing the challenge, He gives His grace to help. He is on our side, pulling for us and supporting us all the way. "My grace is sufficient for thee" (II Corinthians 12:9). "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).

So bad things might abound. Life might get really difficult. And in those circumstances, you can very well be exactly in the center of God's will, doing exactly what He wants you to do, and living in a manner that pleases Him immensely. Take heart. His grace will help you through.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

08082020 A Work in Progress

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who always finishes what He starts.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

I'm glad for that truth, because there is nothing like a prolonged time of testing to make one realize that he is a work in progress. The imperfections rise to the surface, and the weaknesses become evident. Spiritual victory may seem elusive, as failures and struggles proliferate. Before long, we start to think we are terrible Christians, shockingly weaker than we ought to be at this point in our lives. If we let our thoughts run unrestricted, they will even tell us that other Christians in similar situations aren't struggling like we are, and maybe we are unworthy of serving God.

Even if our thoughts don't go that far, there probably isn't one of us who doesn't sometimes get discouraged by our weaknesses and the difficulty of seeing growth in certain areas. No Christian is perfect. All of us have room for improvement. Some seasons of life or certain types of temptations might call particular attention to the areas of ongoing maturity.

This is why the verse above is so encouraging. It tells us that God will keep doing what He started in us. God doesn't give up. He doesn't abandon us when we fail to achieve perfection, or even when we take disappointing steps backward. No, He keeps on working. His work is aided by our humble submission, but the work is His.

Paul was confident in this truth as it pertained to the Philippian Christians. Was that because Paul had seen God bring him to the point of completion and of no longer struggling? No, not because God had completed that work in Paul, but because God was in the process of doing it in Paul. As admirable and respected and godly as Paul was, he was also a work in progress. Later in the same letter, he confesses,

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do. forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

With fallen bodies on a fallen earth, with the attacks of the world and the devil, and with the lingering effects of a sinful nature, all of us will struggle at times, probably especially in particular areas. While we don't like to be confronted with our imperfections, and they may grieve us or discourage us, we can be encouraged in remembering that God's work is not yet completed. He will keep working in us as we keep pressing forward, desiring to please Him and follow Him.

So if you struggle from time to time, take courage. Trust in the ongoing work of God. Keep serving even in your flawed state. If God used only perfect people, He wouldn't find anyone to use. So He uses people who are still in the process of sanctification, always working to bring them further along the path until the day that we stand perfect and complete before Him.

May God bless you this week as you continue serving, and may He provide you with encouraging moments of realizing His continued work in you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

08012020 Bad Time for Missions

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings, my sisters, in the name of the God with a plan. He is working His unstoppable plan in the lives of each of you, (even if that plan is not the same as what you thought it was.)

My thoughts today will not be new to any of you, but will you humor me in the reminder? I've had thoughts recently and also conversations with others in which there was a statement similar to this: "It's a bad (sad, unfortunate, difficult) time for missions."

It's not hard to understand what people mean by that. Missionaries face restrictions as they seek to worship and meet with both Christians and the lost. Churches are restricted in the type of outreaches they can do - either by governmental restriction or by public discomfort. Conferences are canceled. Trips are canceled. Training of nationals is on hold. There are missionaries who want to get to the field who can't get there due to travel restrictions. There are missionaries who need a furlough and can't take it due to travel restrictions. There are missionaries stranded in locations apart from their ministries. There are missionaries whose deputation is on hold and who are receiving no love offerings to help with living expenses. You can fill in other specifics of your situation, because you are living this. In summary, there are people with earnest desires to serve God, and they are being prevented from the steps and activities that would help them do that.

All of these conclusions are from a human perspective, but there is another perspective. I think we could argue that it is a good (exciting, wonderful, effective) time for missions. To do that requires some divine perspective. God has not stopped doing His work in the world. Far from it. I believe He is increasing His appeal and call to men in these last of the last days. God's work has definitely not stopped, and you have seen that also. You could share the examples far better than I can, because you are seeing them firsthand, but God is definitely working. Believers are being forced into situations where they can actively show their Christianity to their families. Nationals are stepping up to take leadership. God's love is being poured out in practical ways like food provision. People all around the world are being brought face to face with the reality of death and mortality. Countries are stirring levels of emergency that call for a Savior. People are being saved, Christians are being matured, and God is doing His work. His hand is not stopped by all this - not by any means!

I have thought of a few Bible stories where servants of God were in some "bubble" of delay or detour, not able to do what they thought God wanted them to do. Abraham was supposed to be the father of a great nation, and he wasn't even a father. He waited decades, wandering from place to place, before the son of promise was born. Joseph, chosen to lead his family, spent years upon years alienated from them in slavery and in prison. Elijah, the prophet of God, had to hang out by a brook in the wilderness and then with a poor widow woman. How was he supposed to serve God in those settings? Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles, was incredibly active in traveling and preaching - except when he was shut up in prison, sometimes for years at a time.

Those men could have protested. "This isn't what God called me for." "How can I do what I'm supposed to do when I'm shut up in this place?" "God is doing the opposite of what I expected." "I want to serve God, and I am trapped." "When will I ever get the opportunity to resume my ministry?" "How long do I have to wait?"

Was God's plan thwarted because Abraham had to wait for a son? No. Was God's plan forgotten while Joseph languished in prison? No. Was God's work abandoned while Elijah was in exile? No. Was God's work stopped while Paul sat in jail? No. Is God's work through you negated because you can't do what you want to do or go where you want to go? No. No. No.

Infertility, jails, famines, exiles, delays, travel restrictions - none of these stop God from working. None of them! God doesn't need everything to go perfectly in order for Him to accomplish His work.

God is still working. He is doing great things. You may not see or understand how that is working. You may not see or understand where you fit into that process. But you can trust the God whose plans are never thwarted. You can trust the God with the wisdom to work good through disaster. You can do exactly what Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, and Paul did. You can wait. You can trust. You can do whatever tasks are in front of you to the best of your ability and for the glory of God. You can care for those around you. And you can expect that when the time is right, God will change the circumstances. He will release you and thrust you forth into activity, responsibility, and service.

"And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:35).

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Do today what you can do today, and trust God to do today what only He can do. May God bless and help you.

Much love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com