01302021 Trials End

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Eternal God. God lives forever, giving Him control of everything within man's history and existence. Thankfully, many other things in life are temporary.

Lesson #23. Whether in this life or the next, there is an end of all suffering. Of course, this is true only for Christians, in terms of the next life; the unsaved have no such hope.

Experience tells us that most incidents of suffering are temporary. A hurricane runs out of steam; a thunderstorm dissipates; the harsh winter gives way to spring. A broken leg heals; an illness subsides; a global pandemic eventually resolves. A struggling marriage achieves a breakthrough; a wandering child returns; a church conflict is pacified. These and many other personal examples illustrate the Bible's truth that "after that ye have suffered a while," (I Peter 5:10) God will intervene. The trials are "for a season" (I Peter 1:6). The affliction is "but for a moment" (II Corinthians 4:17).

Most of the time, it is just a matter of enduring. "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Hebrews 10:36). Biblical examples, many found in Hebrews 11, also show this truth. Noah got off the ark. Abraham eventually had a son. Joseph finally was released from prison. Moses led Israel out of slavery. Israel's subservience gave way to deliverance under each new judge. In time Saul's pursuit of David ended.

But what of others? "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword" (Hebrews 11:35-37). Sometimes the only way a trial will ever end is in death.

That's where Job's words come in. "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (14:14). As long as Job remained on the earth, he would wait for deliverance, but he did not know if the change would come in life or after life. He did know and confidently affirmed that it would definitely come after life. "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall  stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" (19:25-27).

Yes, even if a trial persists until it takes our life, it will then have its power broken. God will make all things right. When we enter heaven, all suffering will cease. In one moment, we will forget all the plagues of our earthly existence. Eternity with our Redeemer will be perfect, freed from the struggles and burdens of life. If not before, then at that day, we will lay our burdens down.

Someday life's journey will be o'er,

And I shall reach that distant shore.

I'll sing while ent'ring Heaven's door,

"Jesus led me all the way."

 

Jesus led me all the way,

Led me step by step each day;

I will tell the saints and angels

As I lay my burdens down,

"Jesus led me all the way." (John W. Peterson)

Be patient. Endure. Wait for God's deliverance. May you see instances of it this week, and may God give you the strength and patience to wait for what will take longer.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01232021 God's Hand

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God. He is in control of all things, even when it seems there is only chaos and turmoil. For anything that happens in life, we can rest assured that God is ruling over it.

Lesson #22. Ultimately, whatever happens to us is from God's hand. Job had no doubt whatsoever about this truth. He stated it clearly and repeatedly. "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me" (19:21).

Job's statements attributing his trials to God's hand are far too many to include in their totality. Some of Job's more powerful statements reveal the intensity of his God-orchestrated trouble. "God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant" (16:11-14). "But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me" (23:13-16). If God does choose hard things, we often want them to be only mildly difficult, but the truth is that God might choose things that are intense beyond our imaginations.

Job asserted that it is universal knowledge that God is the one in control. "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind" (12:7-10). Every man's life is ultimately in God's hand and under His control.

Even beyond a personal level, God orchestrates all that happens. Job knew this was true regarding the affairs of men. "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening" (12:13-14). In the next eleven verses, Job gives example after example of things that God does in the physical world, in the political world, in the religious world, and in the social world. Many of the examples have to do with people being undone, losing their strength and influence, losing their stability and prestige. God is the one who empowers or restrains. God is the one who builds up or tears down. When God determines to do something, no person or power on earth can stop Him.

God's plans cannot be stopped. "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee" (42:2). What is important is that God's methods, which are unstoppable, are only part of the picture. God's purposes are also unstoppable. While the methods for achieving His purposes might seem extreme, God knows what must be done to bring about His purposes, which is the greater level of control. In the end, God accomplishes goals that man did not even know He was working toward.

There are situations in the Bible, like the story of Job, that are attributed to both God and Satan. Satan is powerful and does have some control over this world, but he does not have even close to the power of God. Within His plan and oversight, God might allow Satan to do some things for a time, but when the time or the extent is reached, God's power intervenes and stops Satan in his tracks. In our limited human insight, it can be difficult to discern the balance between God's and Satan's contributions, but we always know Who has the final say and the ultimate control.

We also know that even when both God and Satan are involved in a situation, they have very different purposes. Satan knows what he thinks he will accomplish. He can effectively use some of his methods in that pursuit. He can even see himself right on the edge of victory in achieving it, only to be humiliated and have his objectives reversed. Satan wants to destroy, but God can work within the same circumstances to accomplish great wonders. The crucifixion of Jesus is a prime example. God did the same in the life of Job. While Satan wanted to destroy Job and to prove the fragility of man's relationship with God, God defeated those purposes. Instead, God displayed just the opposite in the end.

God was entirely in control in Job's trial, and God accomplished His objectives through it. Satan was defeated, Job was blessed, Job's relationship with God was strengthened, and God's truth was revealed in the immediate situation and for all time. That, my friends, undeniably reflects divine oversight.

May God carry each of you through this week, accomplishing all that He desires in spite of the seeming obstacles. May His great purposes be advanced.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01162021 Songs in the Tempest

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the One who is in the boat with us. I don't mean that at all irreverently. It is a truly comforting thought to know that, like the disciples who were battered in a storm in the midst of the sea, Jesus is with us in our storms.

Last night I woke up - actually, I probably had never fallen asleep - and my spirit craved the hymn below. "Master, the Tempest Is Raging" (by Mary A. Baker). I got up and found a recording of it online, and the words are comforting.

1. Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high!

The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness, No shelter or hope is nigh;

Carest Thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep,

When each moment so madly is threat'ning A grave in the angry deep?

Chorus: The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, Peace, be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be,

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, Peace, peace, be still!

 

2. Master, with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today;

The depths of my sad heart are troubled - Oh, waken and save, I pray!

Torrents of sin and of anguish Sweep o'er my sinking soul;

And I perish! I perish! dear Master - Oh, hasten, and take control.

 

3. Master, the terror is over, The elements sweetly rest;

Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored, And heaven's within my breast;

Linger, O blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more;

And with joy I shall make the blest harbor, And rest on the blissful shore.

Sometimes verses 1 and 2 seem unending, but verse 3 always comes. How we need His grace and help to rest in the storm, to remember His presence, and to trust Him! He does indeed rule over all.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01092021 Well-Meant Counsel

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sensitive God. Aren't you glad that God is sensitive to our needs, our weaknesses, our human frailty? Aren't you glad that His compassion compels Him to respond in appropriate ways?

Lesson #21. People aren't always going to say the right things, even when they mean well. Job had friends who cared about him and who expressed that care beyond all others. Job's wife expressed no support, as far as we can tell, from the beginning. Most of Job's acquaintances stayed away, but four men came: Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and the mostly silent Elihu. They came "to mourn with him and to comfort him" (2:11). They earnestly mourned over his calamity (2:12). "They sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights" (2:13), remaining completely silent out of regard for his great pain. These faithful few were truly burdened for Job. They were willing to greatly inconvenience themselves to support him. Based on their status as Job's closest associates and on the content of their speech, there is every reason to believe these were devout, God-fearing men.

After their week of silence, these friends tried to say things to help Job. They didn't do very well. They said a lot of true things and even had some gems of insight. Overall, however, their understanding was incomplete; there were truths about God and His working that they did not comprehend, and there were dynamics about Job's particular situation that were beyond their knowledge. Job, who doggedly maintained his integrity, grew frustrated with their obstinate insistence that his sin was the reason for his suffering. Job repeatedly expressed his frustration with the "counsel" of his friends. I have attempted to use Job's words as insights into the giving and receiving of support to those who are suffering.

When we are on the giving end:

First, realize the overloaded state of the sufferer. As his body suffers, his mind is dulled and his emotions are stretched. There are undeniable limitations on the mind and emotions that will make the wrong words more painful. Elihu, the most sensitive of the four, also became frustrated as he viewed the unwavering assaults of the other three. He acknowledged: "What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?" (34:7). Someone who is already weak cannot support additional burden, especially when it is unwarranted.

Second, listen quietly and carefully to what the sufferer says. This seems to be the most heartfelt instruction or suggestion that Job gave. "O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom. Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will" (13:5-6, 13). "Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations. Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on" (21:2-3). Often what the sufferer really needs is someone to simply listen, to show care by letting him talk.

Third, be careful not to make judgments, especially if you are not in position of authority. There may be unconfessed sin or areas of disobedience or rebellion. Do we know for certain those exist? Do we know for certain that they are the reason for God's judgment? A pastor or spiritual leader may, and his counsel may address those things. But if we are just guessing or assuming, it is better to let God do the convicting and rebuking. Job complained, "But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value" (13:4). "How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me" (19:2-3). The friends' words were hurtful, not helpful, because they were not even true.

Fourth, don't trivialize the sufferer's maturity or insight. He isn't suddenly unspiritual, just clouded by pain. Chances are, he is learning on an intense and very practical level through his experience. He probably already knew biblical truth, and now he is going even deeper into that truth to an extent that onlookers may not be able to comprehend. Sometimes the growth is almost too much to absorb. His struggle isn't necessarily lack of maturity, but rather being weak and overwhelmed in his circumstances. "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?" (12:2-3).

Fifth, focus on words of encouragement more than exhortation. Don't speak empty words just to sound nice, but speak uplifting words as much as possible. This is what Job asked for and what he said he would do if he were the comforter. "I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief" (16:2-5). "How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?" (26:2-3).

Sixth, focus on truth about God. This eliminates the possibility of wrong judgments about the person. It eliminates the possibility of speaking error. It eliminates the possibility of empty words. It eliminates the possibility of seeming to attack rather than heal. The fourth friend Elihu chose this avenue of speech, and his words were then reinforced by God Himself. It was truth about God that ended up helping Job and making the difference for him.

When we are on the receiving end:

First, try to appreciate the genuine concern and intended support of the speakers. Try to focus on their love and intentions. Be glad they are there making an effort. Be thankful for those who take the time to try. In order to avoid hard feelings or alienation, it is sometimes necessary to focus only on the intent and ignore much of the content. If truly caring people are genuinely trying to help in a time of trouble, the last thing we want to do is cut off that fragile foundation of support or damage the relationships that probably are most valuable.

Second, rely more on God and His Word than on people. It is helpful and wonderful when others give support, but in the end, people are just people. For various reasons, some blameworthy and some merely due to human weakness, people will fail. Sometimes there is a Jonathan available (I Samuel 23:16), and sometimes we are forced to simply rely on the best Source of comfort (I Samuel 30:6).

In our day of suffering, no one will get the response perfect. But where there is true concern, where there is genuine love, where there is faithful support, friendship has the best opportunity to give help rather than adding to the difficulty. Where there is a focus on God, whether through the encouragement of friends or in the searching of solitude, there is hope and comfort.

May God help you this week to effectively minister both to others and to your own soul.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01022021 Ruined Testimony

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God of new beginnings. Whether it is on a daily or yearly basis, or based on life situations, God gives grace to continue forward and to do new things for Him.

Lesson #20. In the midst of trial, it may seem that our testimony is ruined. Job was aware of how people were evaluating and reacting to his declined circumstances. "I am as one mocked of his neighbor, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn" (Job 12:4). "He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret" (Job 17:6). "But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. And now I am their song, yea, I am their byword" (Job 30:1,9).

Job's trying situation was not met with compassion and understanding. His friends now mocked him and made jokes about him. People in general started using him as the community example. Even young people and wicked people were bold enough to ridicule Job. If enough people say something (or if we perceive that they are saying it), it must be true. Job was convinced that he no longer had any respect from anyone.

Reality - people are weak. Truth - even the strongest Christians at times falter. In particularly trying circumstances, we can be especially aware of the increased challenges. We can become increasingly aware of the turmoil in our spirits and more attuned to our shortcomings. (Romans 7 is sobering, coming from a spiritually mature man who was aware of how weak his flesh was.)

The intensity of a trial often means that we have increased opportunities to face temptation and therefore awareness of greater than normal struggle. It is easy to feel like a disaster, like we are constantly failing, like we are ruining everything. Or, as in Job's case, he still believed in his integrity, but he was watching his life and testimony fall apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. That sometimes happens in real life; trials can be so intense and life so disordered that onlookers start making negative evaluations, even when they are not warranted.

When we are tired, overwhelmed, discouraged, hurting, and so on, we lose some of our ability to think and evaluate clearly. Even men, even strong leaders (Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah) can start to form wrong conclusions. The presence of strong emotion creates a very real danger of negative thinking or of poor evaluation. In these times, our perception can tower over reality and sometimes even be in conflict with reality. We might think our testimony is ruined, and not realize that there are onlookers who are amazed and inspired by our continuing to follow God.

There are times, as in Job's case (or Joseph's) when a destroyed life and ruined testimony actually does happen. This is temporary, but sometimes it is necessary within God's plan. Although such a destruction is painful and confusing, there must be a willingness to be ruined before others if that is what it takes to follow God and allow His plan to proceed. This is such a hard thing. There were missionaries in the past who suffered such misunderstanding, as they served for decades in remote places with no visible results, but only constant challenges, threats on their lives, deaths of spouses and children, and everything that made people back home think these people had made a monstrous mistake. But they were doing exactly what God wanted, and in time God showed His blessing and changed the reputation.

Could it possibly be true that we actually could bring ruin to our reputations by our own wrong actions in the midst of trials? Yes, we are weak, and we can indeed fall. But even in these cases, the Bible has great hope. Aaron, under the fear and pressure associated with Moses' long absence, performed the most heinous offense possible for a spiritual leader, but God went on to appoint him as the head of the priestly line. Samson repeatedly pursued ungodly women that turned him from faithfulness to God, but in the end God restored him enough to have great impact. David, in the highly visible position of a king, performed adultery and murder and misused the army for his cover-up, but God forgave David, raised him to great success, and spoke very highly of him. John Mark bailed out on a missionary trip, resulting in friction in high levels of leadership, but God later made him useful in the ministry and in penning words of Scripture.

Peter is perhaps the most inspiring example of all. He repeatedly denied association with Christ, even with an oath. But Jesus had said, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Jesus knew Peter would fall hard, but He expected Peter to be restored and to be the one to minister to others. The restoration process in John 21 is beautiful, and Peter's impact and influence, which became greater than ever before, is powerfully revealed in the book of Acts.

Choices do have consequences, and damage can be done by our legitimate failures, but that never needs to be permanent. God has all the power to re-write our stories and to add new chapters that are very different from previous chapters. Depending on the nature and severity of the failure, there may be times when the nature or location of future ministry might be different, but God's desire is to heal and restore (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

It would be a mistake to allow our emotions or discouragement to so color our thinking that we convince ourselves of failure that is not true. It would be a mistake to allow failure or perceived failure to keep us from ever serving again. God is the master of turning disastrous situations around to His glory. God is the master of restoration. God delights in using small and broken things, submissive in His hands, to accomplish mighty works.

This is wonderful and powerful truth that I hope none of you are in dire need of. God knows. I do know that struggles like this happen in ministry, and if you know of a colleague right now who needs this encouragement, please (as always) feel free to share. May God bless each of you as you enter this new and unknown year. May He be magnified, and may fruit abound in His work. God bless you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA