To You, Lord, I call;
My rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You are silent to me,
I will become like those who go down to the pit. Psalm 28:1

Part 1 – Defense Against Despair

It’s been almost a year since my last post.  That was certainly not my intent.  However, life’s demands, responsibilities, and frustrations all played a part in the silence.  While a few have asked about that silence and whether or not I intend to continue to blog (which, Lord willing, is my plan), I seriously doubt that the lack of these blog posts has caused anyone great consternation. Conversely, as David indicates in the passage above, the silence of God is another matter.   

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Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

During the advent season, many are looking forward to time shared with family and friends, however, others of us may find that this time of year has more challenges than pleasures.  Gatherings present various issues for me.  The biggest challenge is food.  I have to navigate what is available so that I eat enough without getting so sick that I can’t enjoy myself.  Clothing is another challenge as I am very sensitive to both fabrics and temperature.  What may work one day may not on another.  An additional hurdle is a heightened “flight or fight” response.  Consequently, my physical response to uncomfortable social situations and personality differences are often exacerbated.  While I will enjoy those with whom I celebrate, there are many others that I wish the celebrations would include, but will not; they will be sorely missed.  There are also uncertainties in our life making this holiday season less than carefree.  I am not alone in any of this as I recognize that many will find it difficult to enjoy the holidays this year due to their own health issues, the rigors of travel, the loss of loved ones, family conflicts, etc.  Yet in our trials, we should still seek to experience the peace, hope, and joy that our Savior provides. 

With all of the activities of this year, I am already spent so I must admit that I am less than enthused with respect to any more activities that make significant demands of me.  However, I realize that celebrating the incarnation of Christ and the time spent with family will have benefits both spiritually and emotionally.  I believe our ever gracious Savior understands my weakness and placed Isaiah 41:10 before me in light of the advent season as a reminder of my true source of peace, hope and joy.

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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

Yet again I find myself failing.  I have done what I can to pace myself, but my body is weak and does not seem to be up to the task these days, therefore, this will be brief. 

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Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.  1 Corinthians 8:6

Yesterday was another rough day.  I had a dentist appointment, met with my trainer briefly and went to the doctor.  Prior to illness taking over my life, working these in around my job and responsibilities at home would have been nothing exceptional.   They were minor adjustments to my normal routine.  However, yesterday, they wiped me out and left me pretty useless.  Some days, the thought of getting out of bed and simple routine tasks such as taking a shower can be daunting and insurmountable.  While chronic illness seems to bring with it a regular cycle of pain and fatigue leaving one feeling alone, defeated, and useless, other trials in life like the death of a loved one or a job loss can do the same until they are resolved or the critical stage has passed.  In an effort to combat those feelings consider the following passages about God and His perspective. 

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But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil. Proverbs 1:33

Reassurance is the act of removing doubts and fears.  Most people like reassurances.  It comes in many forms.  At times it’s the emotional reassurance of having a close relative or friend who walks with us in difficult times.  It may be a legal document that spells out our rights or claims to anyone who needs to know.  Another example is a simple receipt that we hang on to as proof of sale.  All of these and many more offer some form of comfort that allow us to live, work, own, or exchange without fear of being harmed or cheated.  However, when it comes to true reassurance, we look to our Sovereign Lord who is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and life.

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“Blessed be the Lord, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.”  Psalm 31:21

For those of you that follow my blog closely, you may have noticed that my Monday quotes and the verse of the day have dropped off.  Life has been a bit challenging and I’ve had to surrender a bit to maintain my sanity.  Life with chronic illness is a battle against both known and unknown factors.  It is a battle of the mind and soul as well as the body which often leaves one feeling besieged. 

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“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

Whether alone or in a crowd, have you ever wondered where God is?  Despite God reminding us throughout scripture that He is in fact with us and will never leave us, we still have our doubts.  I’m not sure how it came about, but during a recent worship service I started thinking about the presence of God.  If I had to guess, I would assume that Matthew 28:20 was one of the texts used in the sermon.  In any event, I’ve been pondering our failure to recognize the presence of God in our lives.  I don’t know about you but, I certainly have a tendency to take it for granted and, therefore, fail to recognize it or rely on it when I should.  As I’ve considered this problem, there seem to be four primary reasons that we fail to recognize God’s presence in our lives: ignorance, immaturity, impediments and refusal.

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“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

I was reading a devotional by John Piper recently that stressed how we should prepare our hearts during Advent in order to celebrate Christmas properly, i.e. Advent is to Christmas as Lent is to Easter.  Too often, we get so caught up in the preparations and parties associated with Christmas that we fail to settle our souls and worship Christ for His priceless gift freely offered.  That offer, or rather our Savior’s invitation, is the basis of our celebration for without it, there is no peace, joy or forgiveness.  While Matthew 11:28 is not a passage normally associated with Advent, it does speak to the heart of Christ’s mission as He came to earth and dwelt among us so long ago.

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Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.  Psalm 105:1

As it is Thanksgiving in the United States, please join me in refection upon Psalm 136 which is a beautiful model for being truly thankful.  As this Psalm states, no matter what God is doing, His love for us is everlasting.  It starts with who God is, moves through various things that He has done and finishes with how He is ever mindful of us.

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But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.2 Peter 3:13

At the top of the back wall of our church’s sanctuary is a small window.  For me, one of the joys of singing in our choir was looking through that window to the sky and imagining that we were singing straight to the throne of God.   It always encouraged my soul and gave new energy to my singing.  Sadly, the addition of a balcony required blinds on that window.  That imagery is now but a fond memory.  Often it seems that the daily events of our lives and the concerns that we bear are like that blind and prevent us from contemplating and looking forward to heaven.  However, it is helpful to pause every now and then to evaluate our focus.  In that light, consider the following.

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