Can I Trust You?

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ATTENTION

DON’T YOU LOVE TO READ BUMPER STICKERS? SOMETIMES I JUST CAN’T RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO TAILGATE SOMEONE JUST TO SEE WHAT’S WRITTEN ON THAT PLASTIC COATED PAPER STRIP GLUED ON THE BACK OF THEIR CARS. I LIKE TO READ THEM BECAUSE OFTEN THEY ARE HILARIOUSLY FUNNY. I THINK THEY ARE SO FUNNY, THOUGH BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN A RING OF TRUTH AND SOMETIMES THEY EVEN CRYSTALLIZE FEELINGS WE ALL HAVE ABOUT LIFE. HERE ARE SOME CLASSICS:

KEEP HONKING! I’M RELOADING

ENERGIZER BUNNY ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH BATTERY

OUT OF MY MIND, BACK IN 5 MINUTES

43.3% OF STATISTICS ARE MEANINGLESS

IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?

EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO MY OPINION

A WAIST IS A TERRIBLE THING TO MIND

I USED TO HAVE A HANDLE ON LIFE, BUT IT BROKE.

IT MAY BE THAT LAST MINIATURIZATION OF LIFE PHILOSOPHY WITH WHICH MOST OF US IDENTIFY. WE THINK THAT WE HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER. WE BELIEVE THAT OUR LIVES ARE ON AUTO PILOT AND THAT GOD IS OUR PERSONAL FRIEND, BUT TRAGEDY ENTERS AND SHATTERS OUR WORLD AND THE “HANDLE” WE THOUGHT WE HAD ON LIFE BREAKS WITHOUT ANY HOPE OF REPAIR. IT MAY BE A SICKNESS THAT HITS US WITHOUT WARNING: THE TESTS COME BACK WITH NUMBERS THAT AREN’T GOOD AND WE FIND OURSELVES WORRIED AND FEARFUL. IT MAY BE A SUDDEN JOB LOSS THAT ISN’T OUR FAULT AND WHICH CAUGHT US COMPLETELY OFF-GUARD. IT MAY BE A MATE WHO, THROUGH WEAKNESS AND SIN, IGNITES A “DIRTY BOMB” OF ADULTEROUS RADIATION THAT SPREADS A CLOUD OF DESTRUCTION OVER OUR FAMILY THAT YOU, THE INNOCENT PARTY, IS LEFT TO CLEAN UP. AND YOU ARE LEFT WITH ANGER, RESENTMENT, AND A PARALYZING FEAR OF WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. AND LIVING IN THAT KIND OF FEAR CAN BECOME A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY THAT PARALYZES ANY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.

JUST CONSIDER J.H. ZORTHIAN: IT HAPPENED OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO. THE IRONY OF IT, HOWEVER, AMAZES ME TO THIS DAY.

A MURAL ARTIST NAMED J. H. ZORTHIAN READ ABOUT A TINY BOY WHO HAD BEEN KILLED IN TRAFFIC. HIS STOMACH CHURNED AS HE THOUGHT OF THAT EVER HAPPENING TO ONE OF HIS THREE CHILDREN. HIS WORRY BECAME AN INESCAPABLE ANXIETY. THE MORE HE IMAGINED SUCH A TRAGEDY, THE MORE FEARFUL HE BECAME. HIS EFFECTIVENESS AS AN ARTIST WAS PUT ON HOLD ONCE HE BEGAN RUNNING SCARED.

AT LAST HE SURRENDERED TO HIS OBSESSION. CANCELING HIS NEGOTIATIONS TO PURCHASE A LARGE HOUSE IN BUSY PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, HE BEGAN TO SEEK A PLACE WHERE HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE SAFE. HIS PURSUIT BECAME SO INTENSE THAT HE SET ASIDE ALL HIS WORK WHILE SCHEMING AND PLANNING EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS TO PROTECT HIS CHILDREN FROM HARM. HE TRIED TO IMAGINE THE PRESENCE OF DANGER IN EVERYTHING. THE LOCATION OF THE RESIDENCE WAS CRITICAL. IT MUST BE SIZABLE AND REMOTE, SO HE BOUGHT TWELVE ACRES PERCHED ON A MOUNTAIN AT THE END OF A LONG, WINDING, NARROW ROAD. AT THE TURN ALONG THE ROAD HE POSTED SIGNS, “CHILDREN AT PLAY.” BEFORE STARTING CONSTRUCTION ON THE HOUSE ITSELF, ZORTHIAN PERSONALLY BUILT AND FENCED A PLAYGROUND FOR HIS THREE CHILDREN. HE BUILT IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CAR TO GET WITHIN FIFTY FEET OF IT.

NEXT, THE HOUSE. WITH METICULOUS CARE HE BLENDED BEAUTY AND SAFETY INTO THE PLACE. HE PUT INTO IT VARIOUS SHADES OF THE DESIGNS HE HAD CONCENTRATED IN THE MURALS HE HAD HANGING IN FORTY-TWO PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN EASTERN CITIES. ONLY THIS TIME HIS OBJECTIVE WAS MORE THAN COLORFUL ART—MOST OF ALL, IT HAD TO BE SAFE AND SECURE. HE MADE SURE OF THAT. FINALLY, THE GARAGE WAS TO BE BUILT. ONLY ONE AUTOMOBILE EVER DROVE INTO THAT GARAGE—ZORTHIAN’S.

HE STOOD BACK AND SURVEYED EVERY POSSIBILITY OF DANGER TO HIS CHILDREN. HE COULD ONLY THINK OF ONE REMAINING HAZARD. HE HAD TO BACK OUT OF THE GARAGE. HE MIGHT, IN SOME HURRIED MOMENT, BACK OVER ONE OF THE CHILDREN. HE IMMEDIATELY MADE PLANS FOR A PROTECTED TURNAROUND. THE CONTRACTOR RETURNED AND SET THE FORMS FOR THAT ADDITIONAL AREA, BUT BEFORE THE CEMENT COULD BE POURED, A DOWNPOUR STOPPED THE PROJECT. IT WAS THE FIRST RAINFALL IN MANY WEEKS OF A LONG WEST COAST DROUGHT.

IF IT HAD NOT RAINED THAT WEEK, THE CONCRETE TURNAROUND WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND BEEN IN USE BY SUNDAY. THAT WAS FEBRUARY 9, 1947—THE DAY HIS EIGHTEEN-MONTH OLD SON, TIRAN, SQUIRMED AWAY FROM HIS SISTER’S GRASP AND RAN IN BACK OF HIS CAR AS HE BACKED OUT OF THE GARAGE. HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY.

NEED

WHAT A TRAGEDY! HE LIVED IN THE AWFUL FEAR OF WHAT FINALLY BECAME REALITY IN HIS LIFE. SOME OF US CAN IDENTIFY WITH HIM. WE ARE FACING THE VERY THING THAT HAS HAUNTED US FOR YEARS AND QUITE FRANKLY, WE DON’T KNOW WHERE TO TURN AND WE FEEL LIKE THROWING UP OUR HANDS AND THROWING IN THE TOWEL.

WELL, YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO FEEL THIS SENSE OF FEAR LOSS AND ANGER. IN THE FIFTH CENTURY B.C. A GROUP OF ISRAELITES EXPERIENCED A TRAGEDY OF THEIR OWN. BECAUSE OF SIN, GOD WAS JUDGING THEIR COUNTRY AND THIS UNFORTUNATE GROUP OF JEWS WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO BE CAPTURED AND TAKEN AS SLAVES TO BABYLON. THEY WERE DEVASTATED AND EVEN FELT SINGLED OUT BY GOD BECAUSE, WHILE THEIR COUNTRYMEN STILL ENJOYED THE COMFORTS OF HOME, THEY WERE SENT TO A FOREIGN LAND. ONE OF MEMBER OF THE GROUP DESCRIBED HOW THEY ALL FELT BY WRITING WHAT WE KNOW AS PSALM 137. EUGENE PETERSON RENDERS THAT PSALM THIS WAY IN HIS PARAPHRASE:

Alongside Babylon’s rivers

we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,

remembering the good old days in Zion.

Alongside the quaking aspens

we stacked our unplayed harps;

That’s where our captors demanded songs,

sarcastic and mocking:

“Sing us a happy Zion song!”

Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song

in this wasteland?

If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,

let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.

Let my tongue swell and turn black

if I fail to remember you,

If I fail, oh dear Jerusalem,

to honor you as my greatest.

God, remember those Edomites,

and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,

That day they yelled out,

“Wreck it, smash it to bits!”

And you, Babylonians—ravagers!

A reward to whoever gets back at you

for all you’ve done to us;

Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies

and smashes their heads on the rocks!

CAN YOU HEAR THE DESPAIR IN THEIR VOICES? CAN YOU SENSE THE INTENSITY OF THEIR ANGER AT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM? CAN YOU FEEL THE FEAR THAT GRIPS THEIR HEARTS AS THEY ANTICIPATE A FUTURE WITH NO PROMISE AND WONDER WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM? MOST OF ALL CAN YOU HEAR THE UNSPOKEN QUESTION THAT HOUNDS THEIR HEART? YOU KNOW THE QUESTION BECAUSE IT IS THE QUESTION THAT ALWAYS RISES FROM THE PAINFUL SOIL OF TRAGEDY: WHERE IS GOD IN ALL OF THIS? WHY HAS HE LET THIS HAPPEN? HOW CAN I TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS TROUBLE?

WELL, GOD HEARD THEIR CRY AND HE ANSWERED THEIR QUESTION. HE SENT JEREMIAH THE PROPHET WITH A MESSAGE FOR THE CAPTIVES OF BABYLON. AND THAT SAME MESSAGE CAN BE APPLIED TO YOU IN YOUR TROUBLE. HIS MESSAGE IS FOUND IN JEREMIAH 29:10:

For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

GOD SENDS TO HIS WEEPING, QUESTIONING CHILDREN A PROMISE, AND THAT PROMISE REVEALS TO THEM HOW THEY CAN TRUST GOD WHEN THEIR WORLD IS CRUMBLING. AND IN THIS PASSAGE YOU CAN FIND SOME ANSWERS AS WELL. HOW CAN YOU TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE? THIS PASSAGE GIVES US 4 REASONS WHY YOU CAN TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE. YOU CAN TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE BECAUSE

STATEMENT 1: GOD’S PLANS ARE ASSURED BY GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR SUFFERING EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE TAKEN CAPTIVE; EVEN THOUGH THEY FELT UTTERLY REJECTED; EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMED LIKE GOD HAD WRITTEN THEM OFF AND SINGLED THEM OUT FOR SPECIAL PUNISHMENT BY SENDING THEM INTO CAPTIVITY FIRST, GOD REVEALS TO THEM THAT HE STILL HAS “PLANS FOR THEM.” NOTICE VERSE 11 -“FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU. . .” THE NIV RENDERS THIS: “FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.” GOD IS SAYING, IN ESSENCE, “I HAVEN’T WRITTEN YOU OFF. YOU MAY THINK THAT I HAVE FORSAKEN YOU, BUT THAT’S ISN’T TRUE. I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.”

I’LL TELL YOU, WHEN YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE, YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT DON’T YOU? YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT GOD IS THINKING ABOUT YOU. PERHAPS THE GREATEST TEMPTATION OF TROUBLE IS TO BEGIN TO THINK THAT GOD HAS FORGOTTEN US AND THAT THIS TRAGEDY SOMEHOW SLIPPED BY HIM UNNOTICED. WHAT A COMFORT TO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS STILL THINKING ABOUT US AND STILL HAS PLANS FOR US WHEN OUR WORLDS ARE COMING APART.

AND IT’S NOT THAT GOD JUST HAS PLANS FOR OUR LIVES. HE’S NOT SOME GRAND DREAMER, FOREVER ENVISIONING WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HE CANNOT DELIVER. HE DOESN’T PROMISE A SILK PURSE AND DELIVER A SOW’S EAR. HE DELIVERS WHAT HE PROMISES.

YOU SEE, TROUBLE DOESN’T JUST TEMPT US TO DOUBT GOD’S MEMORY (MAKING US THINK HE HAS FORGOTTEN US), IT TEMPTS US TO DOUBT HIS POWER (MAKING US THINK THAT HE IS JUST AS OUT OF CONTROL OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES AS WE FEEL). FRIEND YOU MAY BE GOING THROUGH TROUBLE TODAY AND IF SO MAY I SAY TO YOU, YOU CAN ONLY TRUST GOD IN TROUBLE IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT HE HAS A SOVEREIGN PLAN HE IS ENACTING IN YOUR LIFE. HIS PLAN FOR YOU IS ASSURED BY HIS SOVEREIGNTY.

ARGUMENTATION:

YOU SAY, “BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, RUSTY. I KNOW GOD HAD A PLAN FOR MY LIFE, BUT I MESSED IT UP. I REFUSED TO GO THE WAY HE WANTED ME TO GO AND I FEEL LIKE THE TROUBLE I AM EXPERIENCING IS SOMETHING I HAVE BROUGHT ON MYSELF. HOW CAN I TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS TROUBLE?”

WELL, IF THAT IS THE CASE WITH YOU, THEN YOU ARE EXACTLY THE KIND OF PERSON WHO NEEDS TO HEAR JEREMIAH 29:11. HEY, IT WASN’T BECAUSE THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH HAD BEEN OBEDIENT THAT GOD HAD SENT THEM INTO CAPTIVITY. NO, THEY HAD MOCKED HIM AND REBELLED AGAINST HIM AND FOLLOWED AFTER IDOLS. SOME OF THE DESCRIPTIONS THE PROPHET JEREMIAH GIVES OF THE SIN THEY HAD COMMITTED WOULD TURN YOUR STOMACH, BUT STILL GOD SAYS IN THIS VERSE, “I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.” HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? HOW CAN GOD SAY TO A REBELLIOUS PEOPLE, “I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU?”

I’LL TELL YOU HOW: IT’S BECAUSE THE SAME GOD WHO HAD CREATED THEM; THE SAME GOD WHO HAD CALLED HIM HIS PEOPLE WHEN THEY DIDN’T DESERVE IT; THE SAME GOD WHO HAD WATCHED HIS WILL VIOLATED BY THE VERY FREE WILL HE HAD GIVEN THEM WAS THE SAME GOD WHO WAS NOW AT WORK IN THEIR LIVES SENDING THEM INTO THE VERY CAPTIVITY WHICH WOULD FOREVER TURN THEM FROM IDOLATRY BACK TO HIM. GOD SOVEREIGNLY SENT INTO THEIR LIVES THE VERY CONDITIONS THAT WOULD BE USED TO DRAW THEM BACK TO HIM, AND HE DOES THE SAME THING IN YOUR LIFE, IF YOU ARE HIS CHILD. 2 PETER 2:9 SAYS “ . . . THE LORD KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER THE GODLY OUT OF TEMPTATIONS AND TO RESERVE THE UNJUST UNDER PUNISHMENT FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.” YES, YOU MAY HAVE BROUGHT THIS TROUBLE ON YOURSELF, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, GOD STILL HAS A SOVEREIGN PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE AND MAYBE THE VERY TROUBLE YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IS HIS SOVEREIGN HAND RETURNING YOU TO THE CENTER OF HIS WILL.

WHEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE YOU NEED TO REMEMBER AND NEVER FORGET: GOD STILL HAS A PLAN FOR YOU AND THAT PLAN IS ASSURED BY HIS SOVEREIGNTY.

ILLUSTRATION

HE HAD SERVED ON THE SEAS SSINCE HE WAS ELEVEN YEARS OLD. HIS FATHER, AN ENGLISH SHIPMASTER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, TOOK HIM ABOARD AND TRAINED HIM WELL FOR A LIFE IN THE ROYAL NAVY.

YET WHAT JOHN GAINED IN EXPERIENCE, HE LACKED IN DISCIPLINE. HE MOCKED AUTHORITY. RAN WITH THE WRONG CROWD. INDULGED IN SINFUL WAYS OF A SAILOR. ALTHOUGH HIS TRAINING WHOULD HAVE QUALIFIED HIM TO SERVE AS AN OFFICER, HIS BEHAVIOR CAUSED HIM TO BE FLOGGED AND DEMOTED.

IN HIS EARLY TWENTIES, HE MADE HIS WAY TO AFRICA, WHERE HE BECAME INTRIGUED WITH THE LUCRATIVE SLAVE TRADE. AT AGE 21, HE MADE HIS LIVING ON THE GREHYOUND, A SLAVE SHIP CROSSING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

JOHN RIDICULED THE MORAL AND PODED FUN AT THE RELIGIOUS. HE EVEN MADE JOKES ABOUT A BOOK THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY HELP RESHAPE HIS LIFE: THEIMITATION OF CHRIST. IN FACT, HE WAS DEGRADING THAT BOOK A FEW HOURS BEFORE HIS SHIP SAILED INTO AN ANGRY STORM.

THAT NIGHT THE WAVES PUMMELED THE GREYHOUND, SPINNING THE SHIP ONE MINUTE ON THE TOP EO A WAVE. PLUNGING HER THE NEXT INTO A WARTERY VALLEY.

JOHN AWAKENED TO FIND HIS CABIN FILLED WITH WATER. A SID OF THE GREYHOUND HAD COLLAPSED. ORDINARILY SUCH DAMAGE WOULD HAVE SENT A SHIP TO THE BOTTOM IN A MATTER OF MINIUTES. THE GREYHOUND, HOWEVER, WAS CARRYING BUOYANT CARGO AND REMAINED AFLOAT.

JOHN WORKED AT THE PUMPS ALL NIGHT. FOR NINE HOURS, HE AND THE OTHER SAILORS STRUGGLED TO KEEP THE SHIP FROM SINKING. BUT HE KNEW THAT IT WAS A LOSING CAUSE. FINALLY, WHEN HIS HOPES WERE MORE BATTERED THAN THE VESSEL, HE THREW HIMSELF ON THE SALTWATER-SOAKED DECK AND PLEADED, “IF THIS WILL NOT DO, THEN LORD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL.”

JOHN DIDN’T DESERVE MERCY, BUT HE RECEIVED IT. THE GREYHOUND AND HER CREW SURVIVED.

JOHN NEVER FORGOT GOD’S MERCY SHOWN ON THAT TEMPTESTUOUS DAY IN THE ROARING ATLANTIC. HE RETURNED TO ENDLAND WHERE HE BECAME A PROLIFIC COMPOSER, WRITING SONGS LIKE:

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THESOUND,

THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME!

I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND

WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

A YEAR OR TWO BEFORE HIS DEAATH, PEOPLE URGED HIM TO GIVE UP PREACHING BECAUSE OF HIS FAILING SIGHT. “WHAT!” HE EXPLAINED. “SHALL THE OLD AFRICAN BLASPHEMER STOP WHILE HE CAN YET SPEAK.”

O, I TELL YOU, GOD KNOWS HOW TO BRING EACH OF US RIGHT TO THE PLACE HE WANTS US TO BE. HE NEVER VIOLATES OUR WILL AND IF WE CHOOSE TO GO TO HELL AGAINST ALL THAT HE DOES, WE CAN STILL GO THERE, BUT I TELL YOU GOD KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER THE GODLY FROM TEMPTATION. HE KNOWS THE PLANS HE HAS FOR US AND HE KNOWS HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THEM.

APPLICATION

BUT I DARE SAY SOME OF YOU ARE FEELING THIS MORNING LIKE GOD HAS FORGOTTEN YOU. FOR SOME OF YOU IT’S A FAILED MARRAIGE. WHEN YOUR SPOUSE LEFT, YOUR WHOLE WORLD CRUMBLED AND NOW YOU DON’T KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN. FOR SOME OF YOU YOUR BUSINESS IS FAILING OR YOU MAY HAVE LOST A JOB AND YOU THINK GOD DOESN’T SEE.

FOR SOME YOU’VE LOST YOUR KIDS. YOU WERE GOOD PARENTS, BUT SOMEHOW THINGS HAVEN’T TURNED OUT LIKE YOU HOPED AND NOW YOU’RE ASKING ALL THE “WHERE IS GOD” QUESTIONS AND YOU FEEL ABSOLUTELY FORSAKEN.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM THIS MORNING? YES, HE’S SPEAKING IF YOU WILL LISTEN. THE GENTLE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT IS WHISPERING THE MESSAGE GOD WANTS TO SPEAK RIGHT INTO THE EARS OF YOUR SOUL. HE’S SAYING, “I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU. I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.” YOU SEE THIS STATEMENT IS A CHALLENGE OF FAITH. YOU’VE BEEN LIVING IN DOUBT, BUT TODAY YOU NEED TO ANSWER, “LORD, I BELIEVE. LORD I KNOW YOU ARE IN CONTROL. LORD I TRUST YOU, EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TROUBLE.”

YOU CAN TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE BECAUSE HIS PLANS ARE ASSURED BY HIS SOVEREIGNTY. BUT YOU CAN ALSO TRUST GOD IN TROUBLE BECAUSE

STATEMENT 2 - GOD’S PLANS ARE INSPIRED BY HIS GOODNESS

NOW WHEN I MAKE THAT STATEMENT SOME OF YOU MAY FEEL LIKE SOME OF THOSE CAPTIVES MAY HAVE FELT WHEN THEY HEARD THESE WORDS. LOOK AT WHAT GOD SAYS HE HAS PLANNED FOR THE CAPTIVES OF BABYLON: “FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU, SAYS THE LORD, THOUGHTS OF PEACE AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE.”

THOSE WORDS MUST HAVE BEEN TO SOME LIKE A VERBAL SLAP IN THE FACE. HERE, GOD SAYS HE HAS PLANS OF PEACE BUT THEY ARE THE VERY TROPHIES OF WAR; HERE GOD PROMISES THEM HOPE, BUT IN THE PREVIOUS VERSES THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD SETTLE DOWN IN BABYLON AND BUILD HOUSES BECAUSE THEY WILL BE CAPTIVE FOR SEVENTY YEARS; HERE GOD PROMISES THEM A FUTURE BUT ALMOST ALL OF THOSE WHO HEARD THESE WORDS WOULD DIE IN CAPTIVITY, NEVER MAKING IT BACK TO JUDAH. SURELY, GOD’S PROMISES MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE A CRUEL JOKE TO THEM.

AND THAT MAY BE WHAT GOD’S PROMISE SEEMS LIKE TO YOU: IT MAY SEEM LIKE A CRUEL JOKE TO THINK THAT AFTER EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE, GOD STILL HAS A PLAN FOR YOU. AND, YOU SEE, THAT IS THE SECOND GREATEST TEMPTATION OF TROUBLE: IT IS THE TEMPTATION TO DOUBT THE GOODNESS OF GOD, FOR HOW COULD A GOOD GOD DO WHAT GOD HAS ALLOWED IN YOUR LIFE.

WELL, LET ME SAY THAT YOUR VIEW OF THE GOODNESS OF GOD WILL DEPEND UPON THE VIEW THAT YOU TAKE OF LIFE. IF WE TAKE A SHORT-TERM VIEW OF OUR TROUBLE AND SIMPLY FOCUS ON OUR DESIRES, YES IT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE THAT WE WILL HAVE TROUBLE BELIEVING IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD. BUT IF WE TAKE THE LONG VIEW. IF WE SEE WHAT GOD IS UP TO ON THE INSIDE OF US AND DETERMINE TO ALLOW HIM TO HAVE HIS WAY IN US REFUSING TO DOUBT HIS GOODNESS, WE WILL FIND HIM TO BE GOOD. IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE, AGAIN IT COMES DOWN TO FAITH. WE MUST BELIEVE THE GOODNESS OF GOD EVEN WHEN WE DON’T FEEL LIKE WE ARE EXPERIENCING IT. IT’S SOMETIMES HARD TO FEEL CONNECTED TO HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR PAIN, AND YET, OUR PAIN OFTEN SERVES A PURPOSE

ILL.

ONE MAN WROTE, “I LEARNED A HIGH APPRECIATION FOR PAIN'S WARNING FUNCTION WHILE COLLABORATING ON THREE BOOKS WITH DR. PAUL BRAND, THE MISSIONARY SURGEON WHO DISCOVERED THAT ALL THE DISFIGUREMENT THAT MAKES LEPROSY SUCH A DREADED DISEASE TRACES BACK TO THE LOSS OF PAIN SENSATION. THEOLOGIANS BLITHELY ATTRIBUTE PAIN TO THE FALL, IGNORING THE MARVELOUS DESIGN FEATURES OF THE PAIN SYSTEM. EVERY SQUARE MILLIMETER OF THE BODY HAS A DIFFERENT SENSITIVITY TO PAIN, SO THAT A SPECK OF DIRT MAY CAUSE EXCRUCIATING PAIN IN THE VULNERABLE EYE WHEREAS IT WOULD GO UNREPORTED ON THE TOUGH EXTREMITIES. INTERNAL ORGANS SUCH AS THE BOWELS AND KIDNEYS HAVE NO RECEPTORS THAT WARN AGAINST CUTTING OR BURNING—DANGERS THEY NORMALLY DO NOT FACE—BUT SHOW EXQUISITE SENSITIVITY TO DISTENSION. WHEN ORGANS SUCH AS THE HEART DETECT DANGER BUT LACK RECEPTORS, THEY BORROW OTHERS' PAIN CELLS ("REFERRED PAIN"), WHICH IS WHY HEART ATTACK VICTIMS OFTEN REPORT PAIN IN THE SHOULDER OR ARM. THE PAIN SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY RAMPS UP HYPERSENSITIVITY TO PROTECT AN INJURED PART (EXPLAINING WHY A SORE THUMB ALWAYS SEEMS IN THE WAY) AND TURNS DOWN THE VOLUME IN THE FACE OF EMERGENCIES (SOLDIERS OFTEN REPORT NO PAIN FROM A WOUND IN THE COURSE OF BATTLE, ONLY AFTERWARDS). PAIN SERVES US SUBLIMINALLY AS WELL: SENSORS MAKE US BLINK SEVERAL TIMES A MINUTE TO LUBRICATE OUR EYES AND SHIFT OUR LEGS AND BUTTOCKS TO PREVENT PRESSURE SORES. PAIN IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE THE BODY CAN USE TO DRAW ATTENTION TO SOMETHING IMPORTANT.”

ARGUMENTATION

MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION? ARE YOU IN PAIN? HAS HE ALLOWED YOU TO LOSE SOMETHING VERY PRECIOUS TO YOU? MAYBE YOU’D SAY, “RUSTY I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOOD AFTER WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. YOU MAY TRY TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE, BUT I’M JUST NOT GOING TO BELIEVE IT.”

YOU SEE, TROUBLE ALWAYS OFFERS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BLAME GOD AND STRIKE OUT ON OUR OWN, BUT WE QUICKLY DISCOVER THAT STRIKING OUT ON OUR OWN IS REALLY NO SOLUTION. LIFE IS QUICKLY REDUCED TO ONE OF TWO CHOICES. EITHER THERE IS NO PERSONAL GOD AND OUR LIVES AND THE UNIVERSE IS MEANINGLESS OR THERE IS A PERSONAL GOD WHO IS SO FAR BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION THAT I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND ALL OF HIS WORKINGS.”

MAYBE YOU’RE CONSIDERING A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE THIS MORNING. MAYBE YOU’VE REACHED THE POINT IN THE BITTERNESS OF YOUR PAIN THAT YOU FEEL LIKE SHAKING YOUR FIST IN GOD’S FACE AND TURNING AWAY FROM HIM JUST TO MAKE A POINT. LET ME ASK YOU, WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO? TO WHAT WILL YOU TURN WHEN YOU TURN AWAY FROM GOD?

SOME WILL SAY, “I’LL TURN TO DRUGS.” I SAY, “GO AHEAD, BUT YOU WILL NOT FIND ANY RELIEF THERE!” YOU MAY SAY, “I’LL TURN TO ALCOHOL.” BUT YOUR MOMENTARY BUZZ WILL BRING YOU NO LASTING JOY. SOMEONE MIGHT SAY, “I’LL TURN TO SEX.” BUT THE PHYSICAL PLEASURE OF AN ILLICIT AFFAIR WILL BRING YOU NO PEACE. YOU MIGHT SAY, “I’LL TURN TO MATERIALISM,” BUT ENOUGH WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. YOU SAY, “WELL, I’LL JUST TURN TO ANOTHER RELIGION.” BUT YOU’LL FIND NO TRUTH. ONLY JESUS CAN SATISFY YOUR SOUL!” THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE TO TURN.

O LISTEN, I KNOW YOUR PAIN MAY BE GREAT. I KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW MAYBE THE IDEA OF A GOOD GOD SEEMS LIKE A MOCKERY, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU: GOD IS GOOD! GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE WHEN IT CAME TIME TO SAVE MAN OR LET HIM SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS OWN BAD CHOICES, GOD IN MERCY REACHED DOWN WITH TEAR-STAINED CHEEKS AND AND BLOOD STAINED HANDS AND LIFTED US UP. GOD IS GOOD!

APPLICATION

THE ONLY QUESTION IS, DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOOD? ONLY AN UNSHAKABLE FAITH IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD WILL EVER SUSTAIN YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLE. IF GOD ISN’T GOOD, THERE IS NO HOPE. BUT IF GOD IS GOOD EVEN YOUR PRESENT PAIN IS SIMPLY A PRELUDE TO EVEN GREATER BLESSING.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I AM OF THE OPINION THAT ACT OF FAITH DOES NOT BEGIN WITH OUR EMOTIONS. IT BEGINS IN OUR WILL. WE LOOK AROUND US AND ALL THE SIGNS POINT TO DISASTER. WE FEEL LIKE WE’RE ABOUT TO BE SWALLOWED UP AND THAT GOD HAS FORGOTTEN US. IT IS IN THOSE MOMENTS THAT I BELIEVE, THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD GIVES US THE ABILITY TO MAKE A DECISION. SOME WOULD CALL IT A LEAP OF FAITH. WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, IT IS SIMPLY A DECISION OF THE WILL TO BELIEVE GOD INSPITE OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. TO SAY WITH JOB THOUGH HE SLAY ME STILL I WILL TRUST HIM!

VISUALIZATION

HANGING IN AN ART GALLERY YOU FIND A PICTURE THAT SUMMARIZES THIS MESSAGE SO WELL. FRAMED THERE YOU SEE A MOUNTAIN SCENE OF GREAT PEACE AND TRANQUILITY, BUT THE STILLNESS OF NATURE IS ABRUPTLY CONTRASTED TO A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY, FOR IN THE CLEARING IS WHAT USED TO BE A LOG CABIN. ONLY NOW ALL THAT REMAINS IS A BRICK CHIMNEY. BLACKENED RUINS STILL SMOLDER REVEALING THE FIRE THAT OCCURRED THE NIGHT BEFORE. TWO FIGURES ARE PICTURED VIEWING THIS TRAGIC SCENE. AN OLDER MAN OBVIOUSLY A GRANDFATHER STANDS THERE IN HIS NIGHT CLOTHES WITH HIS ARM AROUND A BOY. THE BOY STANDS THERE CLUTCHING A PATCHED PAIR OF OVERALLS, OBVIOUSLY THE ONLY OF HIS POSSESSIONS SPARED BY THE HEARTLESS FLAMES. BIG TEARS ARE ROLLING DOWN HIS CHEEKS AND DEVASTATION IS WRITTEN ALL OVER HIS FACE. THE CAPTION OF THE PAINTING CAPTURES THE COMFORT THE GRANDFATHER IS BRINGING TO THAT DEVASTATED LITTLE BOY. IT READS: “HUSH CHILD! GOD AIN’T DEAD!”

SOME OF US HAVE BEEN LIVING AS IF THAT PICTURE WERE A LIE! WE’VE BEEN LIVING AS IF GOD IS DEAD, BECAUSE OUR TROUBLE HAS MADE IT SEEM TO US AS IF HE IS. BUT TODAY, IN FRONT OF YOU STANDS THE LIVING CHRIST. HE OPENS HIS ARMS AND HE WANTS TO PULL YOU INTO HIS CHEST AND WHISPER IN YOUR EAR, “HUSH CHILD! I’M NOT DEAD!” I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU. I’M IN CONTROL AND MY SOVEREIGNTY IS YOUR GUARANTEE THAT I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. MY PLANS ARE INSPIRED BY MY GOODNESS. I WILL GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE. HUSH CHILD! I’M NOT DEAD. WILL YOU BOW YOUR HEADS.

APPEAL:

1. THOSE WHO, IN REBELLION, HAVE REJECTED GOD’S PLAN AND TAKEN A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

‒ REPENT AND RETURN TO FAITH.

2. THOSE WHO ARE CONFUSED AND ARE LOSING FAITH.

– RECOMMIT THEMSELVES TO FOLLOW CHRIST

3. THOSE WHO KNOW GOD’S PLAN FOR THEIR LIFE, BUT THEY’VE BEEN FIGHTING IT BECAUSE THEY DON’T TRUST GOD TO PULL IT OFF.

‒ STOP FIGHTING GOD AND SURRENDER

4. THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER TRUSTED GOD’S PLAN. DIDN’T REALLY KNOW HE HAD ONE.

‒ COME TO RECEIVE CHRIST

5. THOSE WHO KNOW THAT GOD’S PLAN INCLUDES THEIR WORK IN THIS CONGREGATION

‒ COME FOR MEMBERSHIP

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