Tag: resilience

Hold Onto Faith (Job 26:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Job, by Gonzalo Carrasco (1860-1936)

Then Job replied:

“How you have helped the powerless!
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?

“The dead are in deep anguish,
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
The realm of the dead is naked before God;
    Destruction lies uncovered.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
    for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake,
    aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;
    by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper we hear of him!
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” (New International Version)

Sarcasm is a form of criticism. Criticism is a form of anger. Job was angry at his “friends.” Namely, because they had proved themselves to be not very good companions.

Job needed comfort and consolation, not hellfire sermons about his being sinful. Because, in fact, he had not sinned. His intense pain and suffering were not a punishment from God, as the prologue to the story of Job makes clear. (Job 1:1-22)

But neither Job nor his friends knew what was going on behind the scenes in the cosmic court of heaven.

Job only knew he was getting a lot of undeserved tragedy. And Job’s friends only knew that he was suffering terribly.

Job didn’t know how to interpret his situation. Job’s friends misinterpreted his situation as condemnation from the Lord.

Thus, Job became exasperated and angry. Job’s friends became the ignoramuses of ancient history.

Job was certainly no ignoramus. He knew what it meant to be right with God – which was why he was so doggone confused and confounded as to why he felt abandoned by God. Job knew his suffering wasn’t a result of unfaithfulness.

The biblical character Job came face to face with the reality that good people suffer, too.

The friends of Job kept reiterating how unworthy and sinful people are; and that Job must be especially sinful to be experiencing such trouble. And, of course, Job found this line of reasoning asinine.

The majesty of God, as Job understood it, is much greater and higher than his supposed friends could ever imagine. The dead know this better than anyone. Job himself was nearly dead, and so, he seems to see some things more clearly from his perspective of abject suffering.

Job’s observations of creation are profound reflections of God’s greatness and sovereignty in the world. His faith rested firmly with God alone, as Creator and Sustainer of the universe. So, he looked beyond the water and the clouds to heaven above.

Even in the realms we humans cannot see, God has authority and power over angelic beings. We cannot fathom the breadth and depth and extent of God’s reach and knowledge of all things. Indeed, humanity only observes a mere fraction of God’s rule and reign. And we barely know anything in comparison to God’s wisdom and knowledge.

In other words, our incredible God is so mighty and wondrous that it is incomprehensible to us.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33, NIV)

God is big, to the point that only the fringes of God’s robe can fit inside the temple:

I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1, NIV)

Although Job was flummoxed as to why God was silent and allowed suffering to happen, Job nevertheless had a majestic view of God which remained intact.

And, what’s more, Job seems to have gained an even more expansive view of God through his awful experience of suffering in both body and soul. In other words, Job got to know God better, and not for worse, because of his terrible situation.

Satan certainly meant to upend Job and cause him to renounce his faith; but God meant it all, ironically, for good.

Even though Job’s words about God appear similar to the words of his friends, they come from a very different place.

It’s one thing to talk of God’s majesty, sovereignty, and power when everything is going okay for you in your life. But it is an altogether different thing whenever your life has unraveled and distress is what you eat for breakfast.

To affirm God’s inherent power and goodness, smack in the middle of grinding hardship and ill health – and truly mean it – is the genuine article of faith.

Authentic faith is resilient and gains strength when tested and tried. Bogus faith crumbles like burnt toast when it is put through the fire.

True faith is always connected to hope and love. False faith evaporates and becomes nihilistic and hateful in the face of hellish circumstances.

Real faith perseveres through suffering, knowing that God is good, no matter what. Skin deep faith is herky-jerky, vacillating between confidence and doubt.

The only way for faith to be shown as real or fake is in the crucible of suffering. How we handle the adverse situations of life demonstrates where our faith is truly placed.

Satan’s statement to God was that Job’s faith would be shown to be a mere façade because God had blessed him with health, wealth, and family.

Satan was wrong. God was right. However, we may wonder about what Job thought of all this, once the suffering subsided.

I don’t know about Job. I can only speak for myself. I won’t list the long litany of trials and tribulations I have personally encountered in my life, and those I am facing presently. Yet, I will say that each of my experiences have taught me something important about God; and those hard experiences have changed and strengthened my faith in ways I could not have imagined.

Although I would never want to go through all of the past adversity again, I would not change a thing in my life. Because each of my experiences were formative in making me the person I am today – full of robust faith in God and confident in the Lord, no matter the circumstances.

Strengthen us, O Lord, by your grace, so that through your mighty power we may overcome all spiritual enemies, and with pure hearts serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Remember Passover (Deuteronomy 16:1-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Exodus, by Yoram Raanan

Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.

You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. Roast it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work. (New International Version)

The first five books of the Old Testament are known by Christians as the Pentateuch. These same books are the Torah in Judaism. Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book; it is a restatement of God’s Law for the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land.

Several prominent theological themes are highlighted in the book of Deuteronomy. It vigorously advocates for exclusive loyalty to the monotheistic God, Yahweh. Yahweh is characterized as a transcendent Being, full of steadfast love and transformative justice.

Deuteronomy places significant emphasis upon the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The covenant was established with the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – and affirmed at Mount Sinai after the exodus from Egypt, at the giving of the Law. This Law was graciously provided by God for the people; it is encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, and is to be reaffirmed as soon as Israel enters the land.

Moses receiving the Tablets of Law, by Marc Chagall, 1963

Therefore, the entire book of Deuteronomy looks forward toward a new existence in the Promised Land. This new society is to pursue justice and be devoted to righteousness. All Israel is to live in harmony with God and one another, enjoying the land and the covenant relationship.

The welfare of Israel depends upon upholding and maintaining the social and religious laws given by Yahweh. God’s commands are a divine gift, and if closely followed, will be the best humanitarian way of caring for the poor and disadvantaged, as well as bringing the people close to Yahweh.

The sacrificial system will revolve around a singular sanctuary in the religious capital. By locating sacrifices in a particular place, this has the effect of Jewish faith not becoming dependent on offerings, but instead on mercy, love, learning the law, and rituals that uphold reverence for God.

Perhaps the greatest of all the rituals is Passover. Israel’s experience of deliverance at the Red Sea and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem is remembered and celebrated at the festival of Passover every year.

In the original Passover, at the time of the exodus, the blood of a sacrificed lamb was smeared on the doorposts of each Jewish home. In doing this, it let the angel of death know to “pass over” that house, thereby only entering Egyptian homes that did not revere nor recognize God. This act was also the final miraculous act of ten plagues leveled on Egypt.

And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt, by Arthur Hacker, 1897

As the households of Egypt were grieving their dead, Israel was urged by the Egyptians to get out. Egypt feared what would happen if the Israelites remained. Therefore, Israel left post haste. They didn’t have any time for their bread to rise. The people ate unleavened bread so they could immediately leave Egypt.

So, from then on, every year in early Spring, Israel commemorates and remembers God’s deliverance of the people from slavery. God, through Moses, instructed the Israelites to mark Aviv as the first month; it is then that the Passover festival is to occur.

I believe that what we can takeaway from this Scripture, is that perhaps, we ought to stop trying to always have takeaways for everything – as if the Bible can be boiled down to some neat personal application for my life.

Aside from admitting I’ve had a bit of a cynical streak lately, we really must contend with seasons like Passover and Lent, and matters such as social justice and religious worship. These religious seasons are important enough to warrant what the late Eugene Peterson called “a long obedience in the same direction.”

By that phrase, Peterson meant that there are some spiritual practices that we must commit ourselves to year after year, even day after day, for the rest of our lives. Generations before did, and generations after us will need to, as well.

Spiritual growth and maturity take time; and we must patiently and consistently cultivate a sense of justice and a practice of righteousness over and over again.

Passover Seder, by Melita Kraus

One must fight for what they believe, each and every day. Spiritual growth takes a lot of time, grit, tenacity, and resilience. It requires patience and grace, perseverance and a good nature. And it is very much a skill which demands daily practice.

Contemporary society is obsessed with quick fixes and easy solutions. But the time-tested practices of Lent, rooted in the remembrances of Passover, are a Christian discipleship that is long on obedience in the same well-worn ancient directions.

We need to keep moving in the directions of deepening a life of prayer, learning the joy of service, growing in the worship of God, and discovering the virtues of humility and a concern for the welfare of everyone in the community.

In other words, to truly observe something, we need to do it, over and over, year after year. In observing the significant events and dates and seasons of the Christian Year, we can find the sort of spiritual support that will fortify our soul, and bless others.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make within us new and contrite hearts, so that we may acknowledge our guilt and lament our shame. Let us obtain from you, O merciful God, reconciliation through the Cross, and empowerment through the Spirit, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

Change and Stress (Acts 27:1-12)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. (New International Version)

Change is an emotionally charged word. For some, change is longed for. Those with adverse circumstances and difficult situations may look for change, and even for a miracle to turn their life around. Others want nothing to do with change; they’ve had a bad experience with it. Their fortunes were good, until something changed. And now they’re stressed out.

The majority of us have some sort of love/hate relationship with change – which is why there are people who look askance on Christianity and raise their eyebrow in skepticism toward Christians or religious folk in general. At the heart of Christianity is change, and change can be quite threatening toward a lot of people.

The Apostle Paul perhaps knew about change better than any Christian in history. He went from resisting change with violence, to embracing change so wholeheartedly that he became a victim of other’s violence. We meet him in today’s New Testament lesson as a prisoner being shipped from Palestine to Rome.

Paul’s message, at its core, is the good news of transformation because of Christ’ crucifixion and resurrection. It’s a message of radical and joyous change, of new life. And it’s also a scandalous message which impacts the surrounding culture.

Wherever the gospel of Jesus Christ went, people responded, and it influenced society to a significant degree. Throughout the Acts of the Apostles, political authorities, religious leaders, and cultural elites felt powerful shifts in their societies. Yes, a few became Christians themselves, but most resisted the change, and in some cases, in their irritated stress response, retaliated against believers.

The message of Christianity doesn’t yield to political forces that attempt to domesticate God; and that reality put many believers in the crosshairs of those forces.

Paul’s ability to keep up his witness to Christ, even while held prisoner under powerful Roman authority, comes from a theology that God is above all earthly rule and can make a way where there seems to be no way. In other words, no matter whether human institutions, empires, and structures either acquiesce or oppose the gospel makes no difference; God is able to bend any system and authority for divine purposes.

And this is precisely why the Apostle Paul appears calm, non-anxious, and able to encourage others in the center of a storm in which everyone might lose their lives. Put simply: Paul trusted God.

Yes, we have unwanted circumstances. Yet, if we are able to entrust ourselves to a good God (which may sound trite and easy, yet is anything but that) then we find that we’re also able to have a radical acceptance of the situation we’re presently in.

Faith and trust help us to accept difficult changes and respond to stress with resilience because faith is attentive to the following:

  • Knowing change is coming. Throughout the New Testament we are told that adversity and suffering are an integral part of the Christian life. Paul wasn’t caught by surprise with a storm. In his life, he expected the difficulties to come.

You have seen me experience physical abuse and ordeals in places such as Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I put up with all sorts of abuse, and the Lord rescued me from it all! In fact, anyone who wants to live a holy life in Christ Jesus will be harassed. (2 Timothy 3:11-12, CEB)

  • Paying attention to the feelings of self and others. Emotions are not a necessary evil. They play a very important role in helping us come to grips with what’s happening. Paul acknowledged the emotions of everyone on the ship, as well as his own. And this became the pathway to both acceptance and encouragement.

There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens…

a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, CEB)

  • Becoming resilient. The ability to adapt, to find ways of surviving and thriving, is buoyed by a robust faith which can see with spiritual eyes and make decisions of faith, hope, and love.

“When I was born into this world,
    I was naked and had nothing.
When I die and leave this world,
    I will be naked and have nothing.
The Lord gives,
    and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21, ERV)

Stress and change can be hard and overwhelming. Yet, at the same time, it can be an opportunity to put faith into practice and be a blessing to the world.

Assist us, Lord, in living hopefully into the future. In the face of change, help us to set unnecessary fears aside and to recognize our potential for creative response. Help us to develop a reasonable optimism and to guard against our own defensiveness. Be with us as we remember and celebrate former times, and keep us from unreasonable yearning for them, which takes us from the work you have set before us in our time. All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Be Resilient, Not Resistant (Exodus 16:9-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Israelites gather manna in the desert, by Ercole de’ Roberti (1451-1496)

Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. (New International Version)

Despite the grumbling and complaining, the Lord determined to do good, even though the ancient Israelites in the desert were quite unworthy of it. It is to God’s glory to act according to the divine nature of mercy and grace, unlike the mass of humanity.

What’s more, the Lord not only freely gave, but also provided abundantly for the people – and all they had to do was go out and gather what God so mercifully bestowed. No matter what people do or don’t do, the Lord is always true to character, showing steadfast love.

Most of the people responded with obedience to God’s instructions concerning the manna from heaven. Yet, there were still some who ignored the commands, preferring to act with avarice by hoarding the abundance of food gathered.

A miser collects with a stingy attitude and cruel heart; but the Lord takes it away with maggots, moths, or any other creature God calls upon to correct the erring person. An individual is part of a society that is to be concerned for the whole of their citizens.

Whether hoarding or handing out, everyone is meant to move through an unwanted situation or missed expectation with faith and resilience. The following are three simple phrases to keep in mind and practice amidst the complexity of overwhelming circumstances:

Let it be

Accept the situation as it is and not as you want it to be. Embrace the awkward and uncomfortable. Situations, such as wondering where your next meal is coming from, aren’t helped with grumbling. We need to face what is actually in front of us.

Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. (Hebrews 10:33-35, NIV)

Let it go

Difficult feelings and a more than a few unhelpful thoughts pop up for us when experiencing trouble. Try to see the big picture and consider alternative thoughts. Let go of the disobedient thoughts and bitter feelings.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. (Acts 3:19-20, NIV)

Let it in

Open yourself to God’s Spirit, self-compassion, and cut yourself some slack. You are going through a hard thing. Reflect on what you handled well, and also what you could have done differently.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV)

The process – let it be, let it go, and let it in – is a circuitous path and not a neat linear progression. You will get all your needs met, and so, move at pace that works for you, instead of trying to compulsively gather manna at someone else’s anxious pace.

Let grumbling be turned to gratitude, murmuring to mercy, and complaining to consent. This is the path of resilience.

Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.