Friday slowdown

 In the pressure cooker of life, trust our Father God . . . .

Examples and a question

 

We have examples in our Bible of trusting God in times of pressure. In times of stress, there have been those who remembered this psalm and prayed it back to God.

Jonah was under (no pun intended) a great deal of pressure when he cried out to the Lord from the belly of the great fish:

“Those who cling to worthless idols
    turn away from God’s love for them.
 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you." (Jonah 2:8-9a)

Jeremiah was under incredible stress and pressure. His message from God was repeatedly rejected. His life was threatened and he was looking for somewhere to turn.

He made a phrase from the psalm a motto that he often included in his sermons:

Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side. (Jeremiah 6:25)

Their tents and their flocks will be taken;
    their shelters will be carried off
    with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
    ‘Terror on every side!’ (Jeremiah 49:29)

It seems to me that Jeremiah, as others we've studied, was steeped in the Word of God, and I'm sure that the other verses of Psalm 31 were just as real for him; I'm sure that he felt the comfort of God as he trusted in Him.

The scholars don't agree on the authorship of Psalm 71 (it may have been David himself), but whoever he was, he took refuge in the Lord by praying the words of Psalm 31:1-3. Take a moment and turn to Psalm 71 and you will see the text there . . . 

But most importantly, we have the example of our Savior. Jesus meditated on this psalm so often that His final words from the cross were a quote from verse five:

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

Jesus endured the ultimate stress that has ever been yet known in this earth. He was holy, yet He bore the sins of the world, of the wicked and uncaring sinners who rejected Him. He entrusted Himself to the sovereign, personal, compassionate Father. And so must we, in our times of pressure.

There's a quotation from Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China in the mid-to-late 1800's: he said that it didn't matter how great the pressure was . . . "it only matters where the pressure lies. See that it never comes between you and the Lord. Then, the greater the pressure, the more it presses you to His breast."

God's remedy for stress is for us to trust in Him. That is the regulator on the pressure cooker of daily life -- it controls the pressure level; it prevents steam from escaping; and it prevents the cooker from boiling dry.

Do we feel parched sometimes? Do we feel dried out, like we have nothing else to give? 

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants. (Isaiah 44:3)

"but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

Lord, give us that living water, and help us to trust in you daily, in the pressures of life!

Your turn to speak -- can you answer this from your life experiences? Leave a comment if you have something you can share:

How can we increase our faith and trust in God?

If at first . . .

 

You know the refrain . . . try, try again!

Your grandma probably repeated that to you, just as mine repeated it to me.

Keep trying.

Hang in there.

Don't give up.

Like the regulator on the pressure cooker, jiggling back and forth, our determination and our trust will sometimes be stronger, but sometimes be weaker.

We must actively, continually trust in our Father during our times of stress.

Like in the psalm that helped us with fear, this psalm tells us that our response to a situation is not automatic. We are not automatons. We cannot flip a switch and never have a problem again.

David writes about this in his psalm. He gives ringing affirmations of his trust in God. He talks about how God is a rock and a fortress. But he also (verses 8-13) plunges into the depths of despair, only to emerge in verse fourteen with strong faith: 

But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.” (verse 14)

When we read this psalm we see the continuing fight to keep the faith in the midst of David's severe trial. We also see David express disappointment (verse 6) in those who turn to idols. Does this even apply to our lives today? Yes! Many Christians, even long-time believers, who profess to follow God, turn to worldly solutions for their stress. Instead of "walking the walk," they "talk the talk" of following God in the good times -- when the bad times hit, they turn to other possible solutions for their situation. It does seem incredible how quickly we can forget our Father Creator - so many of us are dealing with pressure, but how many of us simply trust Him and commit our lives into His hands?

Remember our analogy, the pressure cooker? That regulator fulfills an important role; as the cooker needs to release steam, we can gently vent the cooker by tilting the "jiggler" to one side. Now, we don't want to just pull it off, and let the steam pour out, unobstructed, all at once! (That actually can cause problems in your food product that you are cooking!)

Letting off steam like that can cause problems in our lives and relationships, too. Venting our feelings of stress and pressure on people around us? Oy vey. Not good.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
    but a wise man quietly holds it back. (Proverbs 29:11, ESV)

It's so easy when we are under pressure to let it out and it can hurt others! Words can harm just as easily as wounds. We must ask for God's strength and trust Him to supply it. We also should ask for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and the words we should say. (If we have already allowed the pressure to vent, we need to ask God's forgiveness, and also ask the person whom we hurt to forgive us, as well.)

David had success as he trusted God. He knew personally how trust in Him could alleviate the pressure he was under. So many verses in our psalm are praise verses! 

How abundant are the good things
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
    on those who take refuge in you. (v 19)

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he showed me the wonders of his love
    when I was in a city under siege. (v 21)

David's praise doesn't necessarily mean that the battle is over. Instead, he has found the strength he needs as he trusts in God. There's nothing in the psalm that indicates the circumstances have changed! The truth of the matter is that David has found the strength faith gives as he has taken refuge in God.

When we begin to rely on God, we must expect assaults from Satan. If we calmly commit ourselves to God's protection, and rely on the firmness and strength that He will provide, we can stand up to the pressure of our circumstances. We can have two kinds of pressure relief - we can "pop off" and be hurtful to those around us, or we can "vent" by expressing our praise to God for His strength and His faithfulness!

Verses that inspire

Have you found sweet peace from a verse or passage recently?

Has a verse inspired you?

Has the Spirit used a verse or a series of verses to convict you of the need for a change?

Or has He helped you in the midst of pressure to have joy?

Leave a comment with the verses that have helped you; it may be that others receive a wonderful blessing from the words that you leave.

A rock of refuge

This week our studies in Psalm 31 continue; we're drawing an analogy between the stresses of our lives and the pressure of a pressure cooker . . . there's a regulator on the cooker that helps control the pressure, prevents the excess steam from escaping, and keeps the cooker from boiling dry. Our trust in God as our refuge helps us control the stresses of life, prevents us from venting too much "steam," and keeps us from "boiling dry," too.

Ready to dig in again?

Several times in our psalm, David speaks of our God as a rock of refuge. He doesn't say we get a free pass; he says we have a regulator. A way to control the intense pressures of life.  We've seen that David lists the attributes of God here, but he also says in verse one that he has taken refuge in our personal God -- he also asks God to be his stronghold:

Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me. (v 2-3)

In verse four, he says again that God is his strength - David is being an example for us in trusting in God, not in his own strength. In verse twenty, he tweaks it a little and says that we can be sheltered in the secret place of God's presence:

In the shelter of your presence you hide them
    from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues. (v 20)

The regulator that controls our stress level is the knowledge that God, while He is the sovereign of the universe, is also a personal God. He is a shelter for His people when they are oppressed. It is in His sovereignty, as well as His personal care, that we can trust. David says to God in verse fifteen that his "times are in Your hand." We can understand more of what he means when we see another time that same Hebrew word is used . . . 

He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning. (Daniel 2:21)

Some believers have this image of heaven in their minds . . . they feel like the angels and God look down from the clouds and are perhaps anxious at what we humans are doing here on earth. Well, I'm here to tell you, our sovereign Lord is not biting His nails as He watches the human race in our sin and rebellion. He is all-knowing. He is all-powerful. He has a plan. And no one can thwart His purpose.

“I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)

God has a sovereign plan for all of history. He is working in all time periods and in our times. We can know that when pressure ramps up, it's not because God as asleep, or on vacation, or His view of earth was blocked by an angel's halo. 

according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, (Ephesians 1:11b)

and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

It may be that He has allowed this pressure-filled situation that we find ourselves in, to teach us more about what it means to take refuge in Him. Or to teach someone that is watching us, that our stress is regulated by our trust in Him.

See, here's the thing: God is not only the sovereign of the universe . . . a God Who is holy, just, and filled with beauty, might, and splendor. He is also the personal God Who knows and CARES about every detail of our stressful situation. Yes, David knows God personally (verse 14), but we also see that God knows David personally (verse 7):

But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.” (v 14)

I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul. (v 14)

David's friends may not have wanted to be with him; his friends may have even forgotten him (v 12) but he knew that God had not forgotten him.

A note of personal application now: when we are in the pressure cooker of stress, and when we are in times of trial, Satan's best tools are to get us to doubt either that God is really in control, or to doubt that He really loves and cares for us personally. In verse twenty-two, David confesses that he has been alarmed and frightened, thinking that he has been cut off from God's care. Shifting to the New Testament, we see that Peter wrote to church members suffering persecution and warned them that the devil was searching and seeking for them, in order to devour them. He added:

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (I Peter 5:9-10)

You may be thinking now that if God is sovereign, and our times are in His hands, what's left for us to do? We may as well sit back, right? What will be, will be . . .

Oh, no! Not so. There is another nugget of truth for us here in the psalm. We'll uncover it tomorrow!

Friday slowdown

When the stress is great, and the pressure won't relent, He will give grace for the trials. . . 

His Grace under pressure

 

Just as in Psalm 25, David recognizes in Psalm 31 that in part, his own sin was behind the crisis he was in. He says in this psalm that it's God's grace that will help us when we are under pressure, and we realize that some of it is our own fault! God's grace provides us with refuge and with forgiveness.

God will forgive our sin if we confess and forsake it:

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9, NIV)

The Bible tells us that He will forgive us, but we need to remember that He doesn't always remove the consequences.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:7-8, NASB)

It's sweet for us when we realize the promises of God; He affirms in His Word that He will forgive a repentant sinner. We can run to Him for refuge.

And here is something big that we need to remember - long after we finish studying this psalm. David's enemies were still condemning him long after God had forgiven him. Does this sound like what happens today? It's unfortunate, but true. In David's case, they were talking against him and making his name a reproach. They were ashamed to be seen with him; they would turn and go in the other direction! There are five different verses here that show their attitude of unforgiveness and judgment. But David's enemies didn't know how sincerely David had repented - and they'd forgotten (or were not paying attention to) the magnitude of God's awesome grace.

 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)

and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. (I Timothy 1:14)

Boundless.

More than abundant.

The reason the NASB and others translate that "more than abundant" is because Paul uses a word with a prefix "huper" which intensifies the word abundant. It makes it "super abundant" or "exceedingly abundant." I can't think of a better way to describe God's loving grace, can you? So, while we must never condone sin, we need to be careful not to condemn those who are repentant. It's up to us to remember that God is gracious - through Jesus' blood He forgives all of OUR sins, so we need to encourage repentant sinners who may still be suffering the consequences of their poor deeds and attitudes . . . .we need to encourage them by reminding them that they can take refuge in God's grace in our times of pressure.

This brings to mind another important point: God will never allow us to endure more stress than we can bear if we trust in Him. David's trials were absolutely terrifying. He even despaired of life itself (see verse thirteen). But God gave him the strength he needed, so that he could endure.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. (I Corinthians 10:13b)

God knows what is best for each one of us. And He is not into easy solutions. No get-out-of-jail-free cards here. He doesn't usually remove the trial the instant that we turn to Him. But at the same time, no one who has waited on Him has found Him to fail. He is gentle and kind, and He gives us more grace when the trials grow harder . . .

There's a precious old hymn that tells us:

1. He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
   He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
   To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
   To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
2. When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
   When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
   When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
   Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
3. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
   Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
   Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
   The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
4. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
   His power no boundary known unto men;
   For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
   He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

It's only when we trust Him in the midst of severe pressure that we can truly experience His faithfulness in our own lives. And let's be honest -- sometimes it's the waiting for God that is the most difficult thing. Am I right? We sometimes wriggle and get resentful when it's weeks or months before God answers. Yes, some of us have waited years; some of us are still waiting. At least we are not languishing in an Egyptian prison with our feet shackled in iron chains, right? You know who I'm talking about . . . Joseph obeyed God and resisted the temptation provided by Potiphar's wife. We know the outcome, that's true, but for years Joseph didn't know if he would ever be released. But because he trusted in God, he later said to his brothers, "You meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)

It's true that stress is a fact of life. Pressure is a fact of life. We don't get a free pass. But there is hope. There is provision from God. And there's even a "pressure relief valve," like the regulator on that old pressure cooker; it can help keep the pressure at safe levels.

More about that next week.

Stress remedy

 

Our remedy for stress? 

A believer's solution for stress is to trust in our Lord. Stress is a fact of life, even for the most godly Christians. I'm not sure where it came from (probably from the devil) but we've gotten the crazy notion that if we follow and obey the Lord, we will not experience any difficult trials. But my Bible (and yours, too) repeatedly tells us that often it's because of our following the Lord that we will encounter trials. Let's be honest here: if we blend in with the world, nobody is going to bother us -- but if it becomes known that we follow Christ, we become a special target . . . it's as if there is a huge bulls-eye tacked to our back.

Our Savior explained it this way:

 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (John 15:19, NASB)

I've read some books that make it sound as if when we discover the secret of resting in the Lord, we are always going to be perfectly calm. Even in the midst of terrible trials. They make it sound, too, like if your emotions are on a roller coaster ride, then you must need a refresher course on trust - they say if you are feeling turbulent, then your spiritual life must be lacking. Personally? When I hear people talk that way, I wonder if they read the same Bible that I do! 

Just look at psalm 31! (Just a side note, here, I've not posted all of the psalm and I do hope that you will read it on your own. Include it in your daily prayer time this week and let the words soak in.)  David packed all of his emotions in here. He was not ashamed to say that he was feeling shame and guilt, as we studied in previous psalms. He had taken his eyes off the Lord and there were consequences. Also, just as in our last psalm, David said he was afraid. He said he was in distress and that he was sad.

But notice also, everything is not negative. He also experienced some of the high points of the roller coaster ride. In verse seven, he rejoiced and told of both God's lovingkindness and His omniscience:

I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul. (Psalm 31:7)

In verse nineteen, David praised God for His goodness stored up for those who fear Him. In verses twenty-three and twenty-four, he tells all of God's people to love Him, be strong, be courageous, and hope in Him.

Far different from the spiritual books that I mentioned earlier, this psalm is very true to life - we can see the entire journey from anguish to assurance here. David gained the victory, but then the waves of emotion rolled over him and he was again plunged into despair - then he gained the victory again. To me, this says it is very normal for us as believers to feel a wide variety of emotions in our trials - I think that to picture ourselves sitting serenely untouched by the trials of life is a false view of the Christian life!

I really am inspired by these verses from Paul:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (II Corinthians 1:8-11)

Notice that in verse eight, Paul uses a word that the translators felt could best be understood as "pressure." And notice, too, that he says that the key is to rely on God.

I hope that you will study Psalm 31 this week; I was impressed as I read with how many attributes of God that David mentions. He has such a deep knowledge of God and he lists that God is a refuge, a rock, a stronghold; He is righteous, truthful, kind, and gracious. David didn't learn all those things about God in a flash; he didn't gain this knowledge suddenly in the middle of this situation. David had a long time relationship with his Lord, so then when the crisis hit, David had resources in God to lean on.

The best time to prepare for pressure is before it hits! If we are not in a crisis, we need to take the time to sink our roots that will enable us to weather storms. This is not fear-mongering. This is common sense. We should spend time alone with God and His Word. This feeds our soul; it ferrets out sin that needs to be dug out; it prepares us for stressful, pressurized times.

If we are already in crisis times, we need to trust Him as never before. He is gracious and will meet us there. If we are not currently in the pressure-cooker times of life, let's prepare for stress before it hits.

No egg on my face (and prayer requests)

I know you must be wondering about that title, "No egg on my face."

Lest you think I'm a bit daft, let me assure you that I have a Bible verse to back it up. In fact, let's check out this passage from Psalm 34:

I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
 I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:1-8)

Did you see verse five? Oh, I forgot. I removed the verse markers to make it fit nicely on the page. Here it is again, so we can focus on it:

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame. (v. 5)

You've heard the expression, haven't you? "Egg on your face" means that you have said or done something embarrassing. Kinda like the other expression just for silly things we say: "I put my foot in my mouth." When you have egg on your face you may blush with embarrassment; you may look down and not want to meet people's eyes; you feel like everyone in the place is looking at you and chuckling . . . . 

Why is David saying he is not embarrassed? Because he says he will glory in the Lord; he will list and "brag on" the virtues and the blessings of his God. And we know from the psalms that David was not shy to talk about the promises and strength of the Lord.

Because he was talking about his sovereign Lord and not about himself, David was totally sure that everything would turn out like it should. There was no room in this confident believer for any doubt - he knew that he knew God would bless his faith and hope. There'd be no egg on David's face. 

If we take our eye off the Lord, we may commit an embarrassing sin. If we take our eyes off Him, we may waver. If we lose our focus and look around us instead of looking at our Father, we may miss the blessings and the provision that He makes for His children. That's when our faces might end up covered in shame . . . egg on our faces.

If, however, we seek the Lord in prayer, and His praise is always on our lips, we will be radiant (the root word here in Hebrew indicates cheerfulness, or beaming). We will not be blushing with embarrassment, nor will we be ashamed - He will "come through" for us! We will possess what we have prayed and looked for. We will have what we have believed: deliverance, salvation, and peace.

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6, NIV)

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. The one who believes in it will not be disturbed. (Isaiah 28:16, NASB)

It's a message for us, today, as well as for those in years past. Our faces will not be ashamed. We can rely on God to accomplish what He has promised!

(We'll probably include this psalm in our studies later on; I was reading ahead and this spoke to me. I thought someone might really need to hear this.....)

I hope that if you have prayer requests that you will leave a comment and let us pray, too. Please remember "Catachresis" who studies here; her health is fragile. "Katie Isabella" needs our prayers as she ministers to a family member who is ill. I'm sure that there are others, too, who need our support.

Let's pray.