Trouble, Trouble, Trouble

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seems like trouble is around every corner?  As I reflect on one of those weeks, I am reminded of a secular song that personifies Trouble as a woman:

Trouble...

Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble

Feels like every time I get back on my feet

she come around and knock me down again.

My daughter recently had a month of trouble in which her car was wrecked twice and her cell phone stolen twice.  She is normally very easy going and happy-go-lucky, but after that month of trouble she was knocked down and emotionally fragile.  Trouble is no respecter of people, no matter their temperament.  So, is there a way to battle trouble?  Or do you just let her come in and “ruin” your day, week or even your month?  The answer is to not retreat, put your tail between your legs and flee.  No, take courage and trust!  Don’t let Trouble knock you down again!

I have been memorizing Psalm 138 over the past few weeks and it has encouraged me in this week where Trouble has been trying to knock me down:

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies and Your right hand will save me.  The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness O LORD, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 138:7-8    

Trouble comes in many forms.  Trouble can be a car accident, a disagreeable person, a lost phone, or a lost job.  It seems we are always walking in the midst of trouble, in fact Jesus assured us we would have trouble when he said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart (courage), I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)  Along with his assurance of trouble, he also assured us of His victory over it.  With one of His hands he swats Trouble and with the other He saves us.  In fact in the Psalms he also says he will save us out of all our troubles. (Psalm 34:6) He did not say he would save us from the trouble, but when we are in the trouble, He is right there to walk us out of it! 

My daughter’s car repairs were covered by the insurance of the person who ran into her, a friend referred her to a chiropractor that helped with her back pain, and she now has a new phone.  In the midst of the trouble, she was knocked down, but she got back up as the Lord provided her with all she needed.  He walked her out of the company of Trouble and into His compassion, mercy and love.  He overcame Trouble! 

I am trusting in Jesus to overcome Trouble, who tried to knock me down this week.  Trouble is a failure, but Jesus is my victorious Savior!  On my way up with scripture memory cards in one hand, the Word working its way into my heart, and His loving hand leading me on.  Won’t you trust Him, too?

Trusting,

Nancy  

The World is Groaning!

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now . . .  waiting eagerly for our adoption.  Romans 8:22-23

Turning on the evening news or opening up your news app can be down right depressing! The world seems to be in chaos:  terrorists beheading children, young men attacking elderly women in order to snatch their purses, policemen shooting young men, young men shooting policemen, rioting, unending angry debates, violent thunderstorms, floods, fires, and deadly plane crashes.  The words of Romans 8:22 kept coming to my mind this week each time I would attempt to listen to the evening news.  The world is groaning, loudly, violently.  People are desperately seeking answers, but none can be found.  Their sadness and grief only lead to anger, bitterness and resentment.  People are defensive, some are indifferent, and many are paralyzed in their devastating circumstances.  But no one offers hope.  It seems they are blinded to the truth.  Seeking to find answers from the minds of the world’s experts, they completely ignore the obvious.

Won’t someone wake up and speak it, the truth that is?  That without God there is no hope! That the reason the world is groaning is because we live in a fallen world decimated by sin.  The answers are found in words that come from God alone.  Unfortunately, Bible illiteracy is rampant and therefore people are ignorant to the truth that will set them and the entire world free! I am not trying to oversimplify the world’s problems or suggest that I know all the answers.  But, I do know that the only hope this world has is found in the One who made it, spoke it into existence, and even provided a way to have a hope-filled forever life in relationship with the Creator Himself!  But, you would only know that if you read or heard the message of the Bible, God’s Words to a wounded world. 

Fifteen years ago, the Lord woke me up to the fact that my groan-filled life was in desperate need of some truth!  It was then that I realized I had been trying to live my life on the bread of the world only and not on every word of God.  No wonder my life lacked joy, peace, and power.  I was being led by my own cravings for what would satisfy me while being tripped up by the all consuming cares of the world.  Once I began to take in the Word of God on a consistent basis my life took a turn toward truth.  Despair gave way to hope, emptiness to fullness of joy, and my selfishness was melting into ministry.  A ministry of the Word!

This past Sunday I had the awesome privilege to stand before my church body and administer God’s grace-filled Word by speaking the very words of God.  (1 Peter 4:10-11)  After I was asked to do this I prayed for days, asking God to examine my heart and my mind and to show me any attitude of sin that might be present in my life.  I asked God to make me a clean vessel from which His Word would go forth.  I prayed Isaiah 32:2 that as the Word would go forth from my mouth, that it would be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like a stream of water in the desert and that I would be the shadow of the great Rock in a thirsty land.  I wanted the people to see nothing of me, but only receive the Word as a balm for their hearts and minds.  God was faithful to fill me up with his passion as I spoke His Word and I felt His delighting in me as I simply poured out words from my heart that had impacted my life for His glory. 

Many received the Word as it was intended, but I immediately felt the attack of the enemy.  Not surprising.  (1 Peter 5:8)  The enemy is always prowling around looking for opportunities to choke the word out of thorny hearts.  This attack came from those who wanted to be impressed with my efforts, those who wanted to impress me with their quoting skills, and with those who complimented me on my dramatic presentation.  I spent a day of experiencing shame, that others would think I was performing the Word or that I spoke the Word in display of my own skills.  After a much-needed cry before the Lord, He assured me that what I was experiencing was what He experienced.  Jesus was the Word come to life and yet, those who were his own family did not accept Him as the Word.  They tried to make him an earthly king and did not even have eyes to see or ears to hear the words he spoke to them.  The Lord has been so good to me after having a good cry.  I am thankful for the many who did hear the Word proclaimed as it was intended and so blessed by those who have told me how the Word ministered to them that day. 

Whenever you speak the Word to a wounded world, whether it is in your office, to your neighbor, or a struggling family member, speak it with grace, humility, and with passion.  Let’s offer the world hope, their only hope.  The world is groaning around you, do not let the enemy shame you into keeping silent!  Paul asked the Colossians to pray for him to have an open door so he could speak the word.  He asked them to pray he would be able to speak it clearly.  (Colossians 4:3-4) The only reason I share this with you today, is to encourage those of you who know the truth found in the precious words of the Bible, to speak them, without shame, and with the desire to administer God’s grace to a world that is groaning to be adopted into a family filled with joy and peace by the Father of hope.  Romans 15:13 

Let’s not keep silent!

Nancy

Isaiah 55:11

Repeat Your Life in Me

Once Elisha had heard that his mentor Elijah was going to be taken from him, he refused to leave his side.  He said to Elijah, “Not on your life! I’m not letting you out of my sight!” 2 Kings 2:6 (MSG) When the day came for Elijah to be taken up in a whirlwind to heaven, he “took his cloak, rolled it up, and hit the water with it.  The river divided and the two men walked through on dry land." 2 Kings 2:8 (MSG) After performing this miracle he then asked Elisha, “What can I do for you before I’m taken from you?  Ask anything.”  Then Elisha said, “Your life repeated in my life.  I want to be a holy man just like you.” 2 Kings 2:9 (MSG) What a huge request!  Elisha wanted what Elijah had.  He wanted Elisha’s spiritual power and gifting.  He wanted to be holy like Elijah.  Elijah answered, “That’s a hard one! But if you are watching when I’m taken from you, you’ll get what you’ve asked for.  But only if you’re watching.” 2 Kings 2:10 (MSG) If you read the rest of this account in 2 Kings 2 you will see that Elisha got what he wanted.  It wasn’t as if Elisha had just met Elijah and asked for what he had, but they had spent hours upon hours together.  Elijah had led out in ministry and Elisha had not left his side.  He had been watching and learning.  Holiness comes to us not in some magical touch, but in day-by-day contact with the One who is holy. 

As I reflect on my time in Kenya, there is one particular moment that I shall never forget.  The Lord used me in a new way while ministering in Kenya.  I was asked on five different occasions to stand and recite scripture.  This is something that the Lord had called me to do a few years ago after I had been memorizing scripture for many years.  In John 13 after Jesus had washed the disciples feet He told them that they were to wash one another’s feet.  He had set the example and now he called them to do as He had done.  As I studied this passage the Lord showed me that the Word had become flesh in the form of Jesus Christ.  He, the Word had washed the disciples feet in order to show them the full extent of His love and so the Lord called me to wash over people with the Word as a way to follow His example. I have done this at retreats and in my Life Bible study class on Sunday mornings.  But, I had never done it in a worship service before hundreds or thousands of people.  That all changed in Kenya.  Simply speaking aloud the Word of God that I have hidden in my heart has proved to be such a powerful experience.  Peter encourages believers to use whatever gift they have received in order to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace. He goes on to say that if anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.  (1 Peter 4:10-11) So when I was asked to wash over the congregation with the Word I spoke God’s Word straight from my heart and the Holy Spirit did the work of applying it to the hearts of those who heard, as a healing balm of grace. 

Washing with the Word
Nairobi Chapel

The last time I had the honor of washing over the congregation in Kenya was at Nairobi Chapel.  After the service an invitation was given for anyone who needed prayer to come forward and those on our mission team prayed for them.  As I stood at the end of one of the aisles a young man came forward and wanted to talk with me.  He said, “I want to do what you do.”  I took him aside and asked what he meant.  He said, “I love Jesus with everything I have and I want to do what you do.”  He went on to explain that he wanted to hide God’s Word in his heart so that he could stand before others and minister the Word like I had done.  I spent some time with him explaining how I began simply memorizing one verse a week with the goal of application and retention.  I shared my HOME acrostic that Hiding God’s Word in my heart had given me Ownership of God’s Word and had equipped me to Minister to those in need and as a result I now Experience a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ.   I cautioned him that it was something that takes time, self-discipline and consistency.  This ministry is developed over time and would not happen overnight.  His heart was right and his desire genuine and my prayer is that he will be able to do what I do, so that more and more people will not only be hearers of the Word but doers also. 

This experience reminded me of Elijah and Elisha.  Elisha wanted Elijah’s life repeated in his.  This young Kenyan man wanted my life repeated in his.  I was only able to spend a few minutes with him, but I am praying that the Lord will give him the desire of his heart.  That he will be hiding God’s Word in his heart for years to come and that God would develop a special gift within him, equipping him to also minister the spoken Word to others. 

This experience also reminded me of God’s promise to do amazing things among us if only we would consecrate ourselves to Him.  Joshua 3:5  It started with a desire to be more consistent in my walk with Christ.  My motivation was a desire to grow in my knowledge and love of Christ.  My goal was simply to gather as much of the Word as I would need to be equipped to defend my faith and overcome temptation.  God has done immeasurably more than I could have ever imagined!  It still amazes me what God can do with a willing heart filled with His Word.  I pray there are many more who will say to me, “I want to do what you do.”  I will always answer with, “It may be difficult, but you can do it!”  I look forward to repeating my life of taking the Word to heart in as many who will ask!  

Keep Feasting on the Word,

Nancy 

Jeremiah 15:16