Posts Tagged ‘despair’

Voices – Part 2

Monday, September 27th, 2010

In the last blog, I wrote about negative voices and how we must choose whether to listen to them or ignore them. Isaiah 36 tells the story of an official Hebrew trio who were driven to despair through an enemy’s threats. When they relayed his words to King Hezekiah, he, too responded with despair. But then he did something worth noting.

First, he went into the Temple of the Lord (Isaiah 37:1). Second, he sought help by sending his assistants to speak with the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 37:2).

I believe Hezekiah’s response shows a lot of wisdom and sets a great example for us. When we’re dealing with a negative voice – whether an actual person verbalizing his opinion or the enemy whispering lies in our heads – it’s easy to become discouraged. If or when that happens, we can turn it around by doing what the king did – take our concerns to God and if necessary, solicit the help of godly friends. Doing so helps put the situation into proper perspective and gives courage.

How did God respond to Hezekiah? He said, “Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech (emphasis mine) against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword” (vv. 6,7).

The negative voice sent Hezekiah and the official trio into a royal tailspin, but God told them not to worry about it. He reminded them that He was in control and aware of the words that were spoken. He would hold that person accountable for the message spoken against Him and His people.

Likewise, negative voices can intimidate us, make us feel as though there’s something wrong with us, or steal our joy and enthusiasm for what we believe God has called us to do – if we let them. But we can overcome by remembering that when we’re living according to His pleasure and purposes, God will take responsibility for us and come to our defense. Our job is to keep our focus on Him.

What practical advice can you offer re: rising above the negative voice and message we often hear?

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A Prayer for People in Pain

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Yesterday was unusual in that bad news arrived three times.

One of my friends, a woman I’ve known for 25 years and who ministered with us in Poland this summer, was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with leukemia on Monday evening. Then there’s my daughter’s friend whose 2-year-old was diagnosed with the same disease on the same day. And then there’s a beautiful young pastor’s wife who just discovered she has a brain tumor.

My mind can scarcely comprehend the shock and changes that these folks and their families are facing right now. As I wend my way through my to-do list, I pray for them often and ask God to be their strength. I ask Him to comfort them, to remind them of His presence, and to touch their bodies with His healing hand. And I admit, I wonder why He has allowed these things to happen to His children.

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know that the news about my friends didn’t surprise God. He’s in control, and He’s promised to be with them. No matter what happens, they can be victorious because of His faithfulness and unfailing love in their lives. My heart’s desire for them is based in Psalm 40:1-3…

“Dear Father,

I pray that my friends will wait patiently for You to help them. Turn to them and hear their cries. Lift them from the pit of despair. Set their feet on solid ground and steady them as they walk along. Give them a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to You. Amaze others with what You do on their behalf, and use their situations as a catalyst for others to put their trust in You. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.”  

Do you have friends or family going through a hard time? If so, please feel free to adapt this prayer for them or to pass it along to someone who can use it.

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Despair vs. Hope

Friday, October 30th, 2009

October has been a busy month filled with speaking at retreats and conferences. Everywhere I’ve gone, the same thing has happened – people have told me about their personal struggles or heartaches. This month I’ve heard numerous stories of marriages breaking up for various reasons. I’ve met a couple of young widows whose husbands were killed recently in tragic accidents. I’ve spoken with women who have whispered secrets from their past – they’ve had abortions or suffered from rape or sexual abuse. Some are devastated by their kids’ involvement in drugs or alcohol. Others are worried sick about the influence an ex-spouse with questionable habits and character is having on their children.

I hear these stories and my heart nearly breaks. On many occasions, I’ve returned home and cried for them. I’ve asked God to come to their rescue, to bring healing to their hurting hearts, and restore their broken places.

Life can be harsh sometimes. The writer of Lamentations 3 describes it with vivid word pictures. “He has made me grind my teeth on gravel,” he writes. “He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, ‘My splendor is gone! Everything I’d hoped for from the Lord is lost! The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss’” (vv. 16-20).

The writer pours out his feelings of hopelessness, but suddenly he changes his focus and reveals the secret for triumphing over despair…“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord” (vv. 24-26).

No matter how dire our circumstances appear or how God-forsaken we feel, we can hang onto this assurance: God still loves us. His faithfulness is great. His mercy tank is freshly-filled every morning. He’s good…no, He’s wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek His face.

The enemy of our souls desperately wants us to believe otherwise, but let’s not entertain his lies. Rather, let’s focus on the same truths that brought renewed hope to the author of Lamentations. Let’s dare to hope that those truths about God’s unfailing love are real, alive, and relevant to us today. Let’s speak words of life into our disappointments and hurts – “I acknowledge my pain and brokenness, but in the midst of it, I place my hope in the Lord.” And let’s seek God’s face by reading His Word, listening to worshipful music, and practicing His presence moment by moment. Having done these things, let’s wait with confident expectation for Him to restore our broken places.

Now it’s your turn. How do you overcome discouragement?

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I’ve Been Sent To…

Monday, October 26th, 2009

It was a busy weekend. Besides speaking three times at a ladies’ conference in Red Deer, Alberta, I’ve had five meetings with long-time friends and individuals who ministered with International Messengers (IM) last summer, and two with pastors who have expressed an interest in future short-term ministry opportunities with IM. This evening my husband and I will speak at an informational meeting for anyone interested in participating with us next summer. Tomorrow morning we’ll pack our suitcases and drive to the next town to do it again.

Everywhere I go, someone inevitably asks, “How did you get started in this ministry of writing, speaking, and now taking short-term teams to Eastern Europe?” My answer is this: “It’s not something I sought. Rather, it’s God’s call on my life; it’s my divine assignment. ”

Yes, I have no doubt that God has called me to communicate His truth via the written and spoken word. He’s given me the task of encouraging others to live lives that honor Him. He’s asked me to spread the Good News of salvation and hope to those who are spiritually lost and in despair. The compulsion I feel to see this mission fulfilled is difficult to put into words. There’s an inner drive, an undeniable passion that burns within. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning and gives purpose to my working hours. It’s what brings personal fulfillment and a deep, deep joy.

I’ve come to understand what the apostle Paul wrote in Titus 1:1-3 – “I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began – and he cannot lie. And now at the right time he has revealed this Good News, and we announce it to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been trusted to do this work for him.”

When I speak at women’s events, I often teach that God has a purpose for each person’s life. Primarily, He desires to have relationship with us, but there’s also a specific purpose unique to each individual. Mine is to communicate His truth to teach others how to live godly lives, to reveal the Good News to everyone possible. Yours may be similar, or it may be vastly different. Whatever it is, it’s of huge importance for it plays a role in God’s eternal story.

If you’d authored Titus 1:1, what would you have written after the introductory words I have been sent to….? Fill in the blank, and share your answer with the rest of us!

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New People

Friday, September 4th, 2009

In a few months I’ll be interviewing a woman named Diane Nichols for a Power for Living article. She wrote a book titled Prison of My Own: A True Story of Redemption and Forgiveness. I’ve been reading that book this week, and it’s reduced me to tears twice already. I cannot, absolutely cannot fathom the pain this woman has experienced.

The story opens in a courtroom where Diane’s ex-husband is on trial for murdering his 19-year-old lover. He goes to prison, and Diane is left trying to function as a single mother with two little girls who can’t understand what’s happened to their perfect family. She gets involved with another man and seeks to dull her pain with alcohol. Hers is a picture of utter, dark despair…until she finds Christ and her life begins anew.

“…Those who become Christians become new persons,” says 2 Corinthians 5:17,18. “They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did.”

Amazing, wouldn’t you say? That a person can be transformed from the inside out is a miracle of God’s grace. You know what I really love about this? That we don’t have to do it ourselves. The work has been done through Jesus’ death on the cross. He died so that we could live – truly live, with hope for the future and freedom from the past. The instant we place our faith in Jesus, old things pass away and all things become new.

Some habits die hard, mind you. But when the Holy Spirit moves in, He sets about housecleaning in our hearts. He takes away the desires we have that are wrong or bad for us, and He replaces them with what is good and right. He gives us the ability to resist temptation, and He gives us courage to say no to the things that once controlled us.

Diane’s story is a perfect illustration of what it means to become a new person because of what Christ has done. I can’t wait to finish it, and then to do the interview.

How has Christ made you new?

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