God is our Refuge in time of Trouble

God is our Refuge in time of Trouble

        I think most of us don't have nearly as big problems as King David had—or the other writers of the Psalms. How would you like to be hiding in a cave in a rugged mountainous desert area while the king is hunting for you to kill you? That's our Psalm for this morning: Psalm 142 “When he was in the cave” is the inscription (which is part of the sacred text.) It's also called “A Prayer” so let's use it as such.
¹ With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. ² I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
³ When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. (ESV)

        Listen to his earnest prayer: “I cry out to the Lord”; “I plead for mercy to the Lord”; “I pour out my complaint” to God; “I tell Him my trouble.”

       And the hardest part, his spirit is fainting within him. He's losing his courage and his “hope” or expectation is taking a battering. The ESV notes: The Psalmist is 1) out of energy, 2) beset by dangers and confusion, and 3) painfully alone. (The next verse says, “no one cares for my soul.”)

          But he clings to God as his refuge and prays to Him. ⁵ I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

          He knows he should have an attitude of thanksgiving so he prays to God, “⁷ Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! the righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.”

         He feels trapped and he wants God to free him from the bondage of his situation. And he surely remembers that God has delivered him in the past: ¹ I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. ² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. ³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. ⁴ Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust. . . . Psalm 40:1-4

       David's situation seems to continue in the next Psalm as “the enemy has pursued my soul.” I take that to mean the devil who “walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” So he repeats his complaint: ^“Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.” 143:4

         But he knows what to do and what to think about: ^“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah “ 143:5-6

         And he concludes his prayer as we can ours:
“ Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. . . . I have fled to you for refuge! Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! . . . bring my soul out of trouble! . . .for I am your servant.”143:8-12 And God takes care of His servants—and certainly He is a Father to His children!

                                                                         --Pastor Burnside

Return, O my soul, to your rest

Return, O my soul, to your rest.” Psalm 116:7 It's early on the Lord's Day again this morning. May God bring you rest and refreshment for your soul this day. Be quiet before Him, tranquil, and at rest in the midst of your busy life or trials or dilemma you're going through. In fact this Psalm is for “distress and anguish” (116:3) in the midst of which God can still give us His peace and you can rest in Him. ^“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not yourself. . . .” Psalm 37:7

         It is His peace that will take you through your problems and dilemmas. He's already given you that peace: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 Don't block that peace and put your heart in a turmoil again by fretting and refusing to trust in and depend on the Lord. This Psalm tells you what to do: “I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.” 116:17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart” and then you won't let your heart be troubled or afraid.

         “I will lift up the cup of salvation” 116:13 –remind yourself that God has transformed you from death to life and when you go from life through death into life everlasting, then “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” 116:15

Remind yourself, “O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds” 116:16 so that I am free in Him—and to Him be the glory. “If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 “For freedom did Christ set you free; be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

       Listen to Spurgeon more than a century ago: “'Return unto thy rest, O my soul.' He calls the rest still his own, and feels full liberty to return to it. What a mercy it is that even if our soul has left its rest for a while we can tell it--'it is thy rest still.' The Psalmist had evidently been somewhat disturbed in mind, his troubles had ruffled his spirit; but now with a sense of answered prayer upon him he quiets his soul [as in former days]. Even as a bird flies to its nest, so does his soul fly to his God. Whenever a child of God even for a moment loses his peace of mind, he should be concerned to find it again, not by seeking it in the world or in his own experience, but in the Lord alone. 'For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.' . . . so let us come back to Him who has treated us with such exceeding kindness.”

       

        “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. . . . The Lord is on my side as my helper. . . . The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. . . . This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:5-7,14,23-24 ESV

                                                                --Pastor Burnside

That Christ may be all and in all 

       We stand in an unbroken historical line straight back to Jesus. And it is Jesus who many times attested to the truth and reliability of scripture as given by God Himself. ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 ESV And He was quoting Old Testament scripture when He said that. And in another place He testified, “the Scripture cannot be broken.” John 10:35 And in that wonderful scene on the Emmaus Road after the Resurrection, Jesus walked along with the two disciples “and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27 The Old Testament scriptures are about Jesus.

       The New Testament scriptures are also about Jesus—all of them. It was He who inspired them and gave them authority. Jesus told the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Mt. 28:18 ESV The night before He died, Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit who would “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” So it was the authoritative words of Jesus that brought about the New Testament. He told the disciples that they had two Comforters or “paracletos” “called alongside to help” first Jesus and then the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you as orphans,” He told them, “I will come to you.” And He came in the person of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit inspired or “God-breathed” all the New Testament scriptures as well as the Old Testament.

       So everything centers around Jesus Himself, including the inspiration of scripture, “that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18 That's why we can sing, “From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.” Be thankful that you were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) and that He gave us the scriptures and preserved them for two thousand years so that you were able to hear the gospel and were convicted by the Holy Spirit so that He brought you to Christ.

                                                               --Pastor Burnside

"Thou God seest me"

"Thou God seest me"

           Sarah and Abraham wanted to help God out of a dilemma (or what appeared to them to be a dilemma). God had promised to give Abraham a son and make him the father of a great nation that would be as the sand of the sea and the stars in the sky. But they had a problem: Sarah was past child-bearing age. In fact she was at least 65 years of age. Abraham "believed the Lord; and he counted it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6 ESV

          But as time passed and Sarah did not conceive a son, she conceived a scheme, a simple one: surrogate motherhood. She gave her Egyptian maid Hagar to her husband as a sort of second-class wife and Hagar became pregnant by Abraham. This was not God’s plan and it was not God’s guiding. This son was Ishmael, the founder of the Arab nation, a son of the flesh rather than a child of the promise as explained later in the book of Galatians.

       Lesson #1: don’t think God is dependent on you or your creative schemes to fulfill His many promises given to you in scripture. You need Him; He doesn’t need you to help Him out. He created the universe by the word of His power; and He can lead you in His providence just as easily. In His grace God has chosen to use you in His service and work through you to minister to others but be sure you are following His Word, His way, and His Holy Spirit and not your own creative ingenuity or clever ideas. Don’t try to manipulate God or other people, just obey Him and be faithful to Him.

      Follow the story in Genesis chapter 16. After Hagar became pregnant by Abraham and Sarah couldn’t, Hagar became proud and arrogant and treated her mistress with disdain. This, of course, angered Sarah who began treating Hagar harshly so much so that Hagar fled from her. She ran away into the desert towards Egypt, her homeland. And scripture tells us, "The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness." 16:7

    So lesson #2: even when you mess up, God will come looking for you. And when God looks for you, He always finds you. Surely you didn’t forget that God is omnipresent, did you? You and I and all of us live in the presence of God–always. We can’t escape from His presence even if we wanted to (which I hope you don’t!)

     The angel of the Lord found Hagar and asked her why she was there. Not that he didn’t know, but he wanted her to admit her situation. Which she did. She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarah." 16:8

      Then the angel of the Lord gave her a promise and a command. The promise was that her son Ishmael would become the father of a great nation also. And the command was simple: change your attitude. Go back and submit to the authority of your mistress. With the clear implication that she should submit willingly and gracefully.

       And Hagar obeyed. She had seen God and God had spoken to her–in human language. The words are recorded in Genesis 16. And Hagar "called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing.’" And she understood the implications of that because she also said, "Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me." 16:13 ESV

      So lesson #3: God sees us and seeing us, He takes care of us. Is this not a wonderful truth for us to live by! He has promised to guide us and He does. "He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Psalm 23:2-3

     "He looks after me." He takes care of us as the shepherd takes care of His sheep. And His sheep we are. The fact that God sees us just as the angel of the Lord saw and followed Hagar to the spring of water in the desert, means that we are never alone and we are never without help and refuge and strength because God supplies all of that for us. In Him we live and move and have our being. But He is not just watching us, He is guiding us, He is talking to us through His word and directly to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Romans 8:16 ESV

       Lesson #4: the name God gave to Hagar’s son: "Ishmael" which means "God hears." Hagar’s mistreatment by Sarah had not gone unnoticed or uncared for by God. "The Lord has listened to your affliction" are the words of the angel to Hagar in v. 11. God listened and responded. He does the same for you and for me and for all of His children. Trust the Providence of God. He is looking after you. He is the God who hears and listens and the God who sees and does something about it. He may ask you to do something as difficult as He told Hagar–return and submit to the authority in your life. Trust Him. He knows what is best. He is your shepherd and your exceeding great reward, as well as your Savior and the strength of your life.

                                                                          –Pastor Burnside

Turmoil & Peace.  This year has seen an unusual amount of turmoil and consternation in the U.S.  People are "troubled on every side."  And worried.  And some of them are afraid.

        This gives us an opportunity.  An opportunity to be a living demonstration of the reality of Christ in our lives.  He is our refuge and strength.  So let our lives and our homes and our little church be a peaceful refuge in the turmoil of the world.  "Come ye apart and rest awhile"  Think of the glorious life and teachings of our Lord.  You remember when Jesus was asleep in the boat in the middle of the storm on the Sea of Galilee.  We love that story and especially  when He commanded the winds and the waves to be still.  "And there was a great calm."

        "What manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him!" Mt. 8:27 the disciples asked.  But just as remarkable was the quiet peace that surrounded Him as He slept in the midst of the storm-tossed sea, confident of the Father's protection.  He bequeathed that same peace to us so that we might also experience that supernatural peace in the midst of the storms of life.  "Peace I leave with you," Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

        When people ask you, "Why are you so confident? why are you not troubled and worried" when so many things are going wrong, tell them why.  "Be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with [with gentleness and reverence]." 1 Peter 3:15

       "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah."  Psalm 46:1-3

        We are confident in our Sovereign Lord "who works all things together for good"--long term, ultimate good.  The promises are still there and they're still good!  Ask, Seek, Knock, Receive, Find, and Open

       

Discouraged or Thankful?

Are you discouraged or thankful??

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor. 2:11

If we’re not “ignorant of his devices,” then we should not let him “get an advantage of us,” should we? After all, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

What are some of those “devices” that Satan likes to use? Well, there’s covetousness, lust, pride, self-seeking, laziness, ignorance, deception (for “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light [and] his ministers also [are] transformed as the ministers of righteousness,” 2 Cor. 11:14-15 and several other devices.

But one of the most common that I see is his successful attempts to discourage believers when things are “going wrong,” and not according to the way we think they should, or we have sickness, sorrow, pain, or death among our loved ones. So he immediately tries to discourage some of God’s sheep or little lambs and they forget for awhile who they are and whose they are. It’s the Good Shepherd Himself who laid down His life for His sheep and who promises to lead them and guide them and feed them and lead them in paths of righteousness all through their journey home.

It’s no wonder that discouragement is such an important tool because when you take away courage, then a person loses heart in following the Lord and living their lives with the joy of the Lord. [cor = “heart”] That’s why we are to “encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Heb. 3:13 NIV

So you need “heart” or courage and where does that come from? Same place everything else of value that we have comes: from God. “What do you have that you did not receive?” 1 Cor. 4:7 So we get our courage from God–and He promises more when that runs out. Listen. “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

What do you do to combat discouragement, then? Jesus gave the very simple and powerful answer, “Let not [don’t allow!] your heart be troubled. . . . Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:1, 27

Are you discouraged or thankful today? (Those are your two choices!) Be thankful for Jesus and His resources and His provisions, His promises, and His purposes. He is building your character and making you more like Christ, useful in our Lord’s kingdom work. John 14:1 Has God provided food for you today? And shelter, a place to sleep? “Having food and raiment [clothing] let us be therewith content.” 1 Tim. 6:8 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess.5:16-17

“We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices” so why did you “fall for it” again? Don’t you know what he’s trying to do? Trying to get you to focus on your problems instead of the Lord, but we are to fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. . . . Heb. 12:2 And yes, it is faith that you need because “faith is the victory that overcomes the world” and what is faith? Simply taking God at his word, believing that what God has promised he is able also to perform. Rom. 4:21 Jesus meant what He said, “Don’t allow yourself to get discouraged.” There’s no reason to. God said it. That settles it. Quit worrying. Trust him, not yourself.

Went for a walk this afternoon along the Dungeness River, just one block from our home. The melting snow in the Olympics is rushing towards the sea–and it’s beautiful and reminds me of God’s care for His creation. So do the wild flowers and the stately pines and cedars and fir trees that provide such a restful and peaceful setting for us to live. I’m sure if you look around, you would also see the handiwork of God near you, too, in the flowers and rivers and trees and birds and butterflies, the rain and the sunshine. Rejoice in the work of His hands. God takes pleasure in His works and we should, too. Seeing God faithfully at work–in our lives and the lives of others, as well as in preserving what He has created--builds our spirit. “Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work. . . . O Lord, how great are thy works!” Psalm 92:4-5

Trust the Lord for today and He will take care of you, just as He does the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. “And the cares of tomorrow can wait ‘til the dawn.” And then you can “cast all your cares upon Him for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Worry doesn’t solve your problems. It just takes away your joy.

–Pastor Burnside

The Cost of Peace

Note to readers:  A few months ago I quit posting to this blog because I tried for weeks to post and "it" wouldn't post.  So I finally gave up and tried again today.  Now this is the second post.  I hope the problem has been solved--and I appreciate the opportunity to "post" for those who want to read it.

The Cost of Peace

            The peace of Christ in our hearts is what enables us to survive the sorrowful storms of life.   Not only to survive them but to be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”  and gave Himself for us.   His peace enables us to “glory in tribulations”  because of what those tribulations produce as they make us more like Christ.   They are “working for us” and producing “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Cor. 4:17

            But at what a cost!  Last night I was re-reading a letter our oldest daughter Jeannine wrote to me last year on Good Friday, what she called “this day of ‘bright sorrow.’”   She said, “Whenever I pray for peace, I want to remember the cost of it.”  And she mentioned Isaiah 53:5 “the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”  

            It was Christ’s suffering that brought us peace with God and also the peace of God in our hearts.  “ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  Romans 5:1-3    “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Phil. 4:7  That’s why Jesus told us,  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . .  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  John 14:27

            What wonderful peace, but at what a cost!  No wonder our troubles seem like “light affliction which is but for a moment” in comparison to the intensity and depth of Christ’s suffering on the cross for us.  Be thankful to Him constantly and tell Him so.  “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” NIV

Here is the context of that verse—written 700 years before the birth of Jesus!

Isaiah 53:3-6 (KJV)
³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.