Patient in trials — for God’s glory!

 
A quote from yesterday sticks with me today. When Jesus told His disciples to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He revealed a most remarkable thing: His will done here gives us heaven on earth. It gave me a deeper longing to experience the will of God!

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

When Jesus told His disciples that He had food to eat that they did not know about, they were thinking physical food, but Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." (John 4:34)

Physical food is not only necessary for life but also enjoyable to eat and makes me feel satisfied. Oh, I can overdo it, eat too much, or eat the wrong things, or consume something that makes me feel ill, but generally food is a delightful part of life. (I’m thinking the chicken wings at the Mossleigh restaurant and the Lobster Bisque we had last Thursday, and countless recipes discovered and created in my own kitchen.)

And Jesus said that His food was to do God’s will! How incredible a description for something that a lot of people think of as sacrifice and a duty, even a giving up of enjoyment. This is the difference between “I must” and “I’d love to” — a delight in doing whatever my beloved Lord asks of me, not because of the perks of it, but because it is the heart of God expressed through me, the Hand in this glove, the reason I’m here.

Yesterday was stressful and lovely both. Stressed because my devotions were interrupted at least six times. The phone rang often. Someone dropped in. I needed a file from a government website and it locked me out several times. After three hours of trying, making calls, and waiting, the person online could not help, transferred me to another person, and I went through the process of proving my identity at least three times after their site kept shutting me out — three times in the same three ways for the same person on the other line! It was no fun at all.

But in the middle of the day, there was a lovely prayer time with two friends. Also, God gave me answers to moving issues that seemed to have no answers. An appointment that would add more stress was postponed, and my hubby did the supper dishes. This made the frustrations feel less stressful, but I still wondered what is the will of God in them? One thing comes to mind:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

I didn’t meet the stressful stuff with joy and steadfastness. I could excuse this with “I didn’t get enough sleep” or some other reasoning, but that isn’t the honest answer. My failure was more about wanting the day to be easy and my will to be done. God essentially let me know that His will includes interruptions (Jesus had lots of them) and other negatives — such as being misunderstood, no one listening,  the frustration of betrayal, and the weight of bearing the sins of the world, including mine. Yet it was His “food” to do the will of God, and He did it so the “world may know that He loves the Father.” (John 14:31)

PRAY: Jesus, You show me that putting up with the trials of life is not just about me learning steadfast patience. Doing Your will could have a far-reaching effect on those around me, so they can see Your love in action, even have a taste of heaven. Forgive me for my impatience of yesterday and grant me the ability to at least be patient with the stresses of life, or better yet, downright joyful — knowing that You can use this for Your glory.

More than one kind of bread…

Many people know the Lord’s prayer yet how many realize what kinds of bread we need to ask for when we say, “Give us this day our daily bread”? (Matthew 6:11) Two are likely, and maybe a third (slang for money) but that one is not likely what Jesus had in mind!

Only those who live in poverty concentrate on literal bread. I’ve seen people living on the street and cooking their meager rations in an old paint can with hot charcoal in the bottom. Our city has hundreds of homeless people, but also shelters where they can go and get a meal. Me and most of the people I know seldom pray for bread other than thanking God for the abundance of food that we do have.
The other ‘bread’ is a different nourishment. When Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, the first trial was hunger…

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:3–4)

Jesus linked physical food with spiritual food. He’d gone several weeks without food and was obviously hungry, indicating that our greatest temptations can also be linked to our greatest felt needs. But Jesus didn’t go for it. I can’t turn stones into food yet He could, and it seems that my temptations are also related to things I could do myself without God’s direction or help, as well as to my deepest desires. That aside, Jesus wants me to ask Him for spiritual nourishment.

Job was born long before Jesus set the example of resisting temptation, but he had his priorities sorted out also. He needed physical food, but knew the value of spiritual food. He said:

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. (Job 23:12)

Solomon also had it figured out. He was not interested in lies or being a rich man even though he was wealthy. All he wanted from God was what he needed:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me. (Proverbs 30:8)

The psalmists had the same love for spiritual food. They wrote: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103) and when I read the psalms I often experience that same sweetness. This past week, I decided to stop eating desserts and things with sugar — and am amazed that I don’t miss it. So far, the Word of God has blessed me far more than the chocolate bars, cakes, cinnamon buns, and other sweet items have not even tempted me. Praise God for that.

This brings me to a greater realization of one more thing Jesus said about food. At one point His disciples urged Him to eat and He said to them;

“I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:32–34)

I understand that doing what God says is vital to spiritual growth. If I don’t obey, I stop growing. Jesus said by obeying, it was like food. The words that come to mind are: tasty, nourishing, part of communion and fellowship with others, even a reminder of Jesus’ death in eating bread and tasting wine. If I eat well physically, I am healthy. If I eat well spiritually, the life of Christ in me is nourished too, even more palatable to others. It also keeps my focus on Him, the Bread of Life.

PRAY: God, even in ordinary food, Your truth is illustrated. The only difference is that too much of the bread of life does not add the pounds that too much physical bread can do… yet both kinds of bread need exercise to do the most good in my life and the lives of those whom You ask me to share Your bread. Keep me alert to my own hunger and the hunger of those around me.

To Live is Christ — hungry for spiritual food

On our journey home from vacation, we listened to satellite radio, particularly a Christian broadcasting network with messages from the Bible. Several of them put great emphasis on the fact of biblical illiteracy in the church today. Scripture is available, as is access to sound preaching, but something is missing.

Again I am reading from Nehemiah. In those days, the people were spiritual starved because they did not have access to Scripture. When their sacred writings were found, read and explained to them, God’s family responded with great enthusiasm.

And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:12)

This event happened sometime between 435-445 BC, long before the Bible was completed, but they had enough of it to be able to hear God speak and be excited that they understood what He said to them. What is wrong with God’s people today?

Right now, for me the daily habit of reading the Bible is like physical food — without which I would starve! I don’t know what would happen if Bibles became illegal and were confiscated. The Word of God is my spiritual nourishment and a necessary part of life. I cannot leave it alone.

During one of those radio broadcasts, a man called in with a question. He was a Christian and knew that he should read the Bible but he didn’t like to read it and didn’t particularly feel like reading it. He wanted to know what to do.

The Bible Answer Man, Hank Hanegraaff, told him that involvement produces commitment. He said that we do not always feel like doing the right things, like going to work every day so our family is fed, but when we do the things we should do, our desire to keep on doing them increases.

My heart says yes to this. Start reading and keep reading and the next thing I know, I cannot be without it. However, I’ve found that desire needs to be guarded. 

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1–3)

Jesus said I need to be like a little child. This is one way to do it — crave spiritual milk so I will grow. But malice, deceit, and the other sins listed in these verses can be appetite suppressants. I need to keep short accounts with God and my attitude right toward others.

The taste of the Lord’s goodness increases my desire for more. Listening to those radio programs was a feast. My husband and I talked for hours about what we heard and what we intend to do about it. We ate other things in the car during our long drive, but the feast that was our greatest source of joy was God’s Word explained and understood.