I don’t know what is going to happen.

Of course I don’t.

I can—and should—do all I can to have the situation come out “right,” but I should—I must—trust almighty God, who is in control of all things, and who loves me.

Oh my.

I’m still human. I don’t know the future. I can do everything I can, and the future might—or might not—be what I want.

You can fill in the blanks with your own personal issues. My specifics are really irrelevant. It is the same general dilemma for us all.

WE HAVE A CHOICE

We may be in difficult situations.

We may be facing a scary future. Or not. I don’t know. You don’t know.

We do have a choice about how to face the future and how to handle the present.

Jesus says:

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)

If we, as children of God, are troubled, we have allowed ourselves to be.

But how can we prevent being troubled?

We have a choice between trusting God, believing the truths He has given us, OR allowing ourselves to ignore those truths and becoming mired in our own view of the issue.

When I sense I’m becoming troubled, or, even better, when I see the choice between believing God and allowing myself to become troubled, I am determined to review God’s truth.

WHAT WE DO KNOW

This is a great prompt to review what God’s children know.

We–those who believe Jesus Christ is God, died, and rose again, and who trust Him for our salvation—know:

We are God’s children. We are His beloved.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. (1 John 3:1)

We are Christ’s brethren.

Jesus said … go to My brethren and say to them… (John 20:17)

We are promised eternal life.

Whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:15)

We are promised the Father’s presence, Christ’s presence, and the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within us.

You, Father, are in Me and I in You, [that] they also may be in Us. (John 17:21)

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13–14)

We are promised that Christ intercedes for us with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit prays for us in accordance with the Father’s will.

Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)

The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)

We are promised that our prayers, if consistent with who Christ is and what Christ wills, will be answered.

Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13–14)

We are promised that God will work everything that happens to us for good, making us into the image of His beloved Son.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28–29)

WE ARE TO ACT ON THE TRUTH

Given all that, we are responsible to act on those incredible—true—truths, and not be afraid.

It, like so much, comes down to a choice.

Do not LET your hearts be troubled.

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

Instead of being troubled, we are to believe.

HELP!

Lord, help me. I chose to believe the truths in YOUR Word. I chose to trust You.

Help me not let my heart be troubled.

He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers. (Deuteronomy 6:23)

In order to get new orders, the Lord has to end your current assignment.

Reassignments

Moses was reassigned from shepherd to deliver Egypt. Someone else had to take over the sheep.

Joseph was reassigned from favored son, to slave, to prison, to Pharoah’s second. Huge change!

Paul was reassigned from missionary to prisoner, where he continued to be a missionary! He wrote much of the New Testament while he was a prisoner, and, when he was in prison, he even reached Caesar’s household with the gospel.

I was reassigned from a job I loved to retirement, with all the challenges and opportunities inherent in that. I couldn’t both work and retire.

Losses, Opportunities, and Stress

Any move from one assignment to another (whether “bigger” or “better” or “smaller” or “worse”) has costs. You probably know about “change points,” that list of questions assessing your stress level. In that assessment any change, “good” or “bad” comes with stress points.

And there are always losses, even when the change is for the “better.” Moses probably didn’t care that he didn’t speak well when all he had were sheep. But he didn’t want God’s new, lofty assignment, because he was slow of speech and tongue. If I were placed back in the work force, I’d lose precious, unscheduled time with family and abundant time to read and study.

Have you been reassigned?

Take a moment and think about some of the reassignments you have had. Did the reassignments bring welcome challenges and opportunities, or did they seem mainly to involve loss? Looking back, can you see the Lord’s hand?

For us, children of the King, we need to be conscious that we are still in His service, He just changed our assignment.

And, even for the King, He has to take us out of the old place in order to bring us into the new.

Principles of Reassignment:

We are in the King’s service and it is His sovereign choice whether to reassign us, and give us new orders. We are still in His service, and must seek to do His will.

The change in our area of service is a great opportunity to recognize our shortcomings, our total inadequacy, and humble ourselves before our great and awesome God. This is a time to learn how to be humble.

Any reassignment is a call to humility. If you’ve been reassigned to what you believe is a lower, or much lower, position, it is an opportunity to humble yourself. If you’ve been reassigned to what you see as a higher, or much higher, position, it is an opportunity to see your inadequacies and humble yourself.

Our new role is also a time to learn from Him. “How do You want me to go about this?” “What is Your path for me in this new situation?” “How can I glorify You in this change?”

He prepared work for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Your new assignment includes God-given work.

And, always, thank Him for His work in your life, and rejoice.

When I am asked, “What are your plans today?”, I usually have an answer. In fact, I maintain a “to do” list of projects and activities I want to finish today, this week, this season, next summer, this lifetime…

I know many don’t keep plans to this extreme, some lose their “to do” lists if they even make one, but nearly all of us have an idea what we’re going to do today.

Have you Inquired of the Lord?

The question is: “Have you inquired of the Lord?”

Saul

So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. (1 Chronicles 10:13–14)

Saul:

Didn’t keep the word of the Lord.

Asked questions of the wrong person.

Didn’t inquire of the Lord.

Judah

So I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests. And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, and those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him. (Zephaniah 1:4–6)

Judah:

Worshipped idols.

Turned back from following the Lord.

Didn’t seek the Lord or inquire of Him.

Our Privilege (and Responsibility) to Inquire

As Christians, we have the immense privilege of going directly to the Father with confidence. We have the honor of asking Him about “our” plans. We have the joy of hearing from Him.

We have the responsibility to inquire of our Commander.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate [inquire] in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)

Questions

Have you asked the Lord about your plans?

Does your “to do” list bring you closer to Him?

Is there anything you should do differently?

Prayer

Lord, hello me not relay on my own “wisdom, but on You. Help me consistently inquire of You.

On my way to eye surgery #6 (in less than two years), I used Psalm 23 as a guide to prayer.

In praying through Psalm 23, I praised Him for the wonderful truths in that beautiful Psalm. And I was struck with David’s response: “I shall not want,” “I fear no evil,” and his confidence that the Lord’s goodness and lovingkindness would follow him all the days of his life.

Don’t Want, Don’t Fear, Trust

I had good reason to trust Him through another eye procedure.

I had written a book about preparing in advance for storms (When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?). He is my loving, almighty Lord.

The Lord had given me practice in trusting Him through job loss, my significant eye issues, and family members’ issues. He proved, over and over and over, that He is trustworthy. He demonstrated His absolute control over everybody and everything all the time. He assured me of His love and faithfulness.

And yet

And yet, even though this eye procedure was “minor,” I was scared.

What’s up with that?!

I’m human…

I cannot, with my own “power,” determine not to fear.

But I can, always, review who He is, my almighty, loving Savior, and fall into His arms.

Our Shepherd

In light of His constant, loving provision, giving us green pastures and still waters, we can be content with His care.

In light of His leading us in paths of righteousness, knowing it is for His name’s sake, we can trust He will get us safety through.

In light of His protection, using His rod and His staff, we can be confident of His goodness and lovingkindness in our lives.

Decide

So, on the way to surgery, I reviewed His goodness, His provision, His guidance, His love. As best I could I determined to trust.

And He is eminently and eternally faithful.

~~~~

Please take some time and pray through this Psalm. At the end of each line, praise your Lord for who He is and what He does. Tell Him about your desires and fears. Ask Him to help you not want, not fear, and be confident His goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

~~~~

P.S. My eyes are fine! Praise God!

Day by day, what do you habitually do? What would others say about your customs?

Jesus’ Customs

We know something about Jesus’ customs:

He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16).

He customarily taught the crowds (Mark 10:1).

He often slipped away to the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16).

The last week before He was crucified He taught daily in the temple and He spent the nights on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37-38).

Paul

Paul’s custom was to go to a synagogue and reason with them from the Scriptures. (Acts 17:2)

Jesus’ Mother and her Husband

Jesus’s mother and her husband carried out the custom of the Law when He, as a newborn, was presented to the Lord in the temple, and they offered a sacrifice (Luke 2:22-24). They customarily went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover (Luke 2:41-42).

Believers

After Pentecost, believers “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

Israel

On the other hand, Israel was commanded not to follow the customs of the nations (Leviticus 20:23), but they did so anyway (2 Kings 17:7-8).

Customs

“Customs” are habits, powerful elements to a life, thoughts, or activities you do without thinking, or without thinking much. They can be bad or good.

I want so much to hear my Lord say: “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” I imagine you do as well.

To hear the Lord’s praise, I need to live a life seeking Him first, and habitually obeying Him.

I am more apt to lead a life of obedience if I habitually read and study the Bible, and habitually pray. I want to go to my desk for Bible study without thinking how I got there, without talking myself into it. I want not to have to use prompts to drive me to prayer, but, rather, find myself in prayer as a settled routine.

Secular studies have found that about 40% of our daily actions are habits. We need to thoughtfully eradicate the bad habits and establish the habits we need to draw closer to the Lord.

A useful tip: if you have an established good habit, link a desired new habit to the habit already in place. For example, if you habitually study the Word, link prayer to your study before and/or after. That way, when you settle down to the Bible, you also are in prayer mode.

It sounds easier than it is, so I am determined to make developing good habits a habitual part of prayer (!).

Praising Jesus Christ should be the hallmark of our lives as Christians. Not just every day, but every moment. His glory, and His being should be the center of ourselves, and the fuel we use for daily life.

Should be… I know I fall short, way short, and need to constantly review the facts to stimulate my praise.

But the facts are the entire Bible.

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:27)

We could focus one at a time on innumerable aspects of Jesus Christ, praising Him for something different every day. And we should.

But for today:

Jesus Christ

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

The Word from the beginning, with God and was God. (John 1:1)

The power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)

Came to seek and save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)

Intercedes for us to the Father (Romans 8:34)

With us always. (Matthew 28:20)

The Alpha and the Omega. The Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

Praise Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, I praise You. You left Your eternal, glorious position in heaven, set aside Your independent exercise of Your deity, humbled Yourself to become a man, and sought sinners in order to save them, to save me. You are God and Lord, and yet those You’ve saved are Your brethren. You are the eternal, glorious Truth. All praise from all creatures belongs to You. Help me praise You more.

Praise Jesus Christ

“Hangeth thou in there, O baby!”

Oh, yeah?

Are you in a place of misery? Are you at your wits’ end?

How can you endure? How can you “hang in there”? How can you stand firm?

First, pray

First, always first, look to the Lord and pray.

Second, ask whether you need to act.

It may be that the Lord wants you to do something to change the situation. If so, ask Him what to work on. (Legally! Righeously!)

Do what needs doing.

But do you need to endure?

It may be that you have to endure the situation.

We are expected to endure

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

… but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses … (2 Corinthians 6:4)

You have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1–3)

HOW TO ENDURE

STOP!

If it is possible to step away and get your head/heart straight, do so. A breather. A time not to be in the midst of the battle, but a time to get before the Lord. If it isn’t possible, try to get away mentally.

Stop thinking about yourself and your misery.

Stop that internal dialogue about how awful it is.

LOOK!

We may not have a choice about whether we have to endure.

But we do have a choice about how we will endure.

The key is to look to Him rather than your own misery; To set your mind on things of the Spirit, not things of the flesh. (Romans 8:5-8)

Fix your eyes upon Jesus. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

LISTEN!

Recall God’s promises:

He allowed this for a loving purpose.

He will bring good out of it, making your more into the image of Christ.

He is with you through this and for you in this.

Remind yourself:

You have been given everything you need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)

THEREFORE, you can get through this in a way that honors your Lord. I CAN

ACT!

Ask to see this trial from the perspective of eternity.

Resolve to endure–but put your hope on God, not yourself

Determine to think, say, and do what pleases the Lord.

Determine to hang in there. Make up your mind.

Determine to endure whatever He brings or allows, looking to Him for eventual redemption and reward.

REJOICE!

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. (James 1:2)

We also exult in our tribulations… (Romans 5:3)

——

You CAN endure with joy. I CAN endure with joy.

Yes! We CAN.