Grace When You Are Unraveling

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.” Psalm 18:6

Some of our greatest griefs are when others depend on us being strong, but we’re falling apart. I have to be strong as a dad and husband, as a pastor and friend. To be able to be trusted in feels good. What happens when others depend upon me but I’m unraveling, my heart aches or has become numb, or I find little rest in my mind?

There are people who need me. If I lose sight of my Lord’s grace, my pride will let that sentence make sense. People need me. Am I sovereign over creation? Where was I when God laid the foundations of the world (Job 38:4)? Do I have secret wisdom that I alone can give? Do I alone have power that God’s creation depends on and needs?

Although the Lord uses me to be a means of grace to others, encouraging them in the faith, discipling or caring or comforting or counseling or teaching, the Lord does not need me. Rather, I need Him. No moment teaches this glorious truth of my need for God than when I am unraveling, breaking, falling apart in the midst of others depending upon me.

When others need me rather than God in and through me, that is a problem. I don’t have the energy, strength, wisdom, or ability that God alone has. If I am not dependent upon God, and celebrate that dependence on Him, then I will unravel and break apart. 

However, in your distress, in your unraveling, you call open the Lord for help. Your tearful pleas reach His ears. He doesn’t turn away from you simply because you are unraveling. He knows those depending on you to be strong are in need. He is the only Savior. He comforts, guides, counsels, corrects, teaches, loves. 

Parents who struggle, knowing you are depended upon, remember to depend upon the Lord yourself. Pray. You don’t need eloquence, just a cry for help. When you are needed at work and needed at home, remember you are in need of the Lord’s help. When life, relationships, jobs, money, whatever wears you down, depend less on those things to sustain you. God’s grace sustains you and preserves His people (Psalm 55:22).

Are you unraveling now? Weep. The Lord who will wipe away tears for the last time (Revelation 21:4) hears your cry for help from His temple. He draws near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He mends. Are you growing weary in doing good? Remember Galatians 6 is about carrying each other’s burdens as a church family, directing our attention to depend upon God together. God has given us each other to depend upon Him, and we rejoice in our dependence upon Him together.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for believing in our own strength and ability, as well as our pride believing we are needed. You are needed Lord. For the sake of others, bless us by Your mercies. For the sake of Your name, hear our cries in times of distress, rescue, lift, and carry us. May You be glorified in and through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God's Grace in Bad Days

“The LORD’s anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Your alarm rings. The morning has come. Another day must be started. “Oh,” you think to yourself, “I hope today is better than yesterday.” Does God have grace for bad days?

Sometimes, bad days teach us something. Other times, we simply have bad days. We think that if we capture the meaning, or the lessons, waiting to be discovered when days get hard we will find some sort of comfort. Truth is, comfort is always there. Whether there is a lesson to be learned or, as in some days, the real pain and trial leave us simply having a bad day, God is faithful and good.

This verse describes both pain from God’s discipline (remember, He disciples those He loves!) and when painful days are simply that: a bad day. God is still faithful and good. His favor, or mercy, is for your good and His glory for a lifetime. His joy comes when the season of sorrow is over.

You see, dear weak and weary soul, the groaning you have when days get hard match the groaning for redemption of all creation since the fall. Paul’s thought shifts forward in Romans 8, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Our weak, failing, aging, groaning, perishable body will one day put on imperishable, raised in glory, power, and spirit (I Corinthians 15:42-44). All because of the work of Christ, dying your death and being raised from the dead as victorious. Christ is our high priest who understands our weakness in bad days, tempted in every way like us, yet He is faithful and without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

God’s grace is sufficient, even on days that are rough. Even when God answers our prayers in ways that bring challenges. God is still faithful and good. God is “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (II Corinthians 1:3-5).

We may be wounded, weak, and it seems happiness is replaced with stress or an exhausted numbness. Even when you don’t feel like it, worship Christ. Pray. Pray in tears or groaning too deep for words, if you must. Sing. Sing the glad songs of a church triumphant in Christ. Encourage, even when you’re hurt. For He understands, He sees all your failings, and He is still faithful and good. God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Be humble before Him, even on bad days. For He has grace for bad days.

Heavenly Father, how weak we are in the flesh! How long must we wait for redemption, for Christ to right all wrongs? Grant Your church strength in our weakness, grace for our days get hard. Remind us once again of Your precious gospel! Remind us of the treasure we enjoy in Christ Jesus! Bless us, comfort us, by Your steadfast love and mercy, freely given in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Comfort from a Church's Faith

“…for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.” -I Thessalonians 3:7

The Apostle Paul reflected upon the toils and troubles of gospel ministry. Jesus told us we are not above our Teacher, whom the world persecuted and therefore will persecute us (John 15:20). We suffer in the footsteps of He who suffered for us (I Peter 2:21) and we shouldn’t be surprised to suffer (I Peter 4:12). In the sharing of our Lord’s afflictions, we are blessed (Matthew 5:10-12).

In his letter to the church family in Thessalonica, Paul said that the stress of his ministry was comforted from the report from pastor Timothy regarding their faith. John echoes this when he said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (III John 1:4). 

Pastoral ministry involves real lives, real sins, real marriages and families. There is much pain involved, including accusations and injury from words from those who delight in inflicting pain and division. Yet, I have discovered the joy of all joys: to see a strong church family who truly loves one another and delights in Christ together! 

And this is my plea to you, my beloved flock: delight in the Lord. Come and assemble on Sunday mornings yearning to delight in Him together. Come and be encouraged in the faith, then encourage each other in the faith. This brings comfort and joy to the pastors, which makes this difficult calling of watch care for your soul a joyful duty to our Lord, which is a benefit to the church (Hebrews 13:17). This love is God’s means of grace of delight and comfort for the whole church. This love displays the power and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church.

Heavenly Father, with gratitude we praise You for the unity of our church family. We thank You for the love we share. We pray that Jesus may increase, and we may decrease, that You would be glorified in Your people. We ask for Your mercy to treasure You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.