Calling on the Lord in Times of Distress

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me.” -Psalm 120:1

There are days, even seasons, which feels so heavy upon your heart and nothing seems to go right. Your workload and workplace relationships are stressed. Home life isn’t a refuge, but only adds to the stress. Perhaps you become the object of scorn. The idea of stress accompanied with hurtful words stings your heart and keeps you up at night. Everything around you presses upon you. Your heart gives weight to the biblical word “distress.”

In Psalm120, the Psalmist is being attacked by lips of falsehood and lying words which feel like they were arrows shot by an enemy attacker and burning coals upon the heart (vs 4). The Psalmist has lived a long time surrounded by such a crowd of people who hate peace (vs 5-6). He even writes, “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (vs 7).

Do you know of such folks? Even the kindest words seem to provoke them. Much like Proverbs 25:21-22, feeding your enemy or simply showing a steadfast kindness is like pouring hot coals upon their heads. The slightest things you mean for peace is viewed as an act of aggression. No matter how much peace you speak, they stir more drama and add to the stress of the whole thing. 

Notice where this overwhelmed, over-stressed, grieved, aching Psalmist goes: “In my distress I called to the Lord.” It is so easy that when others bring war and scorn to break with our peace and engage our enemies in our distress. As our Lord Jesus set the example, so must we follow this Psalmist. When you are in distress, call out to the Lord. Pray. Pray long and pray deep. Pray for endurance in the pains of distress. Pray for His peace which surpasses understanding, even if these lying lips continue their heated and painful scorn.

We have this assurance, beloved: “And He answered me.” Judgment is left in His hands (vs 3), for vengeance belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19). Ask the Lord for peace and remain speaking peace even if they speak war. Remain at peace, even if the pressures around you do not ease and the scoffers around you are still provoked by every way of peace. When weakened in your distress, call to the Lord. He will answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9).

Heavenly Father, whether we are in distress or distress can creep unexpectedly soon, we rejoice in the assurance You provide that when we cry out to You, You will answer us. Bless us, Father, by Your rich mercies to be at peace and continue to speak peace, even if the hostility around us does not relent. Your grace is enough for us. Strengthen us according to Your promises for us in Christ. Amen.

Speaking Grace in our Homes and Local Churches

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” – Ephesians 4:29

The New Testament uses family language to describe the local church. We are brothers and sisters, the household of God, and as Paul says in Ephesians 4, “we are members one of another.” We belong to one another and labor with great care the building up of this household for God’s pleasure. Our heavenly Father commands your mouth, which He created for His good pleasure, to speak grace toward the ears of His beloved church to build her up.

The reality of Christ’s cleansing of your heart is displayed in the purity of our speech (Luke 6:45). Our Lord commands your mind renewed and heart pure to love His church, and He sanctifies His beloved by His truth to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander along with malice” and “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

In this new year, make this doctrine an emphasis in your home. Encourage your household how to think purely and speak about purely the other households in the church of Jesus Christ. This means our marriages and homes must be atmospheres which greatly discourage corrupting talk and commands repentance for corrupting thoughts of other members of the local church. This also means we must cultivate homes with the foundation of Christ’s peace to speak only what is good for building up and speaking grace to one another.

There is something beautiful in speaking blessing to one another. Whether another family in our church family is struggling or well, communicate blessing to their ears to hear. “God bless your home with His peace, brother,” is something that must resound in the hallways of a church building far more than criticism. May God grant you wisdom, restore peace and joy, comfort you and your home, protect you for the evil one, remind you and your home of His steadfast love and mercy. 

To speak a blessing, not simply as the act itself but from the heart, can only come from a Christ-like love and care for each other with tenderness and forgiveness (vs32). A genuine love from someone being matured in Christ to labor and build up His church in peaceful unity (Ephesians 4:12-13). May God bless you and your home by His truth that you may bless the other members of Christ’s church. May He build us up for His good pleasure.

Heavenly Father, forgive our hearts of any corrupting thoughts and purify our hearts and minds by Your truth. As You have forgiven us in Christ, grant us tenderness to forgive others in Christ. Grace our mouths, which You have created for Your good pleasure, to speak grace in our homes and toward one another. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thankful Like Jesus

The table is set, the feast is prepared and served, and the family gathers. Thanksgiving remains a special evening in America. Inevitably, someone will ask, "what are you thankful for?" If you're like my family, this is a question that must be answered by everyone at the table. How will you answer this question?

Jesus was thankful that the Father had hidden the teachings of Christ from the wise and understanding yet revealed to little children (Matthew 11:25). Jesus was thankful for the food He provided in the feeding of the 4,000 (Matthew 15:36). Jesus was thankful to the heavenly Father for always hearing Jesus' prayer at the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:41-42). Jesus gave thanks at the last supper before His trial, suffering, and execution (Matthew 26:26-27).

Jesus remained thankful despite experiencing much ingratitude. One day, our Lord Jesus healed ten lepers who asked Jesus to have mercy on them (Luke 17:11-19). They were healed on their way to show themselves to the priest, yet only one turned back and gave Jesus thanks.

What are you thankful for? I am thankful that He would reveal Himself to such a wretch like me. I am thankful to be fed by Christ like the 4,000. I am thankful that through Christ the Father always hears me. I am thankful for the death of Christ in my place. Like the healed leper, I am thankful that my Lord showed me mercy.

I have much to be thankful for. Yet, when it comes to my turn to answer, it isn't simply what I am thankful for, but to Whom. He has show me mercy when I deserve judgment, healing when I deserve wounding, and a forever reconciliation with my God when I deserve to live in squalor in the far country (Luke 15:16).

It is when I know to Whom I am thankful and aware of my place, I truly see the rich blessings I enjoy on earth with a grateful heart. I am thankful to God for my wife. She is a truly good friend and help meet. I am thankful to God for my children. They are a joy. I am thankful to God for my church family. They encourage me and love my family. I am thankful for my parents and siblings. I have happy memories growing up which I hope to continue in my own children.

Whether I have plenty or little, I am thankful the Lord taught me to be content (Philippians 4:12). With a thankful heart I let my requests be made known to God, and I am thankful He always hears me and does not treat me according to my iniquities. Rather, Jesus the Good Shepherd is bringing me all the way to God. What now is my chief purpose? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

What am I thankful for? I am His, and He is mine. 
What are you thankful for?

A Prayer After Preaching

Heavenly Father,

Needy did I walk to the pulpit with Your Word,
Feeble as my heart was
       and imperfect were my words -
Take Your glorious truths I expounded
Tether Your power to the words I had spoken
      and burn them into the hearts You have created anew.

Bind the wounds of the brokenhearted
Encourage the despondent
Give motion to the idle
Grant repentance to the sinful
Provide strength to the weak
       mercy to the needy
       rest to the weary
       peace to the flustered
       joy to the downcast
       perseverance to those at the end of themselves

Raise my thoughts of Jesus higher
Diminish my thoughts of myself lower
       to shepherd Your people heavenward
       where I will lay my staff at Your feet

Grant to Your servant rest
       and teach me to rest
Trusting You have no need
       of my labors
       of my worries
       of my dreams
       of my successes
That I may sleep tonight
While You never rest
       and work as I sleep

Lord, before You I lay all my uncertainties
       my fears
       my failings
       my brokenness
       my longings        
And lay them all into Your competent hands

I entrust my flock
       those whom my heart loves
To the Good Shepherd
       Whose voice they follow
       Toward the city of the living God
       Where we will enjoy You forever
                 In everlasting rest
                      Which we foretasted here
                            And rested so briefly

Slipping Away to Pray

“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” -Luke 5:16

With the advent of cars and internet, the modern human workload and connectivity and soccer practices and binge watching flood our schedules with travel, noise, and busyness. We humans can survive through our days and nights in this noise without rest; however, our Creator made us to worship Him, not simply survive. Without taking rest in God in needy worship, we will press through our schedules while joy and peace fades into anxiety or indifference. We become downcast. 

Christ’s example is set before us to become more like Him. Our Lord had a busy schedule. Many people were coming to Him for healing, massive crowds pressed in around Him hungry for teaching, and Pharisees came with confrontation in attempts to frustrate Him. In the midst of this schedule, the Gospel writer Luke inserts that Jesus made a regular habit to slip away to pray alone. Not with His disciples. He went away alone.

Getting away to pray to the Father, without the company of others or receiving public notice, seems inefficient to the modern person. There are so many things I need to do and needs my attention. Why slip away? What will prayer accomplish? Before we claim that we would never say this, how often do we slip away to pray alone? In practice, we view prayer as useless activity, especially praying without anyone else. Why disconnect? Why slip away? It sounds like driving on a long road trip alone in a car with no working radio.

Spurgeon said, “though infinitely better able to do without prayer than we are, yet Christ prayed much more than we do.” Why? His communion with the heavenly Father, which He won for us. We now enjoy fellowship with God. We can take to Him our troubles and anxieties, our joys and cares.

We are not alone when we slip away to pray alone. If God is simply a subject we talk about in crowds rather than a Person enjoyed in worship of Him, praying alone will seem lonely. 

Prayer is part of a life of worship. Enjoying God, being in His presence to delight in Him, this is cause enough to slip away from the noise and the schedule to pray to my heavenly Father. This means we must see communion with God as more delightful than anything else. To persevere in our slipping away into private communion with God in prayer, even through difficulties and trials, our hearts must be set more deeply upon our delight in God and less absorbed in pleasing ourselves through our leisure and busyness in life.

Heavenly Father, grant us grace to crave a deep, private communion with You in our prayers. Guard our hearts through our days that we may slip away from our noisy, busy lives to enjoy being with You. For truly a day in Your courts is better than a thousand days in our earthly pursuits. We ask for your mercies in Jesus’ name. Amen.