Jonah (NKJV) Chp 1 ¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise,… ³ But Jonah arose to flee…and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it,… ⁴ But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up…   ¹⁷ Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights…Chp2¹⁰ So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land…Chp3 ³ So Jonah arose and went…⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?   ¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Chp 4 ¹ But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry…⁴ Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”… ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Can we even comprehend the magnitude of the Jonah story???  The little notice we take as we read it to our children from story books or in the recollection we have of its words as we reflect upon our childhood.  We rarely ponder the REAL messages found here: 1) God found Jonah significant.  2) God found Nineveh worth the extra effort.  3) God has an incredible amount of compassion, patience and creativity.  Mostly we reflect on this story focusing on one single component: God’s creativity.  In fact the creativity is the talk of many debates: “Was it a whale?”  “Was it a fish?”  “Did God alter the existing sea creature to make something work or did he create something from thin air?”  Yet what is particularly profound are those other details mentioned above. Especially the value God placed on both the rather arrogant and snobby minor prophet, Jonah, and the horrifically evil population of Nineveh, both full of their own variety of sin, yet fully important to God.  The lesson profoundly ringing from this story is that we are not more valuable because we know God, but rather it is the truth we carry to those who don’t know that sets us apart.  Make no mistake; we are vastly significant and unfathomably valuable to God, as Jonah’s story proves.  After all, God didn’t have to use Jonah to do the evangelism in this story, He simply loved Jonah enough to keep working with him and use him despite his unsuitable core-self.  What Jonah seemed to miss initially, was that his knowledge of God’s message was what brought him honor.  In God’s view, Jonah held significance to this story because of the word he had to share, not because of his accomplishments.  God’s interest in Nineveh was rivaled by his desire to allow Jonah to participate in the wonderful work of grace. Jonah rather than being humbled by the experience to share in an act of God’s historically significant moment of compassion, chose to feel vexed.  Jonah was offended by God’s desire to show compassion and worked overtime to thwart God’s intentions.  But God showed the same compassion to Jonah He was about to show to Nineveh.

Has this happened to you- feeling a wee bit more valuable and worthy of salvation than your sinful and obviously depraved fellow man?  The equality God shows to humanity, taught in this passage by way of God’s gentleness, compassion and mercy make this Minor Prophet a story of Mammoth Proportions and one majorly important for those called by God to love his/her neighbor as him/herself. [Lev 19:18, Matt 5:43-44, 22:39, Mk 12:31, Rms 13:8-9, Gal 5:14]  The silence that reverberates at the end of Jonah, as God has the last word, makes clear that God’s compassion brought more than Nineveh to repentance.

© Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved

Tough pill to swallow? I’m making reference to the scripture text.  This command is Jesus’s correcting the current interpretation of the law. No longer can it be interpreted as being the people you think you can find it in your heart to forgive, this is with your outright no holds barred, total enemy!  The person that has offended you most, taken away what was most precious to you and been pure evil in your opinion- your enemy!  It does however, include the one you feel is just miserable to be with, in any setting and anyone you’d rather put out of your favorable people column.   These are the ones for whom we are commanded to love and pray in the same way as we pray for those whom we find most favorable.

Upon pondering this reality throughout life, I had never quite come upon the thought I am about to share until I was dealing with someone very dear to my heart, but who, nonetheless in the moment, seemed to fall into the “enemy” category.  Like banging my head on a wall, I had relentlessly tried educating this loved one to no avail.  There in the moment of pure anger and frustration, God tapped my shoulder with a profound truth- “you’re playing right into the devil’s hand.”  I stopped dead in my tracks and felt a holy hush come over my entire being and like my head was spinning out of control, I turned my anger to the “real” enemy, the devil.  I took authority over him and my own mind and realized who I was really battling.  Moments later, my husband too began to fall prey to the very same battle and I shared with him this insight. Ephesians 6:11-12 (NASB) ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

It is odd how we operate in life when we feel threatened.  We take our counter attack stance and stand with resolve, “I’ll not be beaten,” only to find, that is exactly what just happened. Scripture tells us Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)  ¹⁸Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.  Yet we just barrel in headlong on many occasions, certain we know the enemy and we’re gonna pulverize the menace and win this thing once and for all, only to find we’ve insulted the wrong person, burned bridges we would later need to finish our lives strong, destroyed our testimony and on and on….

Oh that we could learn, when we take the matters of our lives into our own hands we are fighting in an unfair match.  The enemy of our souls has us out matched and out witted if we ignore God’s mandates, protocol, and the leadership of His spirit.  It’s almost as if sometimes we pause, turn to God and say, “here, that’s okay, I’ve got this one.”  But all we’ve got, if we take that attitude, is one more important lesson to learn & perhaps a lap full of disaster!  Oh that we could see how the devil is prodding and poking to initiate conflict, hard feelings and heartbreak.  He, when he uses your enemies, is hoping you’ll “slap the fire out of ‘em” or “blast ‘em with a piece o’ your mind.”  ‘Cause the devil doesn’t just hate YOU- he hates the person he’s using to serve as your perceived enemy.  The true enemy is not the one who might go to hell for a life of sin; the true enemy is the devil and sin itself.  If we fight people, we just help the devil destroy more of us with more widespread damage than if we loved our enemies and prayed for them.  After all, if only one of you in the mix sins and the other intercedes, the devil only accomplishes part of his plan and you set God’s plans in motion by your intercessory prayer, putting a quicker end to the devil’s success in you and your enemy.

Look at it this way, if your enemy doesn’t succeed in the devil’s plans against you, the devil doesn’t succeed in the plans to destroy your enemy quite so well either.  Pray for your enemy till God declares the battle for his soul over, because he too is a victim of evil, though momentarily, a tool of it as well.  Don’t you want others to pray for you when you stumble and hurt them?  God is so good, your former enemy might one day become your best friend and your ally in working for God.  Wouldn’t that be backfiring on the devil?! And by seeking God in your battle through intercession you may find the cause of the conflict involves issues God is working on in YOU as well, which will make you very glad you just loved & prayed.

© Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved

In a world nearly hysterical to recycle, the message of life from death seems especially fitting.  As we look through the Gospels we see many accounts of Jesus using what is already available and reusing what has been damaged by merely improving or repairing it. This example given in the scripture above hits this same chord.  The seed is simple when it first breaks forth, but when it dies, it multiplies its potential.  God is definitely a recycler but is also an unsurpassed creator.  What he recycles isn’t just “reused” it is recreated.

John chapter 3 references being born again.  This raises the question for Nicodemus as to whether or not a man is to enter the physical process of birth and start over.  Jesus states the new life comes from being spiritually born again. The spiritual rebirth though comes from the crucifying of self (Adam-like) to become the Christ-like creation.  Life from death for a Christian is not in reference to a physical death, but in dying to one’s own selfish desires and to the intense instinct for self-preservation, done by God’s power through the blood of Jesus working in the repentant heart.

Targeting this life from death reality let’s look at our passage in John 12 again. Jesus’s disciples had come to get his attention regarding a group of visitors. Shockingly, Jesus responds with an announcement that the flesh was not to be glorified; but in order to function fully, the flesh would have to die like a kernel of wheat does when planted.  Centuries later we scratch our heads amazed and frustrated with this “personal” recycling plan God has for the damaged heart of sinful man.  Certainly this passage is mostly prophesying Jesus’s death in order to bring new life for the Christian, but the lesson is also applicable to our spiritual growth with the Lord in an ongoing process of life from death.

To expound, let’s follow some examples of this concept from earthly life as well as scripture. Childbirth is a strong argument for life from death.  It is a costly sacrifice on the part of a mother.  The medical community recognizes childbirth as a very dangerous and life threatening task. This struggle in childbirth began in Genesis and through all of  time has served as a reminder to us all that sin-damaged humanity cannot have anything of true value without a form of death to our selfish desires.

Scripture also has some strong examples in the Old Testament of life from death transitioning.  Joseph, son of Jacob, did his greatest accomplishment after being mistaken for dead (Gen37:32-34) and being forgotten as if he were dead (Gen 40:22-23).  Job was taken to the brink of death, wishing he could go back and erase the day he was born (link), but his life was so remarkable God made from it a book of the Bible.  Jonah also had a time in which he would rather have died, but instead accomplished a great work of the Lord, making him too a book of the Bible.  Think through the stories of successes in your own life or in the lives of those you have seen achieve great success.  Are there any examples of those who came by success without incredible sacrifice?

Jesus’s strong illustration in John 12 is teaching us the value of burying our selfish insistence of having our way; putting aside the comfort of our flesh; and recognizing that the incredibly high price being paid in giving/dying is the only way to real life.  The surrendering of selfish desires to follow the will and purposes of righteousness through Jesus, makes possible the new life that brings us out of the ashes to the potential God intends for His creation.  Life is not for self-indulgence or personal comfort; it is for learning how to move away from what sin made us to be and toward that which God called us to be, something that is never comfortable or easy, but ALWAYS worth it!!!

 © Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved

John 11:14-15  So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” (NASB)

 As you read this passage perhaps you recognized where we’re heading.  The Lord does things that don’t always line up with our expectation and He does things often that really create for our “natural man” a reason for total fear.  The scripture tells us however, that “perfect love casts out fear.”  With this as our basis, we recognize the “panic” is then what we do when we are not operating in the wisdom of God, because God is love.  A crucial point here begins with Jesus’s statement in verse 15- “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe…” Although our world has come to believe that being “humane” is to never create pain-Jesus is grateful for what this illustration will accomplish – helping them believe, despite the pain Lazarus’s death was for all those close to him, and no doubt for Lazarus as well.

 Let’s read further in the passage and see what more the Savior will accomplish in this painful plan that seems to induce panic in those closest to Lazarus: John 11:20-27 (NASB) ²⁰ Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him… ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” ²³ Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”  Can you hear the hints of panic in her words as Martha speaks to Jesus?  Consider that by now, the events seeming to produce cause for the greatest panic have now transpired; leaving Martha with the idea she needed to merely accept the apparent reality.  So her panic is muted from what it must have been a few verses earlier (John 11:1-6) when she and her family had sent for Jesus.  Can you imagine their restlessness, the wringing of hands, the anxious emotions that circled their residence as they wondered, “Where is Jesus?!” 

Scripture tells us that Jesus knew Lazarus wasn’t at God’s appointed time to die (because it says: This sickness is not to end in death), but rather this was an appointed time to build the faith in His people and express God’s deepest love for His children to even raise the dead (both physically & spiritually).  But no one, but Jesus, could have anticipated this event.  Panic in this situation seemed appropriate for all others present.  Lazarus was dying and the One able to stop this from happening appeared to be a no-show!  What was a believer to think?    Now let’s be fair, if we had not already read the end of the story we’d have thought His absence, at Lazarus’s death, somewhat cruel ourselves.

Therein lays my point.  We panic, because we aren’t able to see the end from the beginning, because we don’t know all that God is capable of doing, at least not before He reveals it and/or because we are still not perfected in real love.  But God does not just tell us that He will supply all our needs and this story gives us clear evidence that He can do more than supply for needs.  He can twist life backwards, forwards and manage time and space in directions that are unforeseen to us.  What is most important is to recognize in our times of panic that the source of the panic (what’s in our hearts) is not God, nor is it HIS will, but is at least in part, a lack of confidence that God is who He says He is.  Jesus declared Himself as the resurrection and the life.* This circumstance afforded Him the occasion to prove it.  As Jesus told his disciples and insinuated for Lazarus’s family and all those in the surrounding communities this was going to help them believe!!!!  But believe what?  -Believe Jesus is who he said he is* and strengthen their faith to never again doubt that reality is boundless!

If you feel that your circumstances have yet to turn as favorable as that of Lazarus and his family, bear in mind, although he was once resurrected, Lazarus is no longer alive on earth.  But fundamentally this lesson is less about death and more about God.  What we see here is He is doing great things, even when they hurt. So when we are challenged with panic inducing circumstances, we must remember God is the one we can trust despite the apparent circumstance.  Then turning from the voices and fears that feed our panic we must turn toward the source of faith.  Knowing that our precious Heavenly Father is always love because He is always GOD!!!!

THE most important association is beyond just being in association, it requires complete submission.  The salvation of the soul is completely based on who you know, not just “say” you know, but truly know (see Matt 7 & 25).  We are not able to enter heaven’s gates on our own talent, skill, experience or merit.  We will only enter the kingdom of heaven if we are found in the company of the Lord Jesus Christ, because alone, we fail to meet the standard required.    In Romans 3 the Apostle Paul asserts that even the religious Jew doesn’t have the “stand alone” power:   ¹⁰ As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.¹¹ No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. ¹²All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” ^{(skipping13 -16) 17} They don’t know where to find  peace.”  ¹⁸ “They have no fear of God at all.”  ¹⁹ Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. ²⁰ For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. (NLT)Romans 3:23-24 ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (NASB) ^{(skipping25-26) 27}Where is boasting then? It is excluded… (KJV)  Jesus’s words found in John 10:9-10   help finish up this discussion: ⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  ¹⁰… I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (KJV)

By His own words Jesus makes it clear- He not only has the connections, He can get you in and with front row seating, so to speak.  But this connection is not for tickets to a concert, this is for observing and participating in the victories of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and to participate in the Marriage of the Christ to the Bride- His Church.  These events will carry us into a new heaven and a new earth where there will never be sorrow or pain, no more tears.  We must KNOW him to have access to these wonderful events and more.  We are not able to stand in our own righteousness or our own merit.  Do you know Him?

Our God designed life to reflect His kingdom, and if going it alone won’t get us into Heaven, then going it alone won’t get us much of anywhere.  Taking into account loving our neighbor as ourselves, we hold caution close and guard ourselves not to use people for selfish gain.  But we must not ignore their importance and their influence.  When we give honor to those to whom honor is due, we are honoring God (Romans 13:7).  When we build relationships with our fellowman, we are being like Jesus. And when we access them with godly humility, we are modeling the kingdom.  God is building His kingdom in us, which is a world full of healthy, strong relationships in which we put God first and then love and care for one another and their well-being. 

© Dianne Dunnagan 2010 All Rights Reserved

Romans 8:28 (King James Version)   ²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Have you ever planned an event for someone who was regularly making suggestions or hints of what they thought you should do (for them), bringing not only diversions to your efforts but thwarting the positive impact of the intended blessing.  I’m imagining here, this might be what God experiences as we interfere with the pathways to our destinies as He intends on working the best for our lives. Certainly, God is able to override what happens, but the fact remains that many times He doesn’t. God has chosen to allow us to choose if we want to cooperate with His ideas.  If we’d prefer doing things our way, He has been known to let us experience that option i.e.King David with Bathsheba and a deceased child OR if we’d prefer learning lessons the hard way He has been known to let us experience that as well i.e. 40 year desert journey of the former Egyptian enslaved Israelites when Moses led them in the Exodus. But these options are not God’s preference.  Scripture supports that God has a plan for us and it is a good plan.  He did not create us and then abandon us to cluelessly attempt managing our destinies.  ¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: … ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart  Jeremiah 29:10-13 (NIV, ©2011)

Isaiah 30:18 (NASB) ¹⁸Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you for the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

The “Lord longs to be gracious.”  Have you actually pondered that fact?  God is not longing to harm, correct or punish us.  He is longing to be gracious to us.  God does want us to engage in holy and godly living because He is holy and to be nearer to Him and receive from His fullness we must live holy.  God is constantly on edge with desire to do more for His children yet we so often do something that hinders that fullness from being made known in our lives.

 Jesus, in Matthew 23:37, mourns over His people as He tells them “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” but their unrepentant hearts kept this from happening.  Here we see that God is pushed back not by His lack of desire to bless, but by His people’s lack of desire for living closer to Him.  And Psalm 84:11-12 states- ¹¹For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory;  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. ¹²O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!  ”No good thing does He withhold…”  Recognize here the contingency: “…from those who walk uprightly.”  Our unholiness can prevent or at least limit our opportunities for God to manifest Himself in our lives. When we are living apart from God’s intentions for a holy life, we are reckless, selfish and simply not trustworthy of His gifts, Luke 16:11.  God is always after the good of our souls when trying our flesh so that we see more clearly what we are and how He is dispensing with our sinful nature.  However, when we pursue Him, when we sit at His feet and allow ourselves to soak up the truth of His word, our flesh is broken and transformed into His image — making us prime candidates for His greatest blessings.

 CS Lewis states, through his characters in Narnia, that God is good but He isn’t safe.  He says this to illustrate the intensity with which God pursues us for His good pleasure.  This good pleasure (Phil 2:13-16) is to perfect us into His likeness that He might grant to us great blessings and reveal yet more the fullness of His great love and glory. 

 Lest you perceive a doctrine of “works to salvation” let me clarify: This devotional’s context is not in regard to salvation.  We are not perfected BEFORE we are saved, nor are we able to realize our need for salvation without God’s drawing (John 6:44).  God, in His mercy, reaches to us to come and receive forgiveness and a cleansing through the atoning work of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection that prepares us for the great journey of knowing Him and experiencing the glories of His service.  But once we have received mercy into salvation, the continuing growth in Him makes us eligible for more of Him and more FROM Him. We see this principle illustrated in Matthew 25:23 As Jesus explains to His followers regarding a faithful servant and his master:   ²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. (NASB)  Jeremiah 29:11 also asserts God’s desire to extend His kindness.

 While it is true, God will eventually put an end to evil, scripture also says it is not His will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  He is rooting for us, so to speak.  He wants us to succeed, to be blessed, to live in such a way that we can be trustworthy, when granted His good gifts.  Therefore, the hardships of life are quite frequently to build the character of Christ in us so that His agenda to bless us and use us for greater good can happen.  However, scripture tells us that the fullness of His purpose is yet to be fully revealed.  In an incredible moment of encouragement the apostle Paul states “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18(NIV)  

 God works in us His good pleasure (Phil 2:13-16) so that the GOOD things of His perfection might be granted to us in this life and/or the one to come.  The good pleasure of the Lord, also makes clear as mentioned, that everyone is important to Him.  Thus, what occurs in us in this life serves not only to benefit us but the world around us.  When we are blessed, the world around us is blessed as well.  When we live holy and receive God’s blessing, we become a testimony of God’s faithfulness to His word, His children and an example of His goodness.  When hardships come, reflect on the passage of James 1:2-4 that reminds us God is using those troubles to do a greater work and so come closer to your Heavenly Father so that you may experience the truth:  “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”                 © Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved

Matthew 8:23-27 (New Living Translation)

 ²³ Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. ²⁴ Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”   ²⁶ Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.  ²⁷ The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” 

In this wonderful passage of scripture, the Lord has taken time to rest.  He is with His disciples and feels He can finally stop and relax and get some much needed rest.  When the storm comes the disciples are still not fully aware of three (3) things* Jesus knows that could have helped them in the storm. 1) Jesus is the MASTER of the sea/lake/ocean and any other body of water. 2) They have “…power to tread on serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt [them]”. Luke 10:19 (KJV). 3) Jesus’s presence on the boat supernaturally transformed their situation to an opportunity to see a miracle of unlimited options.  So, not quite getting it- they panic!  They wake Jesus, as if preparing him for the worst, or at least to have him offer moral support while they “die.”  But Jesus, appears somewhat aggravated with their lack of faith, and proceeds to “calm the storm.”  The disciples then stand, not just satisfied but completely amazed! During the storm, there are some disciples who, according to Mark 4:38 came to Jesus asking “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”  This, along with Matthew’s account where they called out “save us!” indicates that at least a few disciples felt that Jesus could really do something but it’s doubtful any perceived to what extent, since, both Matthew and Mark give record of their astonishment after Jesus speaks to the storm and calms the weather.

  One additional note: Stopping a storm could interfere with God’s desire for nature’s course and for the building of their faith.  Had the disciples known their “reality” instead of just their perception, perhaps then they would have fared safely THROUGH the storm to the other side despite the raging of the storm.  Their lack of faith might have intercepted God’s preferred miracle. 

Part I- There is comfort in God’s Word, if we will look to it and believe.  Here are a few:  &Matthew 28:20 (NIV) ²⁰… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” &Psalm 103:2-6 (NIV) Of David.        ^{EMPHASIS ADDED  2} Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins  and heals all your diseases,  ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit  and crowns you with love and compassion,  ⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things  so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  ⁶ The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Part II – Determining and dealing with our  response to the times of trouble.

What do we do when the storm comes?  Do we panic?   We’ve got to anchor on the promise Jesus made (referenced earlier – Matt 28:20) that He is with us always even to the very end of the age. Therefore, as His follower, be assured – Jesus is in your boat!!!! 

To help answer the questions, let’s find some context.  Let’s imagine this:  you are sitting in the doctor’s office receiving the worst news of your lifetime; or  you are sitting across the table from the love of your life telling you the most devastating news imaginable or whatever scenario  might be rocking your boat right now…    What do you do???  Do you go wake Jesus (Though, in His glorified state He never sleeps, we sometimes leave Him alone, as though He were.)?  Maybe better said is “Do you go ‘find’ Jesus?”  Do YOU believe He cares?  Do you believe He has given you power, authority?  Do you believe He has power, authority over your situation???

If Jesus is on board the boat/ship of our lives, then we should deliberately call on Him to alert ourselves and others that HE alone is our source. We must pull our thoughts into submission and recognize His presence is proof that He cares and that His presence then transforms our circumstances (through faith) into an opportunity for a miracle of infinite possibilities and from there we will see His amazing glory manifest in a miracle that only eternity will fully reveal.

 So the next time we are challenged with life’s storms… we must imagine ourselves as close to God’s power as those disciples were in the boat that day, and realize those three things*easily forgotten, are part of our faith message. Then we must encourage our hearts in the knowledge of the Word that assures us we can depend on the LORD and watch those waves grow still at His Word or our hearts grow wiser and stronger as we trust Him and dock safely, despite the storm!

©2010 Dianne Dunnagan All Rights Reserved

Yes, that’s where it’s found, the not-more-than-we-can-bear verse, except the context seems to be more about our vulnerability than our durability.   There is even a direct warning for us to “be careful!” I want to examine this verse in light of scripture to find reconciliation between the perceived meaning and the actual context of “warning” that surrounds it.

Take note that within this verse there are several foundational components that are given less attention when people are trying to be encouraging with the idea that “you can handle it:” temptation; provide escape; common to man.   It appears we, in our zeal to help others or in our own desire to believe what we want to believe, miss these. Temptation and trials are different items.  You might have to look a little bit through the various versions of the Bible to find the distinction, but there is one.  The Bible tells us that God is not tempted to sin, nor does He tempt any man to sin (James 1:12-14 NASB).   Yet God is constantly testing and proving us; we are facing a near barrage of trials at various times in our lives yet they are clearly in God’s plan.  Scripture found in many places help support this statement but Paul, in Romans 5:2-4 and James, in James 1:2-4 (NASB for both) make the distinction quite clear.  Temptation is not the same thing as a trial.  One is for God’s express purpose, while the other is the work of Satan.  (Although God is capable of still receiving glory from either; just reexamine the temptations of Jesus Matt & Luke chpt 4.)    In this passage, we are told that temptation is within a limit, because God uses the encouraging words “will not let you be tempted above…he will also provide a way out…”  This limit, however, is not consistently placed on our “trials.” From scripture, I have come up with a shorthand form for the progression:

trial“endurance“patience 

temptation“bear“escape

The story of Joseph found in Genesis chapters 37, 39-45 gives a prime example of these differences.  Joseph when sold into slavery, endured quite a trial of experiences that one would certainly say was more than any 17 year old (and growing) boy could bear, yet he was able to stay faithful to God.  God’s answer for Joseph’s success was found in Joseph’s dependence on and faith in God: the determination to trust that God would see him through as he followed God in his behavior and heart. Such solutions seem to indicate the distinct difference God provides in the trial, since we do not see him in the direct path of an escape until well after his death, when Moses comes on the scene. Yet when Joseph was faced with Potiphar’s wife and the temptation to commit adultery; we see God’s provision for escape is quite obvious. This last temptation through her, left Joseph dangerously close to giving in, one could say, because she had started pulling [off] his clothes.  Our society tries teaching our youth, in illusionary love stories, that being disrespectfully sought after by a tempter is a sign we are loved.  Yet in this moment, young Joseph knew, this was danger! He had to do something dramatic or he could go where he did not want to go.  He followed God even before the words of warning were written (Joshua 22:5 & Prov 4:23).  So he RAN, leaving his coat behind (Gen 39:12).  All told, we see God granted escape from the temptation, but strength for the trial.

While there is the distinction between trials and temptation and God does handle certain aspects of them differently, He also has an overall theme in the Bible:  “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.  But there lies also the statement of Jesus when once questioned about a too much to handle scenario, Jesus said  …with God all things are possible… (Matt 19:22-29)  If God only allowed each of us to face what could be handled by the individual alone, it is likely we would avoid asking for His help.   It is then probable to assume, in order to realize we need God – we need to be in situations that prompt us to call on God.  Therefore these troubles in life are assuredly more than we can bear- alone.  Therefore we may even be tempted above what our flesh alone can bear, because God never expects us to “work alone” and He only has expectations of us to succeed when we have HIS HELP.  Consider also that within the context of “trials” many of us have also faced temptation; as Satan, like mosquitos at dusk, is looking for vulnerable prey.  So perhaps then we could better interpret this scripture as a heads up.  Using verse 12, as our lead-in, we can assume that the caution to “be careful” is because we’re going to face challenges and the heads up is to expect overwhelming odds on occasion.  Yet this passage also tells us we’re not the first to go there and that God has a plan of escape as needed.

Christian society might have misrepresented God’s plan in quoting the famous excerpt, yet it does attempt to convey the compassion of His heart, because God has made a way for us to “make it!”  But in God’s plan “making it” will ALWAYS require HIS help!!!!!

©2010 Dianne Dunnagan All Rights Reserved

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 6:26-34 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these…             ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This passage is often quoted and used to help us feel that God will take care of us, and certainly the child of God can be assured He will.  Yet when reading this passage we often fail to see the stipulation for His care.  Jesus states on several occasions, the importance we must place on our relationship with Him.  This instance is no less of a command.  The Lord, in this passage is encouraging His people to be comforted by His care, but mostly He is admonishing us to recognize where our priorities should be.

Jesus, in making comparisons, reminds us that our worrying & chasing after the things of this life accomplishes very little.  Referencing these we are given a truth we might have never realized.  When Jesus speaks of the lilies and their beauty, one can almost hear the compassion in His words.  Jesus is also making known to us the heavenly curiosity regarding our behavior.   (My personal paraphrasing of Heaven’s curiosity. I Peter 1:12)

“Ultimately you can do nothing for yourselves without God’s help.  God is able to love even the flowers of the field and birds of the air.   Why then wouldn’t you want to place everything in His hands – seeking after Him and trusting Him?”

There you are:  The God of heaven & earth is a lover of all His creation, and in priority, considers humanity the most valuable.  We have nothing to worry about except our own foolish tendencies to get our priorities out of whack.  He is always on alert regarding our lives.  We need only keep our hearts and minds set on Him, He’s got our backs…and our children… and our jobs… and our futures and all that matters in His all-powerful, all knowing – loving care.

© Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved