“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” or so the song goes! For many though, emotionally it does not feel “wonderful” at all. Whether it be due to missing those who aren’t with us (either through death, distance, or conflict), an overall sense of feeling sorrow, or some other catalyst, this time of year can be a trial for some (even mature Christians). As one who has walked this road I’d like to take a few paragraphs to encourage  you this Christmas season!

It has been said that in many cases (not all) we struggle with depression because we fail to see things in light of the gospel. We look around us at everything that seems wrong with our lives and we lose sight of the One who makes everything right between us and God. Our identity in Christ is the perfect starting point in helping us persevere when the darkness falls on our lives. Let’s look to the third Psalm to help us in our quest to persevere during difficult times:

A little context goes a long way. Psalm 3 was written by King David when he was on the run from his son, Absalom, who wanted the kingdom for himself. It’s not much of a leap here to think that this was probably an emotionally distressing time for King David. His own son wanted him dead and this had all come about due to David’s own failure. In verses 1 and 2 David sets forth his circumstances: he had many foes who believed he had no chance and that God would not deliver him. I imagine it was tempting to believe that their assessment of God’s ability and willingness to save him was right. We may not have many enemies and if we have any I doubt they are trying to kill us (I’m writing from a human perspective), but there are other “enemies” which seek to steal our peace and joy as followers of Christ. From within we may deal with guilt, regret, doubt, or a host of other issues which cause us to ask ourselves: “Does God really love me? Is Christ’s death sufficient for my sins?” The temptation to doubt God in this way is as old as time, think of Satan’s temptation of Eve, “Has God not said?” Whether we realize it or not, this is a spiritual battle. When we doubt God’s goodness and love we are well on the way to despair. King David faced it and so will we.

In verses 3 and 4 we find David making a choice that will help us as we seek to fight the darkness by faith. He reminds himself of what is true about God: God is the “shield about him,” “his glory,” and the “lifter of his head.” David reminds himself that God is the One who will protect him, David chose to trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness even when the circumstances did not yet match what he knew to be true. He knew that God would redeem him and restore him. Christian, you must remember that in Christ you have already been redeemed and restored. The guilt for our sin has been removed and we are brought near in Christ. Even if your circumstances cloud your view of the cross you must cling to Christ and what He has accomplished for us. The cross proclaims God’s love for us far more loudly than our circumstances, even when we experience times of blessing. Seasons of emotional and spiritual darkness tempt us to lose perspective and to lose sight of the One who truly is our glory. We must fight by faith to cling to Him until the darkness lifts. How do we do this? Like David, we must remind ourselves of what is true about God. Let me write that with a little more force: we must PREACH these truths to ourselves. Like David we must call out to God for help to sustain us in the battle.

Verses 5 and 6 are the reason I wrote this blog post. After calling out to God David made the choice to rest in Him. He understood that the battle is the Lord’s and his best course of action was to trust God with the outcome. So he rested. If you’ve ever struggled with times of deep sorrow you know that rest does not come easy. Even when we sleep we wake up with a sense of not having truly rested. This can be devastating emotionally as fatigue builds over time. We see David’s confidence in God evidenced in the fact that he rested even though his circumstances had not yet changed. This is an example that we must follow in overcoming the darkness. When we remember what is true about God we must act on it (even if that action is to stop fretting and go to sleep!), this is true faith. Knowing the truth means nothing if it does not result in a changed life. David proclaimed “I will not fear!” What a strong statement given his circumstances. As those redeemed by the blood of Christ we have nothing to fear. The most frightening thing in the universe (God’s wrath) has been dealt with on our behalf! Anything we lose now is gain if it brings us closer to Christ.

I’ll stop here even though the rest of Psalm 3 is powerful. Your homework is to read it, believe it, and apply it!

A word to those struggling because of sin, regret, and guilt: It has been said by someone way smarter than me, “the Christian life is made up (consists) of repentance.” The fact that we sin shows that we have lost perspective and embraced a lie rather than the truth. Confess your sin, turn to Christ, and press on in faith pursuing obedience. If you are struggling and you feel that it is unrelated to something you have done the remedy is the same. Confess to God that you have lost perspective and ask for His help in renewing your mind and enabling you to see things as they truly are, through the lens of the gospel!

Sunday we celebrate the Savior’s birth. If all the other hoopla threatens to steal your joy (it does mine at times) remind yourself that the baby lying in a manger is the One who restores you to God. God’s wisdom is on display in the plan of redemption, we can rejoice in that year round! May this Christmas be spent celebrating the glory of the incarnation and the beginning of the ministry of the One who is truly “our glory” and the “lifter of our heads!”

]]> http://nh-online.com/encouragement-for-those-who-struggle-during-the-holidays/feed/ 0 http://nh-online.com/eleuthera-vlog-sunday-sept-18/ http://nh-online.com/eleuthera-vlog-sunday-sept-18/#comments Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:20:50 +0000 admin http://nh-online.com/?p=819

Reason for the World by Matthew West

There are no words in times like these
When tears don’t hide the tragedies
And all you want is a reason for the world

No comfort in the greeting card
Cause God is good, But life’s still hard
and your heart just wants a reason for the world

Maybe the reason for the pain
Is so we would pray for strength
And maybe the reason for the strength
Is so that we would not lose hope
And maybe the reason for all hope
Is so that we could face the world
And the reason for the world
Is to make us long for home

For God so loved your broken heart
He sent his son to where you are
and he died
To give a reason for the world

So lift your sorrows to the one
Whose plan for you has just begun
And rests here in the hands that hold the world

Maybe the reason for the pain
Is so we would pray for strength
And maybe the reason for the strength
Is so that we would not lose hope
And maybe the reason for all hope
Is so that we could face the world
And the reason for the world
Is to make us long for home

Well I know your past the point of broken
Surrounded by your fear
I know your feet are tired and weary
from the road that you walked down here
But just keep your eyes on heaven
and know that you are not alone
remember the reason for the world

No ear has heard, No eye has seen
Not even in your wildest dreams
A beauty that awaits beyond this world
When you look into the eyes of grace
and hear the voice of mercy say
Child, welcome to the reason for the world

Click here to view the embedded video.

This morning I had the pleasure of sharing my devotional time with two of my children. We read the account of Jesus healing the man born blind from John 9. I won’t break down the whole story in this post (go read it for yourself, you’ll be glad you did). After we read the story, I focused primarily on the man’s (who was born blind) response to the questions of the Pharisees. Jesus had not revealed himself as the Messiah to the man at this point yet his answers to the Pharisees’ questions are powerful nonetheless. The man testified of what he knew and did not back down in the face of those in power. He knew that the one who had healed him had power that could only come from God. Later, when Jesus approached him, he was ready to respond in faith to the news that Jesus was the Messiah.

As the kids and I discussed this story we talked about the man’s honesty and boldness. He didn’t know much when he faced the Pharisees but he did testify of what he knew (and he came to some pretty logical conclusions about what kind of man Jesus was). There are times when we don’t think we know enough to tell others about Jesus. We fear that someone will ask a question that we don’t know the answer to (and they might!). Does this mean we should hold back from sharing the gospel with those around us until we know all the answers? Of course not. The call on our lives is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this with our mouths and our actions. We should be growing in our knowledge of God through his word and we should be able to communicate the facts of the gospel clearly and we should actively be seeking to share with others what God has done and is doing in our lives. Spiritually speaking we were once blind but can now see!

Pastor Sam

See, what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce, “Christ is risen!”
See God’s salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, “Where is He laid?”
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It’s the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow’r and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One of my all time favorites… Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Blessings,

Pastor Sam

DISCLAIMER: I listen to a LOT of Christian music throughout the year so I try to be somewhat diverse, but as with every top 10 list, ultimately this is still a personal list. Music is a very powerful avenue that can be used to comfort, heal, uplift, and many times lead us to worship. I find it incredible how our own personal experiences very much shapes the kind of music we are listening to, and how those music can either further lead us into despair and anger, or uplift and comfort us. This list is exactly that – how my experiences this past year shaped the music I was listening to.

Boiling down the hundreds of songs you listened throughout the year to 10 is a whole lot more difficult then I ever thought, by the way!

Click on each song for more information / description about why I picked the song!

This is an exciting time for us and we are called to move forward together in faith. As we grow together we must also increase our efforts in reaching out with the Gospel to our community. We are in Marietta for a reason and that reason is to glorify God. We glorify God by showing others His worth. We show others His worth when we live like He truly is the treasure of our lives. We show others that He truly is the treasure of our lives when we respond well to adversity, are willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of others, and are genuine about our spiritual lives (we never outgrow our dependence on His grace so why pretend we have it all together?). Lives that reflect His worth have a drawing effect on many. They will truly want to know the reason for the hope that is within us…