When Everything Is Breaking

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:14

What do you do when everything is breaking? In the year 1991 I found myself in that situation. For a few years prior to 1991 I knew my health was a mess. I just didn’t realize how bad it was until everything fell apart in 1991. I would come home from work completely exhausted, praying that the weekend would come soon so I could get the rest that never left me refreshed but helped me to survive another week of work. It would be awhile before I would be diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It was a diagnosis that basically meant “broken physical health”. Years later doctors uncovered several afflictions that were feeding it including Crohn’s Disease. 

But in 1991 I only knew I was physically exhausted. I continued to work well beyond my abilities. Indeed, I was only running on hard-headed stubbornness. But then came the unexpected mental breaking. I would be diagnosed with a Panic Disorder and Major Depression. And Satan, who never misses an opportunity, started assaulting me spiritually. I had one panic attack after another and Satan was trying to wear me down with his thought darts telling me I was not going to make it.

They swarmed around me like bees,

    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;

    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

 I was pushed back and about to fall,

    but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my defense;

    he has become my salvation. 

I will not die but live,

    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

Psalm 118:12-14, 17

In my book about Chronic Illness I give more details regarding this period of my life, but the short story is I held on to verse 17 above, asked for prayer, and the Lord dramatically delivered me from my enemy. Then over time the Lord began to put me back together again. Despite health issues today, I am no longer broken and falling apart as I was back then and it is thanks to the Delivering Power of Jesus Christ!

If you are not a believer, I have no idea how you survive this life. And you ever find yourself in the situation I was in above–you are in serious trouble.

And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 1 Peter 4:18

I would not have survived without the Lord’s help. And that’s not the only time I wouldn’t have made it without Jesus. If you are not a believer–how are you going to survive the dark night of your soul when it comes? And if you are a believer, do not wait until the flood waters are up around your ears before you shake the dust off of your Bible and start reading it, or start working on a prayer life. When the fire grew hot around me I had my Bible in hand and knew how to pray, and also that I needed prayer warriors on the job helping me, and yet I barely survived it. 

The time to get right with God is now. The time to deepen your relationship with God is now. I thank God my sword was sharp (Bible) and my shield was up (Faith) when Satan’s arrows started flying around me and the ground was giving way beneath me. I don’t say that with pride, but with humility. For I had been learning to rely upon Jesus for a long time already. I was Born Again as a young teenager and had been reading my Bible even before that.

Do not wait until you are staring down death and destruction until you decide your eternal destiny. Do not wait until everything is breaking.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be wise and understand it is often calmest before the storms in our lives. Help us not to become lethargic in our spiritual life. And help those who do not know You as Lord to realize now is the time to do so. Amen.

No News Is Good News

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15

It has been a year since I tuned out of the bad news. About the only news I watch now is a few minutes of local news just before the weather comes on. Also occasionally someone has CNN or Foxnews on at the Senior Center where I exercise. That’s it. And that’s enough to remind me why I tuned it out in the first place.

Shutting off the news has been one of my best decisions. The negativity, the vitriol, the endless stream of bad news brought nothing but anger and irritation to me before I dumped that thought garbage. My mental health has thanked me ever since.

When we fill our minds with good things, and especially the Good News of Jesus Christ, it changes our attitude and mental outlook. Rather than feeling that the world is completely out of control, we get to know the One who ultimately controls it all and has a bright future in store for those who belong to Him.

There are plenty of bad things in this world. At times it takes some effort to find and think about the good things. But there are many positive things in this world to think about. God has blessed us all in so many ways that once we start counting our blessings we realize there is no reason for our minds to be filled with anger, discouragement, and despair about life.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Believer, when you are tempted to be discouraged about this life I encourage you to focus upon your blessings instead. And if you are not a believer I encourage you to read the Good News found in the Bible and discover all the good things God has done for you so that you can believe in Him.

Life is too short to spend it wasting time on endless strife, angry rhetoric, and ongoing negativity. Fill your thoughts with the good things of God and He will renew your heart and mind.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we waste so much time in worry and mental anguish over things beyond our control. Help us to surrender our cares to You and Your will. Amen.

Has It Come To That?

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

A preacher told the story of a man in desperate straits that came to him for help. When the preacher suggested to the man that they pray, the man responded: Preacher, is it so bad that it has come to that?

We who have been Christians for a long time can smile and laugh at that. Not at the man’s predicament, but his response to prayer as a last resort. We know that rather than as a last desperate act, prayer is the very first thing to do in any difficult situation. Anyone who has been a Christian for long will have by now seen the Lord coming to their aid, acting on our prayers any number of times.

God has turned things around for me after praying so many times that they are too many to list. I offer just one such time. In the year 2010 I was circling the drain, dying of Crohn’s Disease, but then I got an entirely new affliction. Arthritis struck me. It was in my joints so badly that I could hardly get up off the couch. I had seen my doctor and he was sending me to a specialist. Like the desperate man above I went to the Lord in prayer and in frustration and reminded the Lord that He had promised not to allow more to come upon us than we could bear.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

Shortly after my prayer the arthritis disappeared. God agreed that arthritis on top of what I was already enduring was too much and He healed me of it. I have had little aches from arthritis in an elbow or other joint on rare occasions since then, but nothing like the whole body arthritis flareup of that time has struck me again–praise God!

God answers prayers. Those prayers we ask on our own behalf and those we ask for others. And prayer is not just asking God for things. It is a time when we communicate with Him as a good Friend and Counselor. A time when we meditate upon His Glory and Majesty. Prayer is a key component to the Christian life and if you are not praying daily you are robbing yourself of much needed time with your Lord and Savior. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, we miss so much when we do not spend enough time with You in prayer. Help to remember that prayer is not a last resort, but a daily part of our relationship with You. Amen.

Expectations

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; Job 13:15a

I believe it was on the Facebook Prayer And Praise group where recently a question was asked about whether God had given anyone a Word for the Year. I’ve discussed this with other Christians and I have experienced it myself a few times. What it consists of is God impressing upon you a particular word for the New Year. It may be something you need to work on, think about more, or just be mindful of during the next year.

When I saw the post I only glanced at it because I had received no such impression going into the new year. But after reading a devotion by Oswald Chambers a word crystallized in my mind: Expectations. It was not a joyous or encouraging word that struck me, for I had entered into the new year with perhaps the worst expectations on record for myself.

The year 2023 had blessed me in more ways than I could count. Though the old health issues had continued to be a thorn in my flesh in 2023, I had mostly held my own and had done better than could be expected. A new grandchild entered the world with all the joy that brings. A mild summer had allowed time and opportunity for outdoor activities. 2023 had been a very good year, until…

By the month of August the health issues I had maintained broke out of their cage.  For weeks on end breathing issues plagued me with doctor visits and what seemed like endless prednisone tablets to keep my lungs opened up. Then followed the worst and longest Crohn's Disease flareup–that I am still battling–I’d had in years. That was quickly followed, just before Christmas, with the news we had serious damage to our home that would in the end cost us just under $20,000 and the work is still not completely finished.

The year 2023 was a lamb until it turned into a lion by the end of the year. So New Year’s Eve did not find me bubbling over with expectations but at best trying to maintain the status quo and mostly failing. So this morning it hit me that I had a big problem with having incredibly low expectations for the new year. And that 2024 had become something I dreaded rather than looked forward to. Instead of approaching 2024 with a chance for new experiences, opportunities, and adventures.

Perhaps you have been like me and have not felt overjoyed about a new year and what it may bring. I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to remember that we have an awesome God who turns things around. We may find that 2024 will be one of the best years of our lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive us for feeding our fears instead of our faith in You. Be patient with us as we too often lose sight of all that You have already done. And we forget that our momentary afflictions are nothing compared to what You have in store for us. Bless You and Thank You Jesus for being faithful and kind to us in all of our troubles, and for renewing a right mind within us. Amen.

Never Take A Year For Granted

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14

I got onto the scale and I weighed 143 pounds. I had not weighed so little since I was a young teenager. They finished preparing me for surgery and the surgeon prayed over me. I said my own prayer asking the Lord to take me home with Him if I did not survive the surgery. No one was more surprised than myself when I came out of surgery and realized I was still alive.

That was nearly thirteen years ago, and as I enter another year I am reminded of just how much God can turn things around. It also causes me to consider what those who have no relationship with God must face in dire circumstances. The hope of heaven after death gives believers  peace and comfort when suffering and facing death. Having the Lord in your life also gives hope and confidence in facing the future, both in good and bad times.

We should all approach a new year with optimism and hope. Yet we know realistically that along with blessings, each year also brings its own challenges and difficulties. Walking hand in hand with Jesus gives us courage and confidence that we will not face any hardship alone, and that we have a kind Lord who blesses and takes care of His own.

If you had told me on that morning before surgery I would live at least another thirteen years with a measure of health and the many blessings that would come my way, I don’t think I could have comprehended it. When barely surviving day to day it can seem impossible to imagine a tomorrow.

Know one knows what this year will bring. It could be the best or worst year of your life. It could be your last year on this earth, or just the beginning of many more to come. Whatever comes your way this year, my prayer is that if you have no relationship with Jesus you will ask Him into your life this year. And if you have a relationship with Jesus, I pray your roots grow ever deeper into His love as your walk with Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, nothing is too hard for You. No matter how grim our circumstances or what challenges we face we know that we have a God big enough to deal with them all. Amen.