Looking forward, so we do not miss God showing Himself strong on our behalf
This week, I have had the grand opportunity to share a devotion each morning on the Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC) PrayerNet call. I shared the following devotion on day three. Links to the others can be found in the opening article (posted on 2/16/2022).
Gentlemen, this morning we are going to continue exploring the encouraging truths God has given us for navigating through the chaotic seasons of our lives, and the lives of those we love.
Yesterday morning, we searched out the matter of God’s purpose and purposes for the storms and chaos He creates or allows into our lives… that His purposes are for our good, and they will not be withheld from Him.
Pursuing the purposes of God in the storms enables and empowers us to navigate the chaos in ways that glorify our heavenly Father and bring us into glory with Him.
For the purpose of our study, it’s important to recognize that chaos invades our lives when God allows, or even creates, some type of storm. Some storms are shared with others, like pandemics and financial crises. Others, like the death of a loved one, or a devastating illness are more personal.
When Beth and I lost our home, we had to find our way through the chaos of recovering what we could, finding a new place to live, and helping our children cope with their loss.
As we were watching the firemen attempt to save our house, God spoke several things into our hearts. The first two were not surprising.
First He said, “I am sovereign. Nothing happens outside of my will.”
Then He said, “I am a good God, I love you, and I have a plan for you. Reckon it so in your hearts.”
The third thing God said seemed odd at the time. He told us, “You will have to grieve.” At the time, we did not understand the importance of this step, but by His grace, Beth, Sarah, and I obeyed.
Regrettably, our son Matthew chose a different response.
In every case, it was a decisive action.
The vast majority of storms and chaos come with loss and suffering. Therefore, grief is necessary. Those who fail to grieve generally become angry and bitter, and that toxic response spills over into other areas of their lives.
A couple of days after the fire, my wife, our daughter, and I went back into the house. We went into our bedroom, living room, and kitchen… and we cried for our loss. We went into our daughter’s room and cried with her for her loss.
A day or two later, I took my son to the house. We went into his room. I shared again what the Lord had said about grieving. I could see the tears well up in his eyes…
…and then his countenance changed. Rather than allow the grief – and God – to do their work, he turned to anger. That decision nearly destroyed his life.
One of the most important things we learned in the chaos of our house fire adventure is the importance of grieving.
Have you ever imagined how hard life would be if God had put our heads on backwards? Of course you haven’t. That would be ridiculous.
What would it be like if we walked around looking behind ourselves all the time? We would be bruised and battered from bumping into things and tripping over others. We would be timid with every step.
The same can be said about our spiritual walk.
The normal Christian life is a life marked by progress: faith upon faith, from glory to glory. Paul describes our life as a race.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
The writer of Hebrews, in verse one of chapter twelve encourages us:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…
Those who fail to grieve are constantly tempted to keep looking into the past, wondering “why me?”, and “what if?”. These become weights that impede our progress.
Grieving breaks these bonds. It frees us to face the future, beholding Christ – for our encouragement and transformation.
2Chronicles 16:9 encourages us:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2Chronicles 16:9a
God desires to show Himself strong on our behalf. He did this more than a few times in our house fire adventure.
Grieving enables us to see what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are doing to work everything to our good.
If Beth and I had not grieved our loss, we would have missed God showing Himself strong on our behalf – giving us favor with the insurance company, using us to testify of His peace to a multitude of people, and ultimately moving us into my wife’s dream home.
In the process, God turned our chaos into an adventure and a testimony.
Failing to grieve makes it very difficult to see the future from God’s perspective. In this weakened state, we often find ourselves challenged and compromising with the commands of Romans 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Do not be conformed to this world is Command #1. In the midst of chaos, Satan, the world, and our carnal mind tempt us to pursue encouragement, understanding, and solutions offered by world systems. Many of these are quite helpful, but can lead to conformity. We must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves to only accept those things God approves.
Command #2: To be transformed by the renewing of your mind reminds us of metamorphoo – ugly caterpillar dying to become a beautiful butterfly. Our Transformer, the Holy Spirit, would have us think differently than the world. This requires our waiting on God, receiving His encouragement, listening to His instruction, and walking in the good work He has planned for our deliverance and His glory.
Our obedience to these commands leads into God’s promise: that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. In other words, to know the will of God in the chaos.
Now, you need to know that I am not an expert on grieving. God directed my family to physically face our loss (we went into the house) and to grieve there, in the moment. That simple act released us to walk out the chaos adventure with Him.
However, as we will learn tomorrow, chaos navigation is best done in community. The more grievous the storm, the more community we need. Some people need the professional help of a Christian counselor.
In every storm, we must remember: The Holy Spirit is our guide and our teacher. We must ask Him to show us God’s way for grieving, and teach us how to walk in it.
This is even more critical when we are discipling others through their chaos. We should not shy away from the opportunities – God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of love, power, and a sound mind.
However, we must be wise, remembering God has a way for every situation and relationship, whatever storm has come into our lives. Walking through chaos, and helping someone walk through it, is a community endeavor.
I would like to close with a final passage related to our topic. It’s 2Corinthians 1:3-5:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our comfort also abounds through Christ.
One of the most powerful and dynamic ways God works our storms and chaos to our good is by using us as His instrument of comfort and salvation to others.
I will never forget how God used my mother-in-law to minister to several women who lost their husbands just months after she lost hers. Honestly, it was ministry to her as much as it was to them.
God is an orchestrator, not a watchmaker. He has a purpose for every storm He creates, and He creates a purpose from every storm He allows, and His purposes will not be withheld from Him.
God bless you with courage and grace for the God ordained opportunities and adventures that will come riding in on the continuing storms of this decade.
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
P.S. The men on the CBMC PrayerNet call recite an affirmation each morning. Here’s the one we used for this devotion (reckon it to be so in your life): The Christian walk is one of forward progress. Faith added to faith, strength added to strength, and glory added to glory. Let us lay aside every weight… and run with endurance the race that is set before us. And may God use us to help others do the same.