Trepidation or Comfort?

Have you ever watched NCIS or CSI(name of city here) and had them NOT discover the identity of the unsub (That’s unidentified subject of an investigation, for you civilians)? It’s astounding, isn’t it, that they piece together the clues – the DNA, testimony, profiles, etc. – in an hour every time. No fiber, idiosyncrasy, or phony alibi gets past the brilliant minds of the detectives on the job. Just try to put one over on them. You can’t. They’ll get you every time. And the victims are justified and the file is closed on another perp.

Depending on where you sit on any given episode, you may be filled with trepidation that someone you’re coming to like will get nailed for a crime, or you’re cheering for the ones in the white lab coats to shed light on the facts to determine the truth. But eventually we all know that the truth will come out and the mystery will be solved.

Real life is like that, too. Whether we’re trying to cover up truth and hide it from someone else or ourselves, the secrets will be unveiled and God sees everything. That can cause trepidation or comfort, depending on the stories we tell ourselves. Look at Jesus’ words to His disciples during a teaching time:

²There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ³What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. (Luke 12:2-3)

Jesus was warning the disciples against the twisted teachings of the Pharisees, which He compared to yeast, working its way through the whole loaf of bread. That was probably a comfort to the disciples, knowing that even though the men in charge of communicating God’s law were making a mockery of it, God knew and His truth and will would prevail. It’s a call to integrity for our own lives and a call to surrender to God’s sovereignty when it comes to others’.

Compare Jesus’ words to His disciples with the following verses:

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³But everything exposed by the light becomes visible…(Ephesians 5:8-13)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)

God sees and knows everything. Is this good news or bad news? I guess it depends on how we’re living our lives and how we’re relating to those around us. It’s comforting to know that God sees all the manipulating and hurtful things other people do to me, but I’m less excited to know that all of my sinful thoughts and actions are laid bare before my God and Judge, too, you know?

Here’s a newsflash: Things happen in life that are outside of our control. I know. Take a minute to let it sink in. But the corollary is more comforting: Nothing happens outside of God’s control. That’s what sovereignty means. It’s all part of His bigger plan. He sees it all and nothing shocks Him or causes Him to panic. For us, seeing it all does nothing but bring shock and panic. Do you want to be smart or happy? Ignorance really is bliss. Not so for God.

So if everything I think, say, do, or feel is already known by God, why do I try to hide these things from Him? It makes sense that I should try to edit some of the information I leak to people around me, but it’s not logical or helpful (or honest, for that matter) to hide them from God. Everything exposed by light (Jesus = the light of the world) becomes visible. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before Him. Our Father sees what is done in secret. He lets light in to the dark, hidden places in our hearts to reveal our motivation and transform us into the image of Christ. If we can grasp that concept, it can liberate us instead of causing shame and trepidation. Yes, He sees and knows the ugliest part of our hearts on our worst day; but His love is bigger and He wants us to be more. He wants to free us to become the very best version of who He created us to be.

On the flip side, I can release my concern over others’ behavior because that will be exposed and laid bare before God, too. I am not personally responsible for outing every sinner and mean person I encounter. Because of God’s omniscience (He knows everything), I am released from the burden of being a spiritual tattle-tale and I can let God’s Spirit do what He does best in people’s hearts: bring transformation. Then I am free to hear from God myself and take the plank out of my own eye so I can see clearly to help my brother take the speck out of his. (Matthew 7:5)

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Illuminate the darkness with your loving light and truth. Release me from my self-imposed burdens and show me your glory.

• Which is a more immediate concern for you – being honest with God about your own inner issues or stressing over what others seem to be getting away with? Is it a combination of both? How can these verses help direct you toward God’s truth in this area?

• How does the concept of shouting truths from rooftops and shining light on issues play into evangelism? Is there an area of your walk with Christ where God may be calling you to shed some light in a bold way? Pray about who God may be leading you to share your story with.

• Do you experience trepidation (anxiety, tension, etc.) over the concept of God seeing everything in your heart or does it bring you comfort? What significant encounters with God have brought you to that place?

Delivery, Not Results

I recently overheard my husband telling one of his employees to “release herself from the results” of a pending work situation that a client had made difficult. My husband’s company would do the best they could do under the circumstances, but the demands and the expectations of the client were untenable, and failure of some variety was inevitable. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. On another day, the very same quality of goods and services delivered would have pleased the client beyond words. It was the audience that had changed, not the product.

Jesus gives similar instructions to His disciples when He sends them out, two by two, to prepare the way for His ongoing ministry. Seventy-two of those who had been learning from Jesus and following Him had been appointed to heal and preach the message of the kingdom of God to various towns and places in the area. Among His directions are the following:

⁸"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' ¹⁰But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' ¹²I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:8-12)

Sounds a little bit like Jesus might be saying, “Release yourselves from the results”, doesn’t it? The message won’t change according to the audience. And they know the message they are to deliver: the kingdom of God is near. In fact, just a couple of chapters later in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is warning them about the persecution that may ensue because of this message, and He releases them from the results once again when He says,

¹¹"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:11-12)

God Himself will take responsibility for the results of the message of truth proclaimed. It was that way in the time of the Old Testament prophets, in the days Jesus walked the earth, and now, for us. We can control delivery of God’s message – how we speak and act – but God alone controls the content and the results.

A few years ago I spoke at a women’s retreat where our theme was “Impressions”. We explored the concept of light in impressionistic paintings and how important the effect of light is to shadows. Sunshine can illuminate a beautiful landscape, making water sparkle and petals of flowers glow. It can also cast shadows that take on bizarre shapes and hide segments of the landscape. When we live and speak as Christ calls us to – truthfully and in His will – we will shine His light for others to see and embrace, but we will also cause some to hide in the shadows and reject the message we bring because of their own sin baggage. If we are consistent in our lifestyle and message, God will take care of the rest. Paul reiterated this concept to the Christians in Corinth when he wrote:

¹⁵For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

The message is clear and consistent. What people do with it is up to God.

So what do we have control over? What is our role in the delivery of the message God calls us to? The way I see it, we can influence the method and make sure we know the message. Consider what the following verses have to say about the way we present the truth God has given us to share:

¹⁵But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…(1 Peter 3:15)

⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

The important thing is that we represent the truth well. Argumentative, arrogant, or aggressive encounters with people will rarely reveal the best parts of God’s truth. Our focus needs to be on Christ and our fragrance should be pleasing. Stinky and self-centered doesn’t win people over to Christ (or to anything else, for that matter!). The way we communicate with people varies according to situations, personalities and the listener; creativity and authenticity are priorities. But letting God speak through us in respectful, gracious conversations is more in line with what He calls us to in relationships than debating our way to victory.

As for the message, there are a few core issues that people need to hear about our God. Too many tangents and controversies stir the pot but do little to enlighten. Here are some key elements to the message God has given us to carry:

1) God loves us. There is no more important element to the story of the Bible than this. He is holy and just and His love for us is complete and extravagant.

2) We are all sinners. Nobody gets a pass in the holiness category; we all fall short of the glory of God and need a Savior.

3) Jesus was 100% God and 100% man and is the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. There is no other way to have a relationship with God aside from accepting what Jesus said about Himself and trusting His death and resurrection to make us right with God.

4) Our response to God’s love and forgiveness is obedience. It’s not the other way around. We don’t earn His love and we can’t do anything to diminish it. But life change comes with understanding the price He paid to redeem us.

There’s plenty of doctrine and theology I’m leaving out. And this isn’t by any means a comprehensive list of my core beliefs or “The Bible For Dummies”. It’s just that there are so many things we can argue about; so many potential areas of diversity and digression. We are not all called to do expository teaching or apologetics to everyone we meet. It isn’t our responsibility to convince people that they’re wrong in their beliefs or to convict them of their sin. We are called to be a consistent, pleasant, truthful fragrance to the world that represents Christ and His message. The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 15:8) And in my experience, He does a way better job than I ever could.

• Think of someone in your life who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ. Which element of God’s message does he/she need to hear most from you? What does he/she need to see? How can you pray for him/her? You may want to find some specific Scripture to prompt you.

• When have you confused your role with the Holy Spirit’s role in exploring spiritual matters with people? What would you do differently today? What did you learn?

• Read Proverbs 26:4-5. What kind of litmus test can you use to determine when to speak the truth, even though it may make someone uncomfortable, and when to let the controversy die down for the sake of the relationship?

Contradictions

“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” These words were spoken by one of the characters in what is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite novels – Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. As I ponder the veracity of this character’s philosophy, I’m finding that it colors my conversations, my relationships and even how I read Scripture. Take the following verses as exhibits A, B and C:

“He (King Uzziah) did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)

What’s the conclusion you might draw? God gives prosperity and success to those who follow and obey him, right? Uzziah wasn’t the only one who followed this pattern.

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.” (2 Chronicles 27:6)

And what happened when the kings didn’t follow God? Like so many, Uzziah had a change of heart and God’s favor shifted…

“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God…and King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 26:16, 21)

It’s a fairly consistent pattern in the books of history in the Old Testament: God rewards and protects those who do the right thing and he punishes and exacts a great price from those who don’t. Ok. There’s one premise. How about the contradiction? Have a look at this:

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:6-8)

Sounds good. I wouldn’t mind of God bragged on me like that a little, would you? But we know the story of Job. Here are a few of the “rewards” he receives for his obedience: all his livestock were stolen and his servants murdered (1:14-17), all his children died (1:18-20), and he had painful sores from his head to his feet (2:7). Hmm. I smell a contradiction. Exhibit B leads me to believe that obedience to God and finding favor with Him have no power whatsoever to protect us from hardship. Well, which is it?

If we all took some time to examine our lives we’d probably come to a similar conclusion: sometimes I get what I deserve and sometimes I don’t. There are seasons when this works to my advantage and times when it’s to my chagrin. Real life can prove either theory, depending on whose life you’re looking at and what point you’d like to prove. So does this mean God is random in his assignation of tribulation and exultation in His children’s lives? I often find that when the mystery of God has me scratching my head, His physical incarnation in the person of Jesus is a helpful model. What does He say along these lines?

In the gospel of John, Jesus’ disciples ask him a question regarding a man who had been blind from birth: Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2) Supposition: suffering is a result of sin. The righteous have no trouble. Jesus’ response sheds a little light on our contradiction when He says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3) Obviously, Jesus isn’t saying that no one in this family has sin in their lives at all. We know that there is no one righteous, not even one; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10, 23). But it is important to see that He is saying that their sin did not cause the hardship in their lives. God allowed suffering in their lives (and Job’s, and in ours) in order to better showcase His mercy, power and healing that comes in times of distress.

Does it seem like the contradiction remains? Let’s check some of the underlying premises. I think part of the tension is relaxed when we realize the following:

1) God’s heart for His children is ultimately and perfectly good all the time. We can trust that the presence of painful circumstances is neither outside of His awareness or His control. So if there is suffering, He knows about it and He cares. This truth can make our pain seem less random, as we try to discern the source.

2) God’s Presence is greater than having answers. Whether we are the authors of our own misery or the evil of the world has encroached upon ours, running to God in dark times always beats running away from Him. I am finding this to be true in the sickness or death of loved ones, loneliness, and undefined longings or disappointments. I echo the heart’s cry of the psalmist, when he says: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

3) We cannot earn God’s blessing or protection. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) There is no way to protect ourselves from life’s worst case scenarios except by not living life at all. And that is the opposite of what God calls each of us to do.

God’s activity in this world is not limited by our understanding or participation. However, He is a God of relationship and wants to communicate His love and power to us and those around us. And He will do so by any means necessary. And I can trust Him and rest in His plan.

• Look at the following verses and compare them to your life experience. Do you see contradictions? Are there any premises that may need to be examined?

1 Samuel 15:1-3 ~ Exodus 20:13

1 John 1:8-9 ~ 1 John 3:6

1 John 2:15-17 ~ Acts 10:9-19

• How do you press into God when times are tough? What verses have comforted you? What has been your experience in running toward God or running away from Him when you are in pain?