Faithful Under Fire 3/10/2014

"Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick.  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!'  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, 'Is the child dead?' And they said, 'He is dead.'  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped." 2 Sam 12:15-20

Despite being "a man after God's own heart," David was very human with all of the flaws and weaknesses that can be found in any human being.  He famously sinned with Bathsheba, impregnated her and had her husband killed when he refused to go into her during a weekend pass designed to cover David's tracks.  Despite his contrition and repentance and God's forgiveness, there were consequences for his actions.  One of the consequences unfortunately involved the death of the child. David then experienced a depth of sorrow that every parent dreads.  The illness and expected passing of his baby made him inconsolable.

Beloved, I pray that you will never know such loss, particularly as a result of your own sin. Nevertheless, we all, at some point in our lives, have known or will know despair.  If we haven't yet, we will someday experience pain that is unimaginable.  Despite the best efforts of others to comfort us, there seems to be no word that can be spoken, no medicine that can be taken and no prayer that can be prayed that will deliver us from our sorrow.  This is a normal part of our human existence.  The key is to remain faithful despite these trials and tribulations.

When there was nothing more to be said or done, David cleaned himself up and went to worship. What we learn from him is that despite his sin, punishment and pain, he never lost contact with the God who made Him.  He remained prayerful throughout his ordeal.  Through fasting, he sacrificed to the Lord hoping to find favor.  And when he found that God's judgment was final, he worshiped him.  He never broke faith with God nor lost faith in Him despite having the worst experience of his life.  When his servants asked why he despaired so when the child was still alive but recovered so quickly upon his death, he shared concerning his child, "I will go to him, but he will not return to me," 2 Samuel 12:23. Even this was an amazing display of faith in the Father.  When storms come, let us all be sure to do likewise.

One,

Lee

How to Handle a "Bad Day"-7/10/2012

The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.


But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;" Acts 16:22-25

Beloved, have you ever had a bad day? Think a moment about your worst day ever. Was it a situation that was completely outside of your control? Did it involve something you did? Was it public or private? Though it is important to understand the who, what, when and whys of negative things that happen in our lives, it is by far more important how we respond to such events.

Paul and Silas had what some would interpret as a very bad day as a result of doing the will of God. Their work was very unpopular with some people who reported them to the local authorities who in turn had them publicly beaten and thrown into jail without the benefit of any due process whatsoever. Anything remotely similar to this would be an extremely challenging situation for just about all of us. There is, however, more than one way to both look at and respond to "bad days," particularly as a child of God.

After having a similar day Peter in Acts 5:41 rejoiced that he was "counted worthy to suffer shame for his [Jesus'] name." To him, and his associates, it was not a bad day at all, but a good day of both obedience to the will of the Lord and the opportunity to share the gospel with all who heard it. This brings us back to Paul and Silas. Despite being in pain, prison and shackles, they did not bemoan their circumstance, but sang praises to the Father.

It may be counter intuitive to do such a thing, but not for the person of faith. As Christians we must grow into Job's faith who said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" Job 13:15. We must believe that according to Rom 8:28, "all things work together for good for them that love God and are the called according to His purpose." And we must remember that, "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" Rom 8:18.

As an epilogue to this passage, note that the other prisoners were listening to the singing. What a tremendous testimony! If they could continue to praise God under even the worst conditions, that could cause even the most avowed unbeliever to develop questions. Further, we know that the jailer and his family came to Christ as a result.

No, we may not look forward to or enjoy "bad days" but we trust God through them and praise Him for every one in which we draw breath.

Let us comfort one another with these thoughts.

Rejoicing in the Lord,

Lee