Daily Devotions: Hopes and Fears - Advent 3 - Job 23 v 16

Job 23: 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.

I feel sorry for Job. He was living at a time when people believed that personal pain and suffering occurred because God was angry with them. This meant that any tragedy was clouded with a terrifying fear that God was punishing the people. Any illness or sickness, any setback or obstacle was seen a sign of God’s wrath. Only repentance and sacrifice would suffice to appease God. Only humility and contrition would placate the Almighty.

Thank God then that we are New Testament people! We are no longer bound by those primeval fears. Christ has come into the world to tell us not to be afraid. Christ has given the ultimate sacrifice for all of our mistakes and sins. The threat of divine punishment is no longer to be dreaded. Instead of being terrified of God, we are attracted to Him through the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Out of the 6.5 billion people on this planet, about 5 billion live under the religious fear of God’s wrath. They are terrified of plagues and famines, wars and earthquakes, floods and disasters. They are anxious about offending God and worry over the smallest of mistakes. They constantly spend their resources on appeasing false gods and try to buy divine blessings. Christianity, however, has a real message of hope for all of these people who are plagued by superstition: Do not be afraid and be of good cheer.

In this pre-season of Christmas that we call Advent, we should constantly pray for the world to be open to Christ’s message of goodwill, forgiveness, and peace. It has the potential to save the entire world from its fears and to lovingly restore everyone to God’s favor and blessings. If only Job knew way back then what we know now, he would never have been driven to despair through his fear of God. He could have been comforted, embraced, and encouraged by God through the presence of Jesus Christ in his life.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we all carry hopes and fears in our hearts and minds. We pray that You will diminish our anxieties by graciously responding to our concerns. Guard us and guide us. Embrace us and bless us. In Your Holy Name, we confidently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. He enjoys reading your reflections.

Church in a State

I am very disappointed and greatly concerned over some Christians who are letting their fears and anxieties about next week’s election extinguish their rationality and diminish their faith. The demonizing of the candidates on both sides has revealed the ugliness of prejudice and the great amount of ignorance that still persists in the hearts and minds of our people. I am ashamed that Christian people, who should know better, are allowing the devil to prey on their fears and overturn their faith so quickly.

Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.

I’ve read some alarming emails and blogs from Christians on both sides of the political realm, who are absolutely hostile to the other camp. Their hatred is spewed out venomously and in doing so, they actually deny their faith. Isn’t Jesus who said love your enemies? Wasn’t it Paul who wrote that the authorities are God’s servants?

Perhaps the day after the election, on November 5, we should all get down on our knees and ask God to forgive us for being so spiteful, unrelenting, and unchristian. We represent Christ all of the time, if we call ourselves Christians, so when we diabolically demonize our opponents, we are not only guilty of slanderous gossip and character assassination, we are letting ourselves becomes the pawns of Satan. That’s something that we should never allow to happen, no matter how passionate we feel about our politics.

It will be part of my Christian duty to pray each day for the new President, whether or not I voted for him. As a Presbyterian, I firmly believe in predestination, so whoever the people choose, God has already decided that person will lead our nation. And no matter what policies the next President tries to push through or accomplish, my duty is still the same: I will pray for him as God’s chosen servant. I may disagree with politics and politicians, but I try never to disagree with God’s choices.

Perhaps this devotional has angered you. Maybe you feel as if you’ve been rebuked. If so, then look into your heart and ask yourself this question: have I allowed my political passion to override my faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes You must despair about how Your Church expresses its political views. Remind us that we are called to be peacemakers and servants, encouragers and disciples, citizens of heaven, as well as earth. Keep us from being hateful, proud, and alarmist. Remind us that God is always in control. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

The School Bully

John 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. (NIV)

I was bullied at elementary school by an ugly looking kid who just loved to terrorize me. I hated going to school because I knew that at some point in the day, he was going to get in my face and scare the living daylights out of me. What made matters worse was that he was in a grade below me and his friends really got a kick out of watching me squirm.

It got so bad that I came up with different ways of going to school. I volunteered to help put milk in crates early in the morning, so that I could come in by the teachers’ entrance and avoid the playground bully. I stayed late in school helping my teacher clear up the classroom, so that I could avoid meeting the bully at the school gates. I even started to remain in class during breaks to get away from any confrontation or trouble. I was isolating myself because of my fear. I was making myself ill with worry, too.

One day my teacher noticed that I was in the classroom during a break when the sun was shining outside. She told me to get out and play with the other kids. I reluctantly headed to the playground, but before I could meet up with my friends, I bumped into the bully. He started his usual name calling and pushing, and his friends were laughing all around me. And then something flipped inside of me and I shouted out those dreaded words of challenge, “Your fight’s on at four!” Everyone was silent and then the bully sniggered as he walked away.

I was sick for the rest of the day. I knew that at 4.00pm my life was over as I knew it. Hardly anyone in the class would talk to me and I felt a bit like Gary Cooper in High Noon. When the final bell rang, I headed out to the playground, feeling as though I was doomed for my execution. And then something wonderful happened.

The bully was nowhere to be seen. He was gone. Someone said that he had run out of school as fast as he could when the four o’clock bell rang. No one had ever challenged him before, so I guess I had called him out and discovered he was a coward, just like me. After that day, he never bothered me again. I had faced my fear and overcame my trouble.

When Jesus faces His troubles, He has all the power in the universe at His disposal. He could easily have defeated His enemies and overcome His troubles with His almighty strength. But instead, He chooses to confront His affliction by remaining obedient to God. It was not the easy way out. It was the hardest test of His character that He had experienced up till that point.

We all have different ways of dealing with our troubles. If we avoid them, then we will probably undergo more misery. However, if we confront those hard issues and events in our lives by relying upon our faith in Jesus, He will give us the ability to endure all things and the strength to overcome our fears.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our lives are complicated by the troubles we experience and the hardships we endure. We are hurt by other people and we fear confrontation. Grant us the will to be assertive without being aggressive, and the power to be righteous without becoming self-righteous. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.