Sabbath Psalms - Burdens and Cares

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and God will sustain you;

The Lord will never let the righteous be shaken. (NIV)

Everybody I know has a care, worry, anxiety, or burden that they carry each day. Being human, we experience a lot of stress trying to endure these critical times. Sometimes our cares are about family or friends who are ill, injured, or having issues. Other times, our burdens are for the world we live in, because of wars, famines, and natural disasters.

Today’s highlighted Bible verse reminds people of faith that God helps us to endure each day, each crisis, and each critical time. We are not left on our own or abandoned to the whims of capricious leaders or unexpected events. God’s purpose for the world cannot be thwarted; God’s justice in the world will prevail. As the old saying goes, “Kingdoms may rise and leaders may fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Whatever you are currently experiencing or going through, please know that God is mindful of what’s happening and can still be relied upon in the midst of your troubles, worries, and problems. As the wise psalmist wrote long ago, “Cast your cares on God and the Lord will sustain you.”

Point to ponder: What burdens am I carrying right now? Am I willing to share them and fully hand them over to God?

Prayer: Lord God, You know everything about us – our weaknesses and worries, our concerns and circumstances, our anxieties and issues. Help us to place them, as well as ourselves, into Your loving hands. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Deeply Distressed - Mark 14:33

Mark 14:33 Jesus took Peter, James, and John along with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. (NIV)

            Like most folks, I try not to let things distress or disturb me, but when they do, my prayers are peppered with worries and anxieties which make it difficult to focus on my problem or really ask God for help. As a pastor, I should know better, but as a human being, I suffer from the weaknesses and frailties that we all have as finite creatures. If my thoughts are scrambled because of stress, my prayers are full of moments when I feel as though I’m wrestling with God. Within my heart, I know that He truly loves me, but my mind shoots past that thought and heads out into the wide unknown where uncertainty and insecurity abide.

            When I read about Christ’s daunting prayer experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, I get it and feel Jesus is a kindred spirit struggling with His humanity. It’s obvious He doesn’t want to die or experience the torment that is about to befall. He’s looking for a way out and clings to God, hoping to get some sort of reprieve. When it doesn’t come, even after pleading three times with God, Christ accepts that there is no other way to save humanity. His struggle is over and He agrees with God’s decision. He surrenders Himself to His Father’s will. His human spirit embraces His divine purpose, so the conflict is over.

            Perhaps you’re going through a tough time or some unhappy circumstances. Maybe you’re stretched beyond your limits and are having troubling trying to focus. Allow God into the midst of what you’re struggling and let Him help you to solve and overcome your issue. Remember that Jesus experienced something similar and knows all of weaknesses and fears. Let Him heal you of all that harms you and help you through all that hinders you. It’s what He does best; it’s why we call Him ‘Savior.’

Point to ponder

What is hurting me right now? Am I willing to let Christ embrace me?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, be with us now in the midst of all that we are presently experiencing. Be our constant Guide and loving Savior. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can view the church web site at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s Maundy Thursday drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Maundy.

Christian Devotions: God Has other Plans - Genesis 39:20b-21

Genesis 39:20b-21      But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 

When Joseph was falsely accused of adultery and unjustly imprisoned (Genesis 39:11-23), he must have felt that his life was cursed and that God had abandoned him forever. Previously, his brothers had abused him and sold him into slavery. He was kidnapped and taken to a foreign land. He became an unpaid overworked servant in an Egyptian official’s household. Just when he thought that his life may have turned a positive corner, he suddenly found himself at the center of a woman’s scorn and his master’s wrath. He was thrown in prison to rot and die. Joseph’s life was a complete disaster and he was bereft of everything that was once good.

But God had other plans. He watched over Joseph and took care of his terrible circumstances. God did not abandon him like his family or wretchedly mistreat him like his false accusers. God sustained Joseph in the midst of his plight and elevated him into a position of trust and responsibility at the prison. He was not forsaken or forgotten by God. Joseph’s life was about to take on a whole new importance that would not only positively change his circumstances, it would actually change the history of faith in the world.

Perhaps you are in the midst of something that is either depressing you or just wearing you down. You may even feel isolated from God or even abandoned. Despair can imprison your spirit, but God wants you to be secure in His arms and feel enjoyment, meaning, and purpose once more. Put yourself into His hands and allow God to do what He does best: to make all things good again through Jesus Christ.

Questions for personal reflection

What problems or issues currently trouble me? Have I totally given them over to God in prayer?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, come into the midst of all that besets and plagues us at this present time. Grant us Your gracious guidance and assure us of Your loving presence. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly 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.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest art nouveau drawings called “Paper Roses.” It’s based upon the unique art style of Glasgow artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7834723686_d992ea78b1_b.jpg