Make the Lord your strength

A certain man was driving very fast down a long straight stretch on a Texas highway one hot afternoon. No other cars were in sight, but up ahead the driver saw the form of a large bird bending over a dead rabbit lying in the middle of the road. As he got closer a huge hawk straightened up defiantly and looked directly at the car. In stead of taking flight, as these birds normally do, the giant hawk spread its wings almost blocking the road and challenged the speeding car. A loud thud was heard as the car struck it and the proud challenging bird lay dead on the road.

Later on, the man saw the small rounded form of a turtle making its journey across the road. The turtle looked up and saw the car coming. He didn't run, he didn't dodge out of the way, nor did he challenge the car. Instead the turtle stopped and pulled in all four legs and its head into its shell. Thump the turtle was dead. As he continued to drive, saddened by the death of both creatures and angry at himself for not slowing down in time, he suddenly thought how both animals were a good illustration of two different kinds of people.

There is one group of people which proudly looks at life and says I can get through everything that life throws at me - I don't need the help of God, because believe I can deal with it all myself. Thud they can't. The other group of people ignores trouble, believing that it will somehow disappear if they don't think about it. They close their eyes thinking problems will go away. Thump they didn't.

So how should we confront the problems of life? Certainly not with proud defiance; it is a foolish individual who really believes that they can cope with whatever should happen without God'
s help and sustaining power. Likewise it is equally foolish to deal with problems by ignoring them. Problems simply do not vanish by pretending they don't exist.

The Bible gives us the correct response. The right way to deal with the problems and troubles of this world is by preparing ones inner spiritual resources in advance; in other words by developing and nurturing a deep relationship with God. Doing this means that when trouble does come we have inner provisions which will help us ride out any storm.

One of the greatest needs people have today is for someone or something to trust in and rely upon. This need is getting greater all the time because we are living in an increasingly insecure world. Psychologists say that human beings have an inbuilt need for this security. They need something that will be an anchor for them in times of trouble; something that they can be sure will never disappear or fail them. The incessant cry is who or what can we trust? when all around is change, decay and trouble.

Thankfully there is Someone Whom we can absolutely trust- a Being Who is Eternal in His Changelessness. Having a deep personal relationship with God provides the security for which humans crave. In the Eternal Being of God we can find real security and certainty; Someone Who will never let us down. Having such a relationship with God means that an individual can remain calm amidst the storm. They are secure in the knowledge that no matter what difficulties they face, God will grant them His strength, guidance and His Companionship so that they need never fear being deserted, abandoned or left unable to cope. This feeling of security and certainty is a gift God bestows on all those who seriously follow Him.

To receive this security which God alone offers, an individual must walk closely with God day by day and they must constantly work at their relationship with Him in order to make it strong and deep. They need to be diligent in their Bible reading and praying, faithful in listening to their conscience and obedient in following the Commandments and the will of God in their personal lives. There is no security without having this real relationship with God but if they do form one, then whenever they are afraid, they will be lifted to the calm of His Eternal Presence and His peace will still their troubled minds. The inner spiritual resources God provides will enable them to ride out any storm.

During the years between the First and Second World Wars, the French built an 87 mile long defensive wall called the Maginot Line. This great wall was to defend their border with Germany and three lines of defence were incorporated into it. The first was a series of small fortified barracks designed to sound the alarm. The second line was composed of reinforced bunkers to delay enemy attack. The third line of defence, was however, quite unique being in the form of deeply buried multi-storied forts. Below each of the barracks, at the deepest level were further storehouses of ammunition, food and a constant supply of fresh water from wells.

When the Germans did invade France in the Second World War, not a single one of these forts was ever overcome or taken by the German Army. The German military knew that soldiers could survive and resist almost indefinitely because they were so well prepared and had such deeply buried resources.

In a similar manner the Bible teaches that individuals must develop a deep relationship with the Lord so that they have adequate fortifications against the problems of life. The only line of defence that really works is to have deep within us a Spiritual Resource, hidden, abundant, and untouchable. God Himself is this Resource because only He can be relied upon absolutely and under all circumstances. Anything less than having Him in our lives leaves us vulnerable, weak and spiritually disabled.

If an individual is walking closely with God day by day, if He is at the centre of their hearts and lives and they are obeying Him diligently, then they need not fear the assault of life's enemies. May we, like King David be able to say Whom shall I fear, if the Lord is the Strength of my life? Of whom shall I be afraid? for in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His tabernacle Wait on the Lord and be of good courage, for He will strengthen your heart. Psalm 27vs 1, 5 and 14.

Perseverance

There is a funny tale told about a farmer whose mule fell into a well. After many unsuccessful attempts to haul the mule out of the hole, the farmer decided that the situation was hopeless. With great sadness he instructed his boys to fill truck loads of soil and bury the old mule right in the well. The boys began to shovel the soil into the well and bury the old mule, but the mule didn't take kindly to this action! The first shovelful hit him square on the head, got him in the eyes and made him sneeze. Every shovelful after that hit him somewhere, making the mule more and more angry. The mule thought to himself "I am not going to give in to this situation." So in stead of giving in, the mule began to stomp around in the bottom of the well, pressing the soil down with his hooves. Several truck loads of soil later, the mule could still be seen stomping around packing the dirt firmly underneath his feet. That old mule persevered for hours in his stomping and little by little lifted himself out of the well. In the afternoon the mule eventually stepped out of the well to freedom and snorted angrily at the whole business!

Perseverance! There are numerous funny stories like this aimed at encouraging people to persevere through the difficulties of life rather than give up and give in. The common thread behind all these fables is to remind us that there are two ways of dealing with life's problems, one is keep on going like the mule and rise above them, and the other of course is to lie down beneath them.

Likewise, Scripture has much to say on this subject, teaching that to remain faithful, Christian‘s must learn to persevere and to stand firm no matter what problems or temptations come their way. Numerous verses exhort those who follow the Lord to be dedicated, determined and persistent and never give in. In Hebrews Ch10v23 it states "Holdfast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised you is Faithful," 2nd Timothy Ch2v3, "You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," Galatians Ch6v9 "Do not grow weary in doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart," Matthew Ch24v12 "Because wickedness will increase on the earth the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved," and Romans Ch12v21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

It is the duty of every Christian to persevere in their faith and to overcome the difficulties of this life rather than be overcome by them. We should be like the mule; refusing to give in when life gets tough! Every time a follower of Christ is confronted with a new difficulty such as bereavement, ill health, temptation or whatever, how they respond will make them "either a better or a bitter Christian." If they persevere in their walk with the Lord, then He will bring good from that evil (see Romans Ch8v28) and they will become a better and stronger Christian. If however, they abandon their faith through lack of perseverance then they are like seed sown on the stony soil in the Parable of the Sower. (See Matthew Ch13vs20-21). Jesus warned that this kind of person has no deep roots to their faith so "endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word they stumble" failing to persevere with the Lord.

Luke Ch18v1 states that Jesus told people "they should keep on praying rather than lose heart." He then followed up this teaching with the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Scripture reassures us that "God is Faithful Who will not allow (us) to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear." (1st Corinthians Ch10v13). Provided we keep on praying and persevering in the midst of trouble, rather than losing heart, God for His part will help and strengthen us, so that no temptation or trouble can break us. Christian's do not face problems alone; they have a Supernatural Helper! There are numerous reassuring verses such as; Psalm 55v22 "Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you because He will never permit the righteous to be moved." Philippians Ch4v13"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." And Hebrews Ch13v5-6 "For He Himself has said ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you' so we may boldly say ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" These are beautiful promises and are the Source of the Christian's power to persevere. Their strength to persist comes from God Himself so they remain unbroken in spirit no matter what.

In Matthew Ch6v34 Jesus urged people to persevere by taking one day at a time. He said, "Do not worry about tomorrow because sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Taking one problem at a time, a day at a time, or in extreme cases an hour at a time is how God wants Christians to deal with troubles. Handling troubles in this manner makes all the difference as the following nursery story illustrates.

Once upon a time the clockmaker made a little clock. As the clock started ticking it looked up and noticed a grandfather clock. "How old are you?" asked the little clock. The grandfather clock explained that he was one hundred years old! At first the little clock was really impressed but as he thought about it he became anxious. He said to the grandfather clock, "There are two ticks in every second, 60 seconds in one minute, 60 minutes in an hour and you have been ticking away for one hundred years! I just can't bear the thought of all that work. It's too great a burden for me to handle." The grandfather clock then asked the little clock "Tell me, little clock, how many ticks are you asked to take at a time?" The little clock thought for a moment and then replied "Now that you point it out, I am only ever asked to take one tick at a time." "Precisely so" said the grandfather clock. "Just take one tick at a time and you will never find it too much." The spiritual lesson is clear; in order to help us persevere we should take one day at a time or one trouble at a time.

When a person faithfully perseveres in the struggle against evil it can have truly amazing consequences- sometimes even years later. During the Second World War there was an American fighter pilot called Butch O'Hare. This young man was assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. One day while on a mission, he looked at his fuel gauge and realised that someone had forgotten to top up his fuel tank. Unable to complete his mission, he turned round and headed back for the aircraft carrier. As he headed back he saw a squadron of Japanese planes heading straight for the American Fleet. All the rest of the American fighters were out on patrol leaving the Fleet virtually defenceless.

O'Hare was utterly alone. In a desperate attempt to divert them away from the Fleet, he drove straight into

the formation of Japanese planes. After a frightening air battle, incredibly the Japanese planes did indeed break off their assault and O'Hare's battered fighter limped back to the carrier. To mark this amazing act of bravery and the numerous lives he saved, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was named after him. The courage this young man displayed on that day didn't simply come out of "nowhere".  His brave and selfless character had been inspired by the example of his father's personal struggle against evil. It is a remarkable story.

His father used to be known as Easy Eddie and was Al Capone's corrupt lawyer. In those day's Al Capone's mob virtually owned the city of Chicago. It was a dark and turbulent time in the history of the city and Easy Eddie's task was to keep the mobster out of jail. In return for this Easy Eddie earned big money and lived like a king. He was provided with an estate so large if filled an entire city block. Eddie saw that his son had the best of everything, clothes, a good education and so on, but as his son grew Eddie became more and more uneasy in his conscience about his links with the mob. Through his conscience, God repeatedly challenged him to reflect on the bad influence his corrupt lifestyle was going to have on Butch. Did he want Butch to grow up like that?

As time passed his conscience bothered him more and more until eventually after a great inner struggle Eddie decided he must break away from Al Capone and change his life. This was no light decision. Eddie knew it would be a long struggle to become free and he knew that he might pay with his life. He felt however, he must have the courage of his convictions. In order to put right the wrongs he had done, Eddie went to the authorities and told them about the mob's activities. Sometime later he then testified in court against Al Capone. Eddie's courage and perseverance in resisting evil ended Capone's reign of terror over the city. Within a year Eddie was shot dead in a lonely Chicago street but the example he set so inspired his son that years later he was willing to take on a squadron of Japanese planes single-handedly in order to save thousands of lives.

In Ephesians Ch6v10-18, St Paul urged "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…because we do not wrestle against mere flesh and blood…Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to remain standing…" We must faithfully persevere in our walk with the Lord no matter what troubles or temptations attempt to hinder us. With God's help and strength we can be victorious over evil and our perseverance will be most richly rewarded in eternity. (See Matthew Ch5vs11-12, Luke Ch21 vs18-19 and Ecclesiastes Ch 8v12). 

Prepare now for troubles and temptations

Victor Hugo once wrote a story called "Ninety Three", telling of a ship caught in a terrific storm. When the storm was at its height, the frightened crew heard a terrible crashing sound below deck. Investigation revealed that a cannon had broken loose and was thumping against the inside of the ship threatening to tear gaping holes. Risking their lives, two men went below and successfully secured the cannon. The captain and the crew knew that the loose cannon was far more dangerous than the storm itself. The storm could toss them about, but a loose cannon within, would make holes in the side and sink them.

This story teaches a profound spiritual truth. During several decades of ministry I have witnessed many people who have gone through a variety of different kinds of personal storms or troubles. Whether it was in the form of relationship issues, health problems, financial worries or whatever, those who came through best were individuals who had previously sorted out their "inner life" or "spiritual life" so that they had no "loose cannons" rolling around inside them. Those who faired worst (in some cases even resulting in a nervous breakdown), were those who had never sorted out their inner thoughts or inner relationship with God, so when troubles came they were "sunk from within".

Often people will tell me how much they admire a certain individual because in spite of their troubles they are always smiling and always able to cope. They will then ask "What is their secret?" The secret to their survival is simple-prior to their troubles they are the kind of person who will have sorted out their inner spiritual life so that when trouble comes they are in a position to endure and survive it rather than be overcome by it. They will have developed their spiritual maturity to the point were they know for certain that God really does love them and that He is there beside them in their distress. They will have come to the point where they know the reason why they exist and their purpose on this earth and they will have attained a "sure and certain knowledge" of where they are going in the life beyond. These absolute certainties mean that they cannot be "sunk" or breakdown from "within" because their trust in God never wavers. It saves them from despair or bitterness of spirit, this knowledge placing them in a position of great spiritual strength with all the benefits and power of character which flow from it.

Individuals who aren't certain of God's love and purpose, however, are in a very different position. They are greatly disadvantaged by this lack of faith and their doubts are like a loose cannon within them. Doubts roll from side to side in their head with every trouble that comes along and they are far less able to cope, if indeed cope at all. As has been stated numerous times over the centuries; "Faith and Trust Makes all the Difference".

While all of this is simple commonsense, I seem to be encountering an increasing number of people today who are not only completely unprepared for the troubles of this world but even more alarming, who are making no attempt to get prepared. They are emotionally, psychologically and spiritually weak and yet are doing nothing to strengthen themselves for troubles which lie around the corner. I am astounded by the "head in the sand" mentality which is so prevalent today and I am astonished by the attitude displayed by so many- "I'll deal with bereavement when it comes and not before" or "I'll deal with the troubles of this world only when they come", or indeed "I will deal with God's Day of Judgement when I face it". Leaving a loose cannon in ones inner life until a storm comes is simply not sensible.

One summer task for crofters and farmers in the Scottish Highlands is to strengthen the roofs of their cottages and outbuildings so that when the winter storms begin they are confident that the wind won't blow away the roof! No one leaves this task until the wind starts-it is always done in the summer when the weather is calm. So likewise the Bible exhorts us to use the calm times we experience, in order to develop our spiritual knowledge and spiritual life for future troubles (and of course prepare for that Day when God will judge our lives).

So what form does this spiritual strengthening take? Well, it will of course differ from person to person depending on what weaknesses of character needs to be strengthened, but here are a few general examples; if an individual believes in God, but doesn't know WHY they believe; then they should learn about the evidence and proof for His existence . (Simply believing in God just because someone's parents or friends believe is not sufficient). An individual must know for themselves personally why they believe and why it all makes sense. Notice that the Bible never asks for a blind faith, but instead calls for a "reasoned faith" ie a faith and trust based upon sound logical reasons. Failure to adequately answer a fundamental issue like this when things are calm will only lead to "the loose cannon of doubt" when trouble strikes in the future.

Again, if a person doesn't feel they are right with God, then they should sort out what is wrong and fix it. They need to repent, sort out their lives and put the Lord in His proper place at the centre of their hearts. They need to start listening to their conscience and obey the Lord from the depth of their being in their thoughts and words and deeds.

Then again, there are those who know that they have specific weaknesses of character personal to them, perhaps in the form of attitude problems such as bitterness and complaining, or a lack of humility, a love of power or money, a lack of trust, an addiction etc etc. The time to work through all these various issues is now, when things are calm.

We must sort out all the "loose cannons" we have in our inner/spiritual life no matter what they maybe until they are "securely strapped down". We need to do this now while things are calm. Only if we do this will we be prepared for the great troubles which lies ahead.

God's help

In one of his lectures John Ruskin commented about an incident from his childhood which taught him a lesson of a lifetime.  One evening when he was with his governess he became exasperated because he wanted to touch the lovely bronze tea urn which was boiling away.  No matter what his governess did he wouldn’t listen and started having a tantrum.  Finally in desperation his mother intervened and said “just let him touch it the once and he will learn.”  Ruskin touched it and it was to him a real lesson in the meaning of ‘liberty’ and the consequences of failing to heed the warnings of those who know better.

The economic trouble this world is experiencing has long been predicted.  To those who know their Bible well, the only surprise is that these troubles did not come sooner.  How often, God has warned in Scripture that wealth and material blessings come from Him alone and that greed and the love of mammon will only bring disaster.  This warning went unheeded for decades and now we are touching “the tea urn”.  God doesn’t force us to follow His Commandments, we really do have the freedom to say “no” to God and this is the result; nations in turmoil and society broken in pieces – welcome to the liberal utopia promised by those who refuse to heed the Word of God!  As it warns in Jeremiah Ch2, “have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord.  Your own wickedness will correct you and your own backsliding will reprove you.”

To those Godly people who take the Bible seriously and who try to apply its principles to their lives Scripture has some wonderful words of comfort.  In Psalm 46 v 1 it encourages us with this promise, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble, therefore we will not fear even if the earth be shaken.” Those who genuinely follow the Lord have a supernatural Saviour, Helper and Friend to call on in these times of distress.  There really is a supernatural Being behind this world and the faithful can put their trust and confidence in Him in the knowledge that He will never leave them nor abandon them.

Amongst my collection of stories of supernatural help is the following encouraging testimony.  It is set about 150 years ago and concerns the Reverend Sander of Ebberfield.  Sander had found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to publicly condemn the corrupt practices of a local employer.   Unknown to the clergyman, the man was so incensed at the minister’s faithful stand that he decided to kill him.  The employer sent an anonymous message to the minister late at night, stating that a parishioner lay dying and needed to see him.  To get to the address the minister had to travel over the moor and across an old bridge above a fast flowing river.  Nothing would be easier than to hide on the bank and then push the minister into the river. People would think he had merely lost his foothold in the dark.

 When however he caught sight of the minister in the dim light he was surprised to see he was not alone.  There was another figure with him.  As they passed his hiding place, it struck the man deep in his heart that this figure was not human and it filled him with fear.  This encounter began to work upon his heart and the postscript to the story is that after a struggle of many months, it was the basis of his conversion to the Christian faith.  He later admitted to the minister what he had intended to do and what he had seen.  As far as the minister was concerned he thought he was alone that night, completely unaware of any supernatural companion.

The message of Scripture to the faithful is “don’t be afraid”.  Trust in God and keep on trusting!  Underneath us are God’s supernatural arms of protection and care.  Let us remember that God’s supernatural help and guidance is there for us no matter what troubles may be ahead.  Let us be encouraged by the exhortation in Psalm 50 v15 “call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you”.