Month: April 2020

Draw from God’s STRENGTH

Turbulent times can be very discouraging and very draining. The very atmosphere of perpetual negativity can wear us out. Yet, Habakkuk reached out to declare God as his strength, the one who would enable him not just to survive but to even thrive in these difficult times. He declared God as his strength, the one who would enable him to go on the heights.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”

Habakkuk 3:19. NLT

Eugene Peterson translates this statement like this in the Message Bible:

“Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain!”

In the end, Habakkuk learns to rest in God’s appointments and await his working in a spirit of worship. He responds with a strong confession of faith (3:1-19).

Today, let’s look beyond ourselves to God as our source and the one who is able to give us supernatural strength and ability to meet the challenges of our daily lives. We can get through this. We can conquer this mountain and rise above every form of adversity. How? Through God who strengthens us and makes us equal to the task at hand.

My prayer for you today is that you will not be overwhelmed during these turbulent times. May you find clarity in the uncertainty. May you look for opportunity in the adversity. May you hold on to your joy and draw on God’s strength which is available to you right now. Take care and stay safe my friend.

These 5 BLOG posts are a summary of a 20 minute video sermon I shared with Bayside Church a few weeks back. You can watch the message online now.

Hold on to Your JOY

Habakkuk did not receive the answer he was looking for. Things were not going to turn for the better right away. Yet he chose to rise above this and hold on to his joy.

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

Habakkuk 3:17-18. NLT

This strong expression of faith is in the context of great uncertainty. He lists all of the sources of food and agricultural commerce of the ancient world (a bit like us saying today that there is no toilet paper, hand sanitiser or face masks in the shops!). There were many difficult questions that he still had unanswered. Habakkuk has every reason NOT to rejoice. But he does so anyway because of his faith in God and his hope for the future.

‘Happiness’ is based on circumstances. IF things happen to be going well, we are happy. If not, we are unhappy. In contrast, true JOY is not dependent on external circumstances. It comes from within and for people of faith, is based on their relationship with God. God’s joy can become our strength. When you’re going through a difficult time, ask whether it’s worth losing your joy over.

Make a choice to rejoice in God no matter what the circumstances are – even under terrible conditions. Here is what the apostle Paul once wrote during an extended, unplanned time in prison …

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4. NLT

Joy is a gift from God – not something we need to work up or earn. Simply receive it. A deep, inner sense that everything will be alright. Think of Jesus – everything stripped away from him as he went to the cross … yet he had a deep inner JOY for what he could see ahead, on the other side. This is especially relevant for us at this EASTER time. Death does not have the last word. JOY does!

Who could you spread some joy to today? Who could you encourage? What or who are you thankful for? Show some kindness to people you interact with, even at the shop or on the street. As you practice social distancing, don’t become relationally distant.

Part 5 …

Look for OPPORTUNITY

Despite the crisis and the turbulence of his time, Habakkuk learned to realise that God was at work and that each day was an opportunity to see God’s purposes realised in his time. The central verse of his book is this …

“For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.”

Habakkuk 2:14. NLT

As a person of faith, he came to realise that each day was an opportunity to see more of God’s work in the world – an increase of love, courage, justice, and mercy … He had hope that God would be at work in his own turbulent times …

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”

Habakkuk 3:2. NIV

I’m told that in the Chinese language the word for “crisis” (wei ji) means both danger and opportunity. Pessimists tend to focus on the danger while optimists naturally focus on the opportunity. The reality is that life is a paradox of both/and – danger and opportunity. We are wise to not ignore either aspects. However, even adversity can turn for our advantage. It all depends how we manage during uncertain times.

In the last week or so, I have had all of my speaking engagements cancelled or postponed. Interestingly, this has provided an opportunity to create some ‘video sermons’ for churches to use for their online church services. This lockdown time has also given me an opportunity to do more online coaching and to write more.

Don’t see yourself as a victim – resulting in a sense of helplessness, paranoia, and blame-shifting. Don’t be merely a survivor either. Don’t be paralysed into fear or inaction, sitting around to see what will happen or waiting for someone else to take the lead. Be a navigator. See change as an opportunity. Like a skilful sea captain of old, understand that while you can’t control the wind or the waves, you can adjust your sails to steer clear of the rocky shores. We can all be navigators – even when the winds of change howl as a fierce gale. This is our time! This will pass! We’ll get through this! There is life on the other side of coronavirus. We can walk in faith, and wisdom, as well as love and courage.

What new opportunities and new thinking could emerge for you during this time? What are some creative ways we can think and live differently at this time?

Part 4 …

Find Clarity in the Uncertainty

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.”

Habakkuk 2:1. NIV

Habakkuk pulls aside from the normal routines of life to reflect and waits to hear from God. During turbulent times, we need to slow down. We need to pause. We can’t just keep ploughing ahead, ignoring the issues. It is time to reflect. We need to ask ourselves some important questions:

• What is going on?
• How should we respond?
• What do we need to do differently?
• What is important now?
• What could God be up to?

Maybe it is a call back to the basics or to strengthen foundations. Maybe it’s a call to refocus or to make some changes in how we do what we do. Not just “business as usual”. Maybe there are some adjustments and shifts we need to make. Be open.

Although God does not answer all of Habakkuk’s questions nor give him firm hope that everything will be resolved as he desires, he does give him enough information to know what God is up to. He then calls him to not only hear about God’s purposes but to make them clear for others. Notice the wording

“Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer (the revelation) plainly (clear or big block letters) on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision (revelation) is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.'”

Habakkuk 2:2-3. NLT

God’s responds and tells Habakkuk to write down the revelation or vision. Record it so it is clear, it can be passed on and followed through without being forgotten. For Habakkuk, the message or the vision is not a good one – the Babylonians are going to destroy Jerusalem and take God’s people into captivity. Yet he is to call them to live by faith, not to despair – even in incredibly turbulent times.

One of things you’ll discover in life is that you can’t always be certain but you can be clear. Uncertainty is a permanent part of our lives. It never goes away. We all have to at times make decisions with limited information. So our goal should not be to eliminate uncertainty. Instead, it should be to ensure we develop the art of clarity.

• In business, can you be certain of the economic environment over the next year? Of course not, but you can be clear about the service or product you have to offer and who your market is.
• On a sports team, can you be certain of the outcome of the game? Of course not, but you can be clear about what you are trying to achieve.
• In a church, can you be certain what we will look like in 3 months? Of course not, but we can be clear about the kind of church we want to be.
• In life, can you be certain about your future? Of course not, but you can be clear –about who you are, what is important to you, and what you are going to give your life to pursue.
• With this coronavirus pandemic, can we be certain how long we will be locked down or what life will be like when it’s all over? Of course not. But we can be clear about what is within our control – what we can and can’t do, as well as how we can all work together to minimise further infections.

Let’s stop fighting the uncertainty and focus on being clear about what is vitally important. Do you need to take some time aside to pause and find further clarity for your own life?

Part 3 …

What a crazy time it is!

We have a rapidly spreading virus, plunging stock markets, entire countries locking down, people hoarding toilet paper, arguments in shopping aisles, businesses closing down, people being laid off … and no live sport, God forbid! Who would have thought our world would shut down like this. It’s like an apocalpyse ‘end of the world’ movie. It feels worse than 9/11, the GFC, and the Asian tsunami all in one. And it only seems to be getting worse by the hour. Many people here in Australia are still recovering from the terrible bushfires. People are freaking out. There is a LOT of fear and anxiety … and understandably so.

In one of the climactic scenes of The Lord of the Rings, the young hobbit, Frodo, laments the world he sees around him with all the tragedy and darkness that has befallen him. Looking at the difficulty in continuing on the path laid out before him, Frodo mourns, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Gandalf the Grey, ever his wise mentor, consoles him with these words: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Right now, we will need to learn to live with the times given to us – turbulent times. They’re very different. It is more complex, more chaotic, and more demanding.

Let’s glean a few lessons from a minor prophet who was a person of great faith during turbulent times in his generation. Who is it? It is Habakkuk, an ancient Israelite prophet.

Habakkuk was a contemporary of Jeremiah and a person of strong faith. He lived in Judah near the end of Josiah’s reign (640-609 BC) around the time of the Babylonian invasion. He lived in a time of violent political upheaval, at a national and international level. King Josiah had brought hope with his reform but then his sudden death and the reign of his wicked son had quickly squashed any emerging hope. His book (found by turning left at the Gospel of Matthew and going 5 books back into the Old Testament) is unique in that is contains no oracle or prophetic message to the nation of Israel. Instead, it is a dialogue or conversation (an “oracle” = burden) between the prophet and God that then becomes a public encouragement to people.

The dilemma was Habakukk’s struggle to deal with unanswered prayer and prolonged suffering. Violence and injustice were all around and it seemed like God was doing nothing about it (1:1-4). God answers and the underlying message is that God is in full control. What is taking place happening is not by accident or chance. He rules in the affairs of the world. Habakkuk learns to see God at work in all that is happening (1:5-11). Habakkuk wants to know WHY his world is in such a terrible place (1:3, 13). God informs Habakkuk that the “just shall live by faith” (2:1-6a) during times such as these. This powerful declaration is repeated three times in the New Testament.

Habakkuk believed that God is a good God. No, that doesn’t mean we won’t experience times of suffering and pain. No, that doesn’t mean life will always be easy. Things may get worse before they get better. He often works in large brush strokes throughout history and there are often times of delay. But, yes we can trust God. He has a much bigger perspective from which he is working. He is sovereign. He is in control, working all things together according to his plan and our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). During turbulent times, we need to strengthen our trust and our faith in God. We must not allow ourselves to be ruled by fear or worry. We are called to be strong in faith. That doesn’t mean we won’t face or feel worry or fear. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear but the conquering of fear.

Part 2 …