Hope in the ‘Let Not’

Posted by RJ Thesman

“Do not let your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). The Amplified version describes this ‘troubling’ as being ‘distressed, agitated, fearful, disturbed, intimidated, or unsettled.’ Quite a list of troubling adjectives.

And sometimes, each of them describes how I feel. The real problem comes when they all bundle together to make a giant troubled heart.

We may think God should keep us in the place of joy, even when bad things happen. ‘Count it all joy,’ James said.

I plan to have a conversation with James someday about this idea. Wondering how James and his cohorts in the early church managed to have joy when they were in danger of having their heads chopped off.

If it is not God’s responsibility to keep us in joy, then the task must be up to us. To ‘not let’ the struggles of life overwhelm us. How we react to challenges determines how we ultimately feel about them and how long we stay in that place of agitation.

A deeper study of John 14 reveals some action steps we can take to ‘not let’ our hearts be troubled:

Believe in God. Doesn’t everything always come back to trust?
Rely on God. Lean in hard.
Remember everything will be resolved in the future. The ultimate place of peace is within the next timeline. After we’ve used up these earthly bodies and are zipping around in the spiritual world.
Pray for the grace to endure. I pray for the Ukrainian people almost every day. Maybe some of them are praying for us, too.
Ask God to help return the joy. My experience of God’s love is that he truly does want to help us.
Remember the Spirit lives in us and is always just a whisper away. This amazing Spirit is always available with multiple attributes. He has several names:
- The Comforter – that sweet warmth that pours over us when we are at the end of ourselves
- The Counselor – listening to our struggles and giving us guidance
- The Helper – even the most basics of how to help us make it through our challenges
- The Intercessor – I love this one! When I’m beyond myself, I ask the Spirit to pray for me
- The Advocate – fighting for us. Always on our side.
- The Strengthener – troubles stretch our faith muscles and can ultimately make us stronger
- The Standby – always ready
- The Teacher – helping us learn more about the Divine Three and how God works in us and through us
- The Giver of peace – we can actually own this peace

So how do we find this place of peace? We do ‘not let’ our hearts be troubled. We focus on the above bullets and stay in hope. We keep gratitude as the main outpouring of our hearts. Talk less about the problems and more about Who God is.

Will more troubles come? You can bet on it. But you can also hang your hope on the One who loves you enough to help you through those troubles and bring you out on the other end — filled with hope and peace.

Hope is a daily discipline. Check out some ways to keep hope in front of you. Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom.

Hope’s Interpretation

Posted by RJ Thesman

As my son deposited his first check from a ‘real’ job, I encouraged him to give some away. “Even if you think you don’t have enough to spare, give anyway. You’ll discover God’s math is different from our math. He can make money multiply out of nothing.”

Through the years, I have underscored this principle in various Bible studies I taught or printed articles I wrote. God’s math is indeed different.

But God’s interpretation of our language is also different. Scripture uses phrases to indicate time as ’soon’ or ‘in a little while.’

We think of ‘soon’ as at least within the week if not the day. But Jesus promised to come back ‘soon’ — thousands of years ago.

In Psalm 37:10, the poet David states, “A little while and the wicked will be no more . . . but the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.”

‘A little while’ from the writing of David’s words has now been a very long while. Generations of innocents have been affected by wickedness. The meek folks still do not enjoy peace or prosperity.

Perhaps these time-sensitive statements are merely metaphors and not to be taken literally. Or maybe when they DO come true, looking back — we’ll forget how long they took to actually happen.

Sort of like that last month of pregnancy that feels like you’ll be pregnant forever. Until you hold your newborn in your arms and realize those nine months of growing another human inside you are finished.

God reminds us that his ways are not our ways. His thoughts so far above us. Like his interpretation of math, the timelines of language differ within our finite minds.

And since God is timeless, our role is not to determine the times and seasons, not try to figure out if these are indeed the ‘last days.’ But to just live patiently each day, doing our best to love God and love others.

We can only leave the math and the timelines to an eternal God whose final use of superlatives promise hope:

I will NEVER forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
We will be with the Lord FOREVER (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Surely I am with you ALWAYS (Matthew 28:20)

We cannot live with a self-imposed timeline. We can only live Day by Day.

Hope in Thanksgiving Prayers

Posted by RJ Thesman

A good friend recently reminded me to check out Philippians 4:6. Those of us who have lived a lifetime of faith-walking sometimes forget the most elemental principles. We need to be reminded—and often—of how to continue growing as disciples, even if we are now at the point of discipling others.

The section I focused on was a quote from the Apostle Paul, “. . . With Thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (TNIV).

God knows, of course, what the requests and desires of our hearts involve. He knows even those most mundane requests or the entreaties we beg answers for. You know, the ones we hide when people ask us, “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks.” Interpretation: I’m hiding Feelings I’m Not Expressing.

So when we soften our deepest requests with thanksgiving, it feels more plausible to express them without fear of judgment. For me, journaling with Thanksgiving helps to avoid those hidden lies that might turn inward and rust my soul.

Here’s how it works:

“Thanks, God, that you already know my secret desires. I’m going out on the limb of vulnerability to express them here in my journal. Trusting that you will keep them safe and do something about them.

“Thank you for being so merciful to all of us. Although I would like to see more of your justice in a particular situation, I also want your mercy for my own offenses and shortcomings. I guess I need your mercy today for this situation, because I am so angry about it.

“Thank you for giving me patience for the above request.

“Thank you for the provision of new clients that you are already working to make happen. I would appreciate knowing about them soon, because you know—I’m a planner and that’s not my fault. You made me one.

“Thank you for protecting my back later today when I need to pull more dandelions out of my parsley bed.

“And thank you in advance for sending a gentle rain shower to water said parsley. Your water is better than what comes out of my spigot. No hail or damaging storms, please.”

By preceding the request with thanksgiving, we build up faith muscles. We’re already believing God will answer our requests—before we even express the need.

And by giving thanks first, we avoid the pit of worry. We already believe the deed is done. The request is answered by our proactive God, so we can release it into his timetable.

By following the order of Philippians 4:6 — Thanksgiving first — then the request, we bathe our needs in hope. And when the answer comes, it’s a kick in the gut to satan or to our propensity for doubt.

We can tell ourselves, “See? God already did this. He’s ahead of the game.”

Mother’s Day is coming, and many mothers like books. Check out Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom. And tell your Mom “Happy Mother’s Day” for me.

Though and Yet

Posted by RJ Thesman

‘Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines. Though the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food. Though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls . . . ’ (Habakkuk 3:17 Amplified).

Sometimes we think the Old Testament has little to offer in our modern 21^st century world. I beg to differ. Most of us are living in some sort of ‘though.’ Some more intensely than others.

Below is my offering:

Though the Oklahoma wheat crop — our family farm — is dying, turning yellow from the drought
Though counties around the farm grow lush and green from clouds of rain while our county remains cracked dry
Though evil continues to win its earthly battles
Though groceries and gas prices continue to rise but income does not
Though chaos explodes around us every day
Though government systems still do not ‘get it’ and fill the air waves with empty promises
Though babies are shot through car windows
Though deception digs deep and destroys logical thinking
Though groups of believers suffer from the consequences of one person’s sin
Though my prayers go unanswered after years of lament and pleading
Though illness threatens the corners of life in spite of healthy lifestyles
Though God continues to practice patience when everything in me screams for justice

‘Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will exult in the victorious God of my salvation. The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, my invincible army. He helps me make spiritual progress even in the places of trouble, suffering, and responsibility’ (Habakkuk 3:18-19 Amplified).

Yet the true God is the One I have chosen to believe
Yet Jesus is the final vindicator
Yet justice, mercy, and peace will eventually define us
Yet God can restore what has been stolen
Yet the provisions I need will somehow show up just in time
Yet government systems are mere shadows of God’s eternal design
Yet truth is still stronger than deception
Yet God can heal at any time and in any way best chosen for the situation
Yet the Creator God creates in me
Yet God’s patience is a precursor to his merciful justice
Yet the Almighty Peaceful One sustains me within the chaos
Yet God loves every one in the entire world
Yet God can rain down his blessings of moisture at any moment and create a storm out of a tiny cloud
Yet even when the harvest does not show up, God can still provide
Yet even though it sometimes feels naïve, I will continue to believe in the abounding love of God

The Old Testament prophet concluded with his belief system, and so can we. All it takes is merely gutsing out a germ of faith. We can find our hope by living in the ‘Yet.’

For more information about faith, check out Uploading Faith: What It Means to Believe.

Hope Offers Support

Posted by RJ Thesman

A fist of fear pummeled my soul. I was startled by its intensity and for several moments — forgot to breathe. Started to feel dizzy. Finally gulped draughts of fresh air.

Why the fear? A doctor visit was imminent. One of those visits that might be serious or only slightly serious — depending on the results.

And I knew I could not do this alone. So I called my son. “I need a favor, honey.”

“Sure.”

Even the sound of his bass voice reassured me. “Would you go with me to the doctor? I don’t know why. I just need someone with me today.”

Again, “Sure. Glad to.”

My heart stopped its thumping romp as fear eased.

He stood with me as I checked in, followed me into the sterile room, and provided another pair of ears to listen carefully to the doctor’s orders. Then he helped me gather my purse, all the paperwork, even my water bottle.

The prognosis, “Nothing serious. We’ll try the pills first, and then go from there.”

Did my son hear the same words I heard, the ones I hoped for? Yes. It was good to have another voice to confirm the answer.

At the pharmacy, he helped me pick up the meds. Then we shared supper and watched Sports Center back in my living room.

Somehow, just having another human being beside me to share in the fearful possibilities lightened the load. Felt like healing itself.

“It will be okay, Mom.” The same words he spoke fourteen years ago when I held his hand before brain surgery. When they cut open his precious head and removed that nasty tumor.

When life hands us its unraveling, we tend to suck it up and march forward. Find power in our own strength and the fortitude it takes to just keep living.

But sometimes — when the possibilities of a painful test loom big, when the trial unravels into fragments of unknowns and sucker punches us into silence — we need someone beside us.

Yes, we trust God. But we also need living, breathing human beings to encourage us. To hold our hands. To tell us it will be okay. To love us with the love of Christ.

I was so grateful that day for my boy — this now grown man whose presence exuded strength and calm. This tower of humanity who has himself survived cancer and experienced his own miracle. He did not laugh at my need or seem distressed when I swallowed tears and hung on to his arm. He simply let me ride through the storm with his presence beside me.

Every day since then, he checks on me. “Do you feel better? Are the meds working? Are you being careful to monitor reactions?”

This reversal of roles seems too soon in my journey. I do not yet feel old. I only feel older.

But every day I give thanks. Treasure the gift that is my son and remind myself again — I am not really alone.

Hope breathes through connection.

For those who live in a secure relationship, be grateful. For those who soldier on in solitude, find a connecting place. An encouraging pilgrim. And if you know another soul who marches with an individual beat, offer to be there when needed. To provide the reassurance that someone cares.

We need each other, even when we feel strong and healthy. Vulnerability will inevitably intrude. That is when we find out who really cares.

Check out the book my son and I wrote together. Uploading Faith: What It Means to Believe.

Three Steps to Hope

Posted by RJ Thesman

Psalm 37 has long been a favorite passage. Outlined and highlighted in various versions of my Bibles. A familiar place to reflect on the variety of its meanings.

This year I returned often to verse seven and found a three-step formula to ease me through the cold gloom. A stairway opened toward Hope.

Be Still. The exact opposite of how so many of us live our lives. Until we are forced by sickness or vacations or circumstances to stop the frantic pace.

But more than a physical slowing down, this concept shifts us back to first gear. The ‘Be Still’ step indicates a mindset reboot.

To cease striving for perfection
To stop trying to figure out why prayers are not answered
To trust that a higher motive will provide the acceleration when it is time to move or change

Being still is that place of ultimate trust where we rest in the love that will not let us go. And know that God’s desired outcome will be the best for us.

Wait Patiently for God. Many Type A’s like me do not do well with the idea of waiting. It feels too passive. Too scary to wait until someone else or something else determines a direction.

Yet this waiting is not a passive work, for patience requires an inner ‘whoa’ when we most want to act.

Patience again reminds us to trust the process. To be careful with our interpretations of ‘Go.’ This waiting determines to be grateful for the pause. Sincere about letting God’s work have its ultimate timeline.

This step forward lives without regret because we anticipate the day we can say, “Oh, that’s why it took so long.”

Do Not Fret. ‘Fret’ is rather an old-fashioned word, but I like it better than ‘worry.’ It implies more anxiety, an actual mind-racing and finger-snapping type of stress. Like the worry stones we used to wear down with our thumbs.

Like when my mother said, “I’m sure stewin’ about that.”

To cease from fretting means we inwardly step back. Let our worried souls unplug. We purposely commit to be still. To wait patiently. To move to the place where we no longer even think about the problem.

To not fret takes an intentional leap toward a trustful gratitude. It releases the problem and refuses to grab it back. It believes the issue will eventually resolve as all problems must — one way or another.

Be Still. Wait Patiently. Do Not Fret.

Three steps that lead us toward a hope-filled peace. A result that creates healthy soul care when we need it most.

Follow these three steps through the devotional book, Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom.

Hope Searches for a Song

Posted by RJ Thesman

My deck umbrella waves in the slight April wind as I ponder in its shade. God has granted a beautiful spring morning. A time for reflection.

So beautiful outside yet not so lovely within.

Every stinkin’ day for several weeks, some type of something has gone wrong. It seems as if my life is shadowed by chaos.

My dryer stopped heating.
My emails stopped sending.
The cat’s breast cancer rapidly accelerates. Grief threatens.
I miss my son.
My team lost in March Madness.
My back fence succumbed to the Kansas wind and collapsed in the grass.
Identity Theft from my taxes has caused a whirl of challenges.
My car developed a strange online feature that needed a reboot from the mechanic.
My phone is elderly and starting to show its need for a younger model.
A client is suffering, and I grieve with her.
Et cetera

And yes, I know others are struggling with much worse. Whenever I see a report from Ukraine, I want to grind my teeth. Except the dentist said I should not.

‘Count it all joy,’ the book of James demands.

I am not in a joyful place. It worries me that my joy is so affected by temporary circumstances. How will joy then appear when something more dreadful happens?

‘Come unto me,’ Jesus said, ‘all who are weary and heavily burdened. I will give you rest.’

Not the rest that revives during a week in the New Mexico mountains. But the emotional and lovely rest of a contented soul.

I think of several brave women I know who live with chronic pain. They must find their joy even within the midst of the struggle. Every. Single. Day. They give and live and do what they can while setting healthy boundaries. My she-roes, every one of them.

But I cannot reproduce what they own. My joy button needs to be re-set, and I cannot find the mechanism.

I DO know joy resides within me. This fruit of the Spirit is guaranteed to Jesus followers. So I struggle to find it on this beauteous April morning. Somehow, just knowing God is present with me and around me causes a sudden blip of peace.

The author of Psalm 68 urges me toward nuggets of hope:

Let the uncompromisingly righteous be glad. Do not compromise my own joy with a focus on the bad stuff.
Let them be in high spirits. Maybe a piece of chocolate or a glass of red wine will bring those high spirits? Neither of these treats grace my pantry, and I don’t feel like driving to get some.
Let them rejoice in God. Keep journaling about gratitude for what DOES work in my life.

So I try to ignore the taunts of discouragement, realizing writers often morph into melancholy. Especially when we are about to write something important. Hmm – maybe this is a spiritual attack on my creative juices.

Instead, I focus on the positives of my life. Speak words of gratitude for a beautiful day, for seeds sprouting in my window, for the promise of spring flowers that will cheer me.

Ignore the frailties of my humanity and instead remember ‘the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me.’ Awesome thought.

There it comes —a bubble of joy. It resurfaces and lights my inner core with its purity.

God sends the sound of a goose to make me laugh. A chickadee feeds on my deck, his black and white wings beating in worship. God’s presence begins to rise within. I praise him for this alpha moment and hope it will keep rising.

Joy responds as Hope returns.

If you’re a writer, but you’re struggling with marketing . . . check out my newest book. Marketing for Writers: How to Effectively Promote Your Words.

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Author: RJ Thesman

Hope in the ‘Let Not’

Hope’s Interpretation

Hope in Thanksgiving Prayers

Though and Yet

Hope Offers Support

Three Steps to Hope

Hope Searches for a Song