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.

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.

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Hope Within the Emptiness

Posted by RJ Thesman

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we focus on gifts, decorations, activities, and family gatherings. Many denominations make Christmas the most ‘wonderful time of the year.’ Yet for Jesus followers, our focus should be that empty tomb. The Lenten season leads up to the hosannas of Palm Sunday, the tragedy of Good Friday, and the silence of a grief-filled Saturday.

But Easter Sunday is much more than a smoked ham, deviled eggs, and children searching for hidden treasure all over the yard.

The reason we celebrate Easter is because it represents the most amazing and highest form of miracle we can imagine. Death loses. Life wins.

I have often wondered how the Resurrection of Jesus actually happened. Did Father God come down and peer at the bedraggled and bruised body of his son? Then breathe life into him like he did for the first Adam?

Did Jesus begin to feel each cell take on energy and warmth, wake from his stupor, and climb out of his grave clothes? Or was it truly like what is often depicted in pageants and films?

The huge stone rolls away and SHAZAM! Out pops the actor who plays Jesus. No longer bloodied and battered. Clothed in a startingly white robe with a cheesy smile on his face.

Did the real Jesus jump up and run around, so glad to be out of that cold sepulcher? Or did he quietly emerge, notice Mary Magdalene’s sobs, and slowly approach to comfort her?

The point, of course, is not how but Who. Of all the religious leaders throughout history, Jesus is the only one who came back to life. The only one who even dared to prophecy that he would be raised after three days (Mark 9:31).

If it wasn’t true, surely by this time, someone would have traced down his DNA and speculated where his body lies. But for those of us who have experienced the soul-saving love of God, we are certain of the facts. The baby of Bethlehem’s Christmas became the Savior on the cross and the resurrected Jesus who is still alive.

But an even greater truth brings me pause. The same power that brought those cells back to life lives in each of his followers (Ephesians 1:19,20). We, too, can look forward to a stunning resurrection, to leaving our fragile bodies behind, and springing forward into eternity. SHAZAM!

On the hard days when life’s chaos seems too heavy to bear, I think about that truth. Sometimes, I even speak it out loud, “The same power that catapulted Jesus out of that tomb lives in me. In the end, life wins.”

So let’s celebrate the eternal hope that the empty tomb offers. Let’s spend Easter as a day of gratitude. A day when we remember that because of Jesus — we live.

He paved the way. He made it possible for us to live in freedom. He offers eternal life to anyone who dares to believe.

While you’re waiting for that final resurrection, find encouragement in Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom.

Hope in the Cross

Posted by RJ Thesman

Throughout history, man’s inhumanity to man has manifested in various ways: the Trail of Tears, the Holocaust, and brutal executions such as crucifixion.

We sometimes glorify the cross as a beautiful symbol. Symmetrical. A lovely collection of cross décor on our walls. Jewelry we wear to show what we believe. Decals on the car.

But to move through the Lenten Season and truly understand what it meant for Jesus to complete his mission, we must pay attention to the horror of crucifixion. When we know what Jesus suffered for us, we can be more grateful for how he died.

Dr. Cahleen Shrier, associate professor in the department of biology and chemistry at Azuza University, presents an annual lecture: The Science of Crucifixion. Based on historical data during the time period of Christ’s death, Dr. Shrier lists the following:

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat drops of blood. This condition, hematohidrosis, breaks down the capillaries that feed into the sweat glands. The result is that the skin becomes more tender, which would later exacerbate the pain Jesus suffered.
Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged, whipped with leather strips that contain metal balls and sheep bone. The flogging left Jesus’s back in ribbons. His blood pressure plummeted, so his body went into shock. Extreme thirst was a natural response to this loss of blood.
The crown of thorns, pushed into Jesus’s head, caused more blood loss. It also likely affected the facial nerves, causing pain in the neck and head.
The Persians designed crucifixion between 300-400 BC. Usually reserved for slaves, revolutionaries, and vile criminals.
- The victim was thrown to the ground where dirt mixed with his blood.
- His arms were stretched across the horizontal beam and spikes (7-9 inches long) were nailed into the wrists.
- His knees were bent, then his feet were nailed to the bottom of the T-frame cross.
- As he was lifted, the weight of the body dislocated the shoulders and elbows. Talk to any athlete who has suffered a dislocated shoulder. They will tell you about the excruciating pain.
- To breathe, the victim moved up and down, trying to fill the diaphragm with air. Carbon dioxide built up in the blood, and the heart beat faster. Since Jesus had already been flogged and his back opened, splinters and dirt from the wooden beam likely entered his system, causing sepsis.
- Fluid built around the heart and lungs causing more damage to the heart. In severe cases, the heart burst.
- With collapsing lungs, dehydration, a failing heart, and the inability to breathe — the victim basically suffocated or died of a heart attack.

Because Jesus was a flesh and blood human being, he suffered all of the above. The fact that he survived for approximately six hours is due to the fact that as a craftsman of wood and stone, he was in good shape. He was a young man who walked many miles with his disciples and ate a Mediterranean diet.

But crucifixion was designed to kill, and Jesus died on that cross. Add to the physical side effects, he also suffered emotionally and spiritually. An innocent victim of proud religious leaders and a culture that did not understand the purpose of his mission. Throughout decades of prophecy, the Messiah was designated as a great leader who would free his people. However, the Jews misunderstood what type of freedom Jesus would win for them.

It was not a freedom from their Roman occupation. It was not a miracle of moving them from poverty to prosperity. It was an eternal hope that would destroy forever the need to be perfect and keep all the religious laws.

The writer of Hebrews says it well, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ — once for all” (Hebrews 10:10 TNIV).

Because Jesus became the perfect and final sacrifice, all people of the entire world have an opportunity to spend our eternities in a perfect environment of love and grace. The crucifixion — as horrible as it was — offered us a gift. A once-for-all-time invitation to believe in a better way.

During this Lenten Season, spend some time in gratitude. Visualize the cross, not as a beautiful symbol, but as the weapon used to kill your Savior. Listen to He Loved Me with a Cross by Larnell Harris. Then do what Jesus asked on his last night with his friends, “Remember me.”

For an easy-to-understand manual about the love God offers, check out Uploading Faith: What It Means to Believe.

Finding Hope through Singing

Posted by RJ Thesman

My deck umbrella waves in the slight spring wind as I sit under its shade. God has granted a beautiful morning and time for reflection.

So beautiful outside yet not so lovely within. Still struggling with grief and questions about ‘tomorrow.’ Disgusted with myself that I cannot find even a drop of joy when I face uncomfortable circumstances.

“Count it all joy,” the Apostle James demands (James 1:2).

I have never quite understood or agreed with that verse, especially when I am not in a joyful place. My faith is too weak. In this current stage, I cannot find endurance, cannot let patience do its thorough work.

Waiting is too hard.

I think of the brave women I know who live with chronic pain. Somehow, they find their joy even in the harsh reality of the struggle — the everydayness of suffering. They 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 reset, and I cannot find the mechanism.

What would I tell counseling clients? Attempt joyful activities, journal through the struggle, work on a puzzle, bang on the piano.

I try these and fail.

The feeling of joy — that inner light that sparkles in the eyes of my friend who has multiple sclerosis, the laughter that bubbles from infants, the glow shining from weathered saints’ faces — that brand of joy eludes me. My faith is out of sync.

How do I unplug my soul and reboot?

Yet hope peeks from behind the curtain of Psalm 68. The Divine Three call me to believe the promise, “God is beginning to rise….”

Just knowing there will be a beginning brings hope and the confirmation that God is present. A sudden blip of peace.

The Psalm urges me toward nuggets of hope:

“Let the uncompromisingly righteous be glad.”
“Let them be in high spirits.”
“Let them glory before God and rejoice in him.”

How does this ‘letting’ happen? How can I manufacture joy?

The solution whispers in Psalm 68:4. Sing to God. Sing praises to his name. Be in high spirits and glory before him with song. SING!

So I move to my back yard to dance near the strawberry patch. Lift my hands upward. The song comes timidly at first, a familiar melody that I give different lyrics.

No soul response yet, so I dig deeper and sing louder, uncaring if the neighbors look out and see me cavorting with God in my back yard.

The hallelujahs of melody begin to ring true. Singing the words of the Psalm, I forget the rules of musical theory. The important focus is on the spirit that is shared, the content so vital.

Ignore the memories of the past week, the frailties of my humanity. Accept and honor the grief as a signal of love. Forget to worry about the future. Fret not.

Instead, lift praises to the only One who truly knows the condition of my soul. Then a bubble of joy resurfaces and lights my inner self with its purity.

God sends a dragonfly to dance with me. He flaps his lacey wings in response to the beat of my creative worship. Flicks his beady eyes in my direction and dares me to imagine a Creator who fashioned his spindly body one day and a sturdy oak the next.

The Spirit within me begins to rise. I praise him for the beginnings and worship once again. The glory of song pushes me past the darkness.

Hope shines when we sing and feel the joy respond. Singing and dancing release positive endorphins. The very act of worship reminds our souls that hope still resides within.

The song empowers us to ‘count it all joy.’ Even in a chaotic world. Even when circumstances threaten. Just sing.

The blog post above is an excerpt from Hope Shines — practical essays that search for hope.

RJThesman.net

Author | Coach | Speaker | Editor

new testament

Hope in the ‘Let Not’

Hope’s Interpretation

Hope in Thanksgiving Prayers

Hope Searches for a Song

Hope Within the Emptiness

Hope in the Cross

Finding Hope through Singing