As I was praying this morning, I was walking back and forth, as I sometimes do, and my eyes settled on a special plate and saucer set mounted on my shelf. It is from the Liberty Blue collection. I acquired these pieces years ago at Goodwill because I loved their aesthetic. Not knowing their value, I only picked up these few pieces and left the others there. And yes, I’m still kicking myself over it today.
I have a fondness for things of the past. If you were to describe the aesthetic of my home, I would call it “cozy vintage.” I love to incorporate things of bygone years into the design of my house. And while my whole home doesn’t emanate this style, there are many pieces that do. They remind me of simpler times. Their beauty, for me, is in the feelings they evoke of a bygone era.
Sadly, all our days of remembering are not filled with such fondness. When we look through our history, there may be experiences and events we wish we could change. Things that we would desire the outcome to be different.
Unfortunately, we cannot undo history. But what we can do is lean into the faithfulness of God and remember how He brought us through.
The Book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah. In it, he expresses his grief and sadness over the now fallen Jerusalem. The people had turned a deaf ear to the warnings of God sent through the mouth of the prophet, and now tragedy has taken hold of the land. Destruction, hurt, and pain are mixed in the rubble of the ruins from the invasion of the enemy. Their future as a nation looks dismal at best.
But then there comes a shift in Jeremiah’s thinking. Something beautiful began to rise in his heart that could not be extinguished by the disaster that surrounded him. And that beautiful uprising is called hope. This prompted him to pen the familiar words of Lamentations 3:21: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”
Jeremiah could have continued to wallow in sorrow with the belief that their case was beyond help, without hope. Instead, he chose to lean upon the faithfulness of God, Who always gives us a reason to hope. Rather than letting the feelings of dismay and despair overwhelm him and execute their language into his life – in the middle of this rehearsal of the negative, he chose to rewrite the narrative of how he would personally view this story. He chose to interject a praise of the positive, which was the faithfulness of God (Lam. 3:22, 23).
And we can do the same. While there may be hard parts of the story, there is a wonderful part: God Himself. The daily news may be littered with hopelessness, but our story declares that because of God, we still have hope.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope!” Like Jeremiah, we can have a made-up mind to focus on all that God had previously done, remembering how He had moved in times past. Recalling the positives of His faithfulness will help us to store an arsenal of truth for the days ahead.
Sometimes you may come to a place that seems impossible to pass. This is a place that edges the border of what we have been delivered from to where we are being brought to. It is in situations like these when God shows up, there is no doubt that His hands have been working something extraordinary through it all. The waters may crash on the shores before and the enemy’s army may be rolling behind, but God sees you, standing there on the fringe, in a world where these two impossibilities meet, yet in Him, there is nothing impossible. In Him, there is always a way. In Him, you are not in a helpless position. In Him, the victory is already won. Before you ever came to this place, He already knew what He would do. So rest, weary one, in His sovereignty. Rest in His plan. You may not understand it, but He does. You may not know how it will work out, but He does. This will be performed by His strength, His wisdom, and His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6), not by anything we say or do. In getting past this place, all glory, honor, praise, and credit go to God. He is the one who will get you to the other side in peace and wholeness, with singing and rejoicing (Exodus 15:1-21). To you who are standing on the edge, in Him, you are not standing alone.
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.” Exodus 14:13-18
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Friends, this is the season when one seeks coziness and comfort. With the chill, and sometimes frigid temperatures in the air, warm blankets and hot mugs call us to snuggle inside. While much pleasure can be taken in this time of “tucking in,” in our walk of faith we may be called to unwrap ourselves from comfort to get uncomfortable. We may be asked to shed our comfort zone dwellings to step into new territories the Lord has for us. Like Abraham, our life must be directed by faith more than comfort: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). Where will you allow God to take you with your “by faith” moment?
Friends, sometimes it is hard to keep doing good. Sometimes, life does not play fair. But when I think about the goodness of Jesus, when I consider and meditate on His grace and mercy towards me, how can I dare not share the same goodness with my fellow man? Know this: Nothing we do for Christ will ever go unnoticed by the Father, and “Whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8).
Friend, our hope is not dimmed. Nor is the flame of fire of our faith extinguished. For as long as our Lord remains on high (He always will) and remains on the throne of heaven (He always will), our reason for hope is always alive and fanning the flames of faith in our hearts. Today, don’t look around at what you may see but look up to Him who is the source of our true hope: “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7).
Friend, as we are drawing closer to the end of this year, contemplating days and times past, realize through it all our Heavenly Father has been present, even when we could not comprehend everything or feel Him. Journeys take us through many avenues of life – some roads bring pleasure and some pain. But the journey we take with Him shall never be in vain. With God, we are never forsaken or need to feel dismayed. He is our ever-present Rock to stand up and Refuge to tuck ourselves away when the cares of this life seem too much. God, our Heavenly Father, loves you. Look to Him when you can’t figure it out. He’s there, and He’s waiting: “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Joy is not a passing fling for the believer. His heart is ever rejoicing because the God of all heaven instills in him the ability to find a reason to praise regardless of the season one is encountering. Be it sunny skies or rainy days, the seed of praise still grows in the heart of His, and their joyfulness cannot be sequestered. Even if the skies or tides do not turn in our favor, God above all, is still worthy to be praised.
As noted in “Singing in the Rain,” dreary situations may come, and times of trouble and hardship can arise, but our hope for these less-than-fair days, and every day, is in our Heavenly Father. Therefore, whether sloshing through the rain of affliction or traipsing through the meadows of peace, we can say, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” Psalm 43:5.
Our hope is in God who never changes even if our situations do.
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Here we go again. At the rear end of my backyard stands a wide, tall, bush-like tree extending forward eleven feet, and who knows how many feet wide along the back fence.
Moving into this house, it was one of the drawing factors because it offered complete privacy from the neighbors behind.
But, when a game of playing with any type of ball or frisbee takes place, that flying object will almost always end up lost in the massiveness of this so-called bush tree. Then, it is up to me to try to climb under, or in, or around this massive monster to retrieve the lost object.
It is not as difficult as it sounds (unless you are afraid of bugs and other critters), except the yard behind me has an over-energetic raspberry patch whose branches have wiggled their way through our massive monster, making navigating it harder due to its thorny reach.
Thorns hurt. If you have ever grabbed a branch filled with thorns, or a rose, you know what I mean. If you have accidentally brushed against one of these protruding antagonists, you can feel my pain of having to try to navigate this area and come out unscathed.
But the truth is, my friend, we will not go through this world unscathed. There are going to be things that hurt us. There is suffering we may encounter or thorny places we may have to navigate as we travel this road called life.
Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…” (John 16:33), yet when afflictions come, we forget these words and those of Peter who said, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” (1 Peter 4:12).
Why? Because when it hits us personally, it feels different. It hits too close to home, and we want to shut the doors on them, yet these hard times, these thorny places, seem to find you anyway.
Knowing that it is all a part of our existence and living on this earth does not make it easier. But maybe we can learn from others how they navigated their thorny places.
IN THE BEGINNING
Please know, that when God perfectly created this world, our life was intended to be a garden of peace. We were never supposed to have to deal with thorny places. But because of sin, because of the curse, Adam was told, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…” (Genesis 3:17b-18a).
Where there was no sorrow, now sorrow exists. Where there were no thorny places, now they have come forth making what we have to do here harder than God ever intended.
PAUL’S THORN
The Apostle Paul knew personally about thorns.
Paul’s resume is doubtless impressive. In addition to having authored two-thirds of the New Testament – his missionary journeys, works, and miracles allowed him to not only see things but also inthe supernatural workings of the Lord in his life.
Through it all, he could have boasted (Philippians 3:4-6), yet he stated in Philippians 3:8, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord… and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
After rehearsing the measure of suffering he had endured for the ministry (2 Corinthians 11:22-29), he stated, “If I must needs glory, I will glory in the things which concern mine infirmities,” (2 Corinthians 11:30).
Although he experienced “visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Co. 12:1), some where he was “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Co. 12:2), “into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Co. 12:4), he knew it would be a foolish thing to boast (2 Co. 12:5,6).
As if to draw a line in the sand, Paul was given “a thorn in the flesh” to prevent any measure of self-exaltation that would cross the lines of humility and usefulness where he stood.
Jesus taught in parables regarding thorns that would encumber and choke one’s progress in the word of God “through cares and riches and pleasures of this life” preventing them from coming to a place of fruitfulness (Luke 8:14).
It would seem as though, for Paul’s spiritual benefit, a thorn was used to keep him in a place of fruitfulness rather than from it.
THE THORNS OF JESUS
Thorns are not easy for anybody to bear with. Through the humiliation and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, before His crucifixion, as if to add insult to injury, He was given thorns that would tear into His literal flesh: “And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,” (Mark 15:17).
His thorns were not to keep Him from being exalted, for God would ensure His name is exalted above every name (Philippians 2:9-11). Anything revolving around the crucifixion and the cross, including the thorns, was to identify with and for the man (humans) He came to save, and to be obedient to the will of God, although being equal with God, Himself (Philippians 2:6-8).
Hebrews confirms that Jesus felt and experienced the fullness of humanity (yet without sin) while maintaining His full deity (Hebrews 4:15). That includes the sufferings that came with it all, and the thorns as well.
When trying to move through the difficulties of life, how do we do it? It is always easier to tell one about what they’re going through and what they should do, but the hows of knowing a way to move through these prickly patches is a whole other story.
Thankfully, the Bible and the lives of how these two thorn-bearers handled the inflictions upon them can help.
LEAN ON GOD’S SPIRITUAL SUPPORT SYSTEM
The same God who has been with you is the same God whose grace sustains you.
From Paul, we learn a lot about this. Although he prayed, as many would, for the thorn to be removed, God’s answer was for His best plan to be carried out in Paul’s life. And to do that, as uncomfortable and burdensome Paul may view it the thorn must remain.
Even though the thorn was to remain, God gave Paul an answer we can all glean comfort from when we are dealing with our own protruding antagonists: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
We will never have all the answers to the ins and outs and the behind-the-scenes going on in our lives. But we have God, the only true living God, who supplies us with sufficient grace through it all.
God gave him the spiritual support he needed to go through these troubles in the form of grace. He didn’t answer the prayer in the way that Paul prayed for it, but he was guaranteed that in all that he was encountering, God had a heavenly supply that would keep him in his most useful state.
So often we pray to be useful for God’s kingdom, and yet, the way it comes out may not be at all like we imagined. But just because we didn’t imagine it this way, doesn’t mean God can’t use it. Because He can, my friend. He can.
God told Paul, “For my strength is made perfect in weakness.” When we think we don’t have much to give. When we compare our journey to this and that and feel like we come up short, we may be in the exact spot where God can manifest His strength the most.
If we think we have all the answers, as long as we can find sufficiency in ourselves and in our own strength, it is easy to lean on that. It is not until we know that without Him, I would fail. Not until we see and rely on God as our all-in-all, can He get the most out of us.
Therefore, Paul’s response was most appropriate: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong,” 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).
Paul doesn’t celebrate or take pleasure in pain, rather he settles himself in them because of the useful state it allows him to remain in before God. It’s as if to say regardless of where this leads or what I must endure, I’m choosing to continue in this ministry and leave the outcome to God.
COMMIT IT INTO THE HANDS OF GOD
And for Christ, as He hung on the cross with the crown of thorns upon His head, and saw the angry stares of the people, with their jeering and angry words hurled at Him, He committed the whole process of the cross into the hands of God.
He refused to relieve Himself from it. He refused to back down. He persevered through the pain.
When they entered Gethsemane to arrest Him, He could have escaped. Before they laid one stripe upon His back, He could have called down blindness upon His prosecutors as the angels did at the door of Lot (Genesis 19:10-14). Before one nail inserted itself into the flesh that would die for all humankind, He could have stopped it but that would not have been in the will of God.
So, regardless of the cost, the pain, and the persecution, Jesus committed it all to God’s hand and submitted to His holy will: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). That included the whole package deal of the cross, including every single thorn God wanted Him to feel and wear.
And through His submission came our salvation.
When we release it all into God’s hands, we know it is in a place where it won’t fail from His purpose. God can do perfectly in one moment what we struggle and strive for our entire lives to accomplish.
The pain of thorny places may make us feel like our world is spinning out of control. But anything committed into the hands of God will come out the way He orders it, even if it doesn’t look or feel like we think it should.
We all deal with thorns, but it doesn’t mean we are in a place of disfavor. It could very well be that we are in a place of maximum usefulness. Where we see weakness, God may see His strength overcoming it. Where we see thorns, it may be a place where God wants to perform a great work in you.
The cares of this life can be overpowering, but Jesus says, “Come.”
Through weariness and toil, Jesus says, “Come.”
The help you seek cannot be found in another, so, “Come.”
The tears you are crying are recorded in His holy register and ready to be bottled according to His blessed promise, so, “Come.”
The weightiness of the heart finds the consolation to be lifted and revived – “Come.”
The rest your soul desperately needs will encounter the Savior when you “Come.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
“Come” is your invitation from the heart and mouth of the Savior to get near to Him.
For the sinner, come and find the source of your salvation.
For the saint, come and find your rest and strength.
None is exempt from the need to come and be where Jesus is. None is excluded from the need for this heavenly supply. As the fervent crowds pushed through the doorway, or as Mary planted herself at the Savior’s feet refusing to be moved for the mundane, “come” is your welcoming address to enjoy and draw strength from the Savior, He who was pushed away and rejected that you would not be an outcast, but welcomed to come near. So, “Come.”
Thank You, Father God, for You rent the veil and tore forever this blockade. You provided the way, and it has been opened wide so we can “Come.” Amen.
One day we shall rise and meet Jesus in the sky, put away this humanity as we step into eternity.
Heaven, at last, will be our home, forever in Your presence we will evermore roam.
No more clouds, sin, or earthly dismay, we will be caught up, raptured away.
The days draw near, with my heart, I look up, anticipating fellowship at the Lord’s dinner to sup.
Eternity is forever, today is temporary, through trials and toils, look up, blessed honorary.
The King will come to take us home, His people, beloved, as His very own.
If you’re not sure of your future bright, let not this day pass without making it right.
Tomorrow’s not promised. Today is at hand. Repent and turn while you still can.
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” ~ Revelation 1:7
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:52
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” ~ Titus 2:13
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” ~ Mark 13:26, 27
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” ~ Acts 2:38
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” ~ Acts 3:19
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