“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise.” James 5:13
So, your parents have just informed you that they are getting divorced. You football career was prematurely-ended last week due to a knee. Your girlfriend of one year just dumped you for a guy you’ve known since third grade. And your teacher has just informed you that, not only are you her least favorite student, but that she is going to make your life miserable for the next year because of where you were born.
Quite a week, eh? With all of this stuff on your plate, what do you do? Well, you’ve got a few choices:
1. You could complain- “My life sucks right now. Everyone around me is having a grand-old time and here I am with my knee in a vice, my heart on a plate and my home on the rocks. This stinks!”
2. You could rebel- “If life wants to kick me in the shins, to heck with it! I’ll do things my way!”
3. You could drink- “What’s a little alcohol gonna do? All I know is that it makes me feel numb and that’s what I need right now.”
These are all options that “the world” would deem appropriate; however, I tend to think a little differently. Allow me to propose something a little different, something you may not have considered—sing. I’m not talking mumbling the words to some Mariah Carrey song, or humming a tune, or making beats on your desk. I’m talking about all-out, American Idol-singing!
Now, you may be saying “But, Kujo, I have a terrible voice. It’s so bad that, when I sing in the shower, the soap suds run away.” Very good point. And, to answer it, I look to Mark Hart, better known as the Bible Geek ®. He once said, “If you have a beautiful voice, sing for God’s praise. If you have a horrible voice, sing to get back at Him.” I think that answers that.
St. James tells us that those who struggle with life’s valleys should turn to Him in prayer. It may not be the conventional thing to do. It certainly may not seem like the most gratifying option. I mean, doesn’t it feel so much better to wallow in your own self-pity, commiserating about how your life stinks? But here’s the thing—God does not call us to be children of sorrow; rather, He challenges us to be like Jesus, accepting the cross we’ve been given and following after Him (Matthew 16:24).
I was doing a talk at XLT last week at my friend Chris Gordon’s church. I spoke of the ancient Israelites and of how they atoned for their sins. (Basically, after traveling with their families and cattle for days and days, they would wait in line to get into the temple, place their lamb or bull on the altar, slice it in half, sprinkle the blood on the altar and sing Psalms of praise and thanksgiving.) This form of worship and self-abandonment is what we Christians are called to.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie The Passion of the Christ is when Jesus, was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew full-well the events that were about to take place. And He was scared, and He began to pray. The devil began to tempt Him, telling Him that we weren’t worth the trouble and that no one could “bear the full burden of sin.” Jesus’ response: “Shelter me, Oh Lord. I trust You. In You I take refuge…if it is possible, let this chalice pass me. But Your will be done.” I think that His words say it best.
God recognizes our weaknesses. He is our Father. And no Father would let His sons and daughters have more than they could handle. When the hurt, the sadness, the disappointment and the persecutions pile higher than you can see, realize that God is with you more than ever. It’s just like in the Footprints prayer, when the man becomes aware of the fact that when there were only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that God was carrying the man on His back. God loves us infinitely more than we can ever comprehend. He wants us to be happy and to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11); however, He doesn’t want us to become spoiled brats who only talk to Him when we want something. So He gives us times when we are struggling for “for [our] encouragement and salvation,” so that we may come to know Him more.
So, I ask you again: in the midst of your hardships and sufferings, what will you do? Will you whine? Will you resist? Will you hide in a substance? Or will you come to your God and say “Look, Lord. Things aren’t so great right now. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t feel so great. But, instead of doing what society thinks I should do, I will come to You in search of hope and strength. You are God and I am not. I know that I can’t handle these troubles by myself. So I leave them in Your hands. I love you and pray that I may become closer to You through this valley that I find myself in. Amen.”
You may whine, you may dine, and you may opine,
but giving your troubles to God is just so fine.
So, your parents have just informed you that they are getting divorced. You football career was prematurely-ended last week due to a knee. Your girlfriend of one year just dumped you for a guy you’ve known since third grade. And your teacher has just informed you that, not only are you her least favorite student, but that she is going to make your life miserable for the next year because of where you were born.
Quite a week, eh? With all of this stuff on your plate, what do you do? Well, you’ve got a few choices:
1. You could complain- “My life sucks right now. Everyone around me is having a grand-old time and here I am with my knee in a vice, my heart on a plate and my home on the rocks. This stinks!”
2. You could rebel- “If life wants to kick me in the shins, to heck with it! I’ll do things my way!”
3. You could drink- “What’s a little alcohol gonna do? All I know is that it makes me feel numb and that’s what I need right now.”
These are all options that “the world” would deem appropriate; however, I tend to think a little differently. Allow me to propose something a little different, something you may not have considered—sing. I’m not talking mumbling the words to some Mariah Carrey song, or humming a tune, or making beats on your desk. I’m talking about all-out, American Idol-singing!
Now, you may be saying “But, Kujo, I have a terrible voice. It’s so bad that, when I sing in the shower, the soap suds run away.” Very good point. And, to answer it, I look to Mark Hart, better known as the Bible Geek ®. He once said, “If you have a beautiful voice, sing for God’s praise. If you have a horrible voice, sing to get back at Him.” I think that answers that.
St. James tells us that those who struggle with life’s valleys should turn to Him in prayer. It may not be the conventional thing to do. It certainly may not seem like the most gratifying option. I mean, doesn’t it feel so much better to wallow in your own self-pity, commiserating about how your life stinks? But here’s the thing—God does not call us to be children of sorrow; rather, He challenges us to be like Jesus, accepting the cross we’ve been given and following after Him (Matthew 16:24).
I was doing a talk at XLT last week at my friend Chris Gordon’s church. I spoke of the ancient Israelites and of how they atoned for their sins. (Basically, after traveling with their families and cattle for days and days, they would wait in line to get into the temple, place their lamb or bull on the altar, slice it in half, sprinkle the blood on the altar and sing Psalms of praise and thanksgiving.) This form of worship and self-abandonment is what we Christians are called to.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie The Passion of the Christ is when Jesus, was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew full-well the events that were about to take place. And He was scared, and He began to pray. The devil began to tempt Him, telling Him that we weren’t worth the trouble and that no one could “bear the full burden of sin.” Jesus’ response: “Shelter me, Oh Lord. I trust You. In You I take refuge…if it is possible, let this chalice pass me. But Your will be done.” I think that His words say it best.
God recognizes our weaknesses. He is our Father. And no Father would let His sons and daughters have more than they could handle. When the hurt, the sadness, the disappointment and the persecutions pile higher than you can see, realize that God is with you more than ever. It’s just like in the Footprints prayer, when the man becomes aware of the fact that when there were only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that God was carrying the man on His back. God loves us infinitely more than we can ever comprehend. He wants us to be happy and to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11); however, He doesn’t want us to become spoiled brats who only talk to Him when we want something. So He gives us times when we are struggling for “for [our] encouragement and salvation,” so that we may come to know Him more.
So, I ask you again: in the midst of your hardships and sufferings, what will you do? Will you whine? Will you resist? Will you hide in a substance? Or will you come to your God and say “Look, Lord. Things aren’t so great right now. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t feel so great. But, instead of doing what society thinks I should do, I will come to You in search of hope and strength. You are God and I am not. I know that I can’t handle these troubles by myself. So I leave them in Your hands. I love you and pray that I may become closer to You through this valley that I find myself in. Amen.”
You may whine, you may dine, and you may opine,
but giving your troubles to God is just so fine.
posted by Kujo @ 3:08 PM
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