To The Metal

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as ^[a]have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 34:18

This bit of Psalm 34 reminds me of the day I filed for divorce in 2013.  I’d left the lawyers office after doing the paperwork, walked into my old Catholic church during a weekday service, sat in the back and wept.  I couldn’t really hear what the priest had been saying as I focused on the floor with my head in my hands.  

I do remember feeling God’s presence there though.  While I wouldn’t give my life to Christ for another 6 years, the peace I felt on that day was what I had been seeking when I stepped into the non-denominational church in my town in early 2019.  Finally seeking Him for His purposes, I’d be saved by Christ only a few weeks later.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, ^[a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces ^[b]perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, ^[c]character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

We have been justified by faith in Christ, thus we have peace beyond all understanding with God through Jesus.  By faith we have access, undeserved and abundant, to God’s favor, His grace, which leads us to stand and rejoice in hope of experiencing the glory of God.

We see His glory in our tribulations as we seek Him in them, and cry out to Him, persevering, building godly character, and placing all hope in Him to see us through.  The hope in God will never disappoint because it is a result of the love of God that has been poured out in us through His Holy Spirit.

Tribulation serves to build our relationship with Christ and humble us in His presence as we fully depend on the Father to walk with us and guide us through them.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the ^[a]author and ^[b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Hebrews 12:1-3

As Christians, all are a witness to our walk, every word and deed.  I have heard it said that we may be the only bible anyone may read, so we must run this race well.  Our full focus must be on Christ in whom our faith is complete, and endured the cross to the point of death so we may live life to the full.

⁸ We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— ¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death is working in us, but life in you.

2 Corinthians 4:8-12

Paul presents a series of paradoxes here in the life of a believer, and points directly to Jesus Christ as the reason we endure these things.  We carry the death of Christ, His sacrifice within us, as such we carry the living Christ in us.  It is He who stands in the gap between persecution and destruction.

He is manifested in our mortal flesh, so others may see Him in us and as Paul has here, give all glory and honor to the living God, Jesus Christ.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

God always hears the cries of His children when they cry out to Him.  We will never have to know what it is to cry out alone because He is always near.  As he did in Judges 3, with Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar, who delivered the children of Israel from their (self-induced) troubles, so shall He deliver us.

⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But ^[a]may the God of all grace, who called ^[b]us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, ^[c]perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

1 Peter 5:9-10

All are enduring trials, some are resisting the enemy.  Believers have the advantage of God listening for their prayers of deliverance. The roaring lion that seeks to devour has no place in my life or home.  He will find no rest in me.  I find my rest in the Lord.  By His grace I shall endure through suffering and rise up perfected, established, strengthened, and settled.

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces ^[a]patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ^[b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2-4

Patience is a thing I have always been short on, and always prayed for more of.  The Lord regularly provides opportunities for me to be patient, and sometimes I am.  Each time though, I lean on my faith in God, which makes the next test a little less painful and a little more fruitful.

⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God’s grace, His favor which we do not deserve, is sufficient for us to carry us through our trials, to support us in our weakness.  We carry God’s favor!  His strength is made perfect in our weakness because there can be no doubt where that strength comes from, God.

Paul boasts in his infirmities, his sickness, his disease, so that any strength or power seen in Him may be attributed to the father.  It isn’t that he takes pride in these faults, but he sees them as glorious opportunities for the Father to work through him.  Paul takes pleasure in his weakness because he knows it means that God is near.

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

2 Timothy 1:7-10

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear (the world sure has!), but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  He has done this so we may be bold in our faith, righteous in our struggles, willing to love our neighbor and enemy as ourselves, with a sound mind to share the gospel with any who seek the truth.

God has given us glorious purpose in this life, to share in the sufferings for the gospel, enduring the torment and overcoming death as Christ did, so we may experience the fullness of salvation through Him.

³ We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much ^[a]patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by ^[b]sincere love, ⁷ by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10

We must give no offense in anything, so we remain blameless and through that our ministry remains blameless.  As saved men we are all called to be ministers of God.  These verses seem to ebb and flow like the sea, illustrating that through trials and triumphs, by the power of the Holy Spirit, protected by the full armor of God that is His word, we delivered sinners carry on the work of the Kingdom of God, humbly, to all with ears to hear and eyes to see, as living examples of Jesus Christ to those who seek Truth.