Christian Family Services Ministry

9-16-2019 – A Word to the Wise – What does one do when it seems life is dealing them one blow after another? When it would seem one woe after another tortures every step. When it would seem you are unable to distinguish between friend and foe?

My mother taught me years ago you have to prepare for those times. We tend to think that nothing is ever able to overcome us when we have the Lord on our side. But fail to realize it calls for preparation beforehand.

So how does one prepare? I have found that there are at least two crucial ways that helps one deal not only with the day to day confusion and temptation, but also brings a measure of peace.

As one searches scripture astoundingly they come across passages which reflect what I consider to be the first most important measure. This is one that has been a part of my life for many years.

Consider please these two passages; Hebrews 11:1 -12:1: What the writer does is list one after another the mighty deeds that the Lord has brought about. Finally the writer just because there are so many starts listing one name after another which the reader recognizes concluding with “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run the race that is set before us looking to Jesus. . . “

Now consider Psalm 136 and pay attention to the similarity of the two passages.

What is happening is the two writers are giving us the tools to deal with life’s upsets.

But notice the first is written 2000 years ago and the other 3000 years ago. There relevance does not help me today when faced with overwhelming conflict both internally and externally. Why is it of little help? Because both authors are giving a pattern to use for our daily life. Not a remembrance of past events. It is a pattern. So how do we use it?

Many years ago when first reading Psalms 136 the Lord prompted me to write out beside the verses the things He had accomplished in my life. Acts that I knew for sure and certain that He had accomplished.

When I started putting them down I was astounded, the Lord had done all of these things? Let me give just a few.

I was born a twin in the midst of World War II, 2 months premature with a host of physical problems which shortly ended in a hospitalization and my mother being told I would not make it through the night. She later telling me about it, said she fell on her face before the Lord begging him to intervene.

Without going into details over the next few years He actually saved my life; once from drowning in a flood when I was 10, years later as a police officer, on three occasions. Other times from severe illness when at 9, I contracted polio, or later suffered several injuries to my eyes, and later back cancer and surgery.

Besides physically, the emotionally situations, with the trauma of early physical abuse, death of my father, or intellectually because of helplessness in the face an inability to learn caused by attention deficit disorder. Then the really big ones: graduating with honor in two years and 7 months from a four year college program.

It continues one thing after another; giving me honorable children, calling me by a special name. This list goes on and on. The things He intervened in and accomplished when things were absolutely impossible.

Listing these things, putting them in my bible reading them whenever discouraged, helpless, and at times hopeless. That is the purpose of the pattern.

This is why Psalms 136, Hebrew 11, and a host of other passages remind us what the Lord did then, and more importantly what he does now, for us personally. List them, put them in your bible rehearse them daily.

This constant rehearsal of intervention past and present strengthens faith, hope and love. You will find yourself saying along with a host of biblical characters and situations, the Lord did this.

But there is a second thing that helps.