How often has someone's moaning put you off them? Yes I apologize. Every time you see them there is always something wrong. Nothing ever seems to please them or bring joy into their life. It is almost as if their full time occupation is to be miserable and find fault with the world and its people.
Sometimes when I see a lady with this unhappy demeanor I look around to find an escape root. I know this is not charitable but the constant downward look of her eyes and the 'woe is me' conversation drags me down too. I suspect this poor woman knows my attempted rushing away is connected with her imminent presence, but she just cant help herself, as she remembers the time I took listening to all her worries before and homes in on me whenever she can. It isn't that I don't want to listen to her accounts of a sad life and the continuing drama with her son, rather it is the fact that nothing ever changes. The story stays the same, 'poor me, what am I going to do. The situation seems hopeless and I feel helpless' continues to drag on year after year. On your own you are hopeless and helpless that is why we are told "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (Thessalonians 5:18) That means me too, thanking God for this poor lady and her woes. Note to self, don't teach it if you can't live it. So instead of shooting off to a non existent appointment it would be more helpful if I asked God to bless the lady and pray with her to help her release her troubles to the Lord.
Sometimes I feel like this when I enter a church. The dowdiness of the service, the uninspiring sermon that makes me want to yell 'where is your joy, where is your Saviour?' I can definitely say that I have looked for an escape root on more than one occasion when confronted with this scenario. I have dared raise my hands and clapped to the music, smiled and greeted curious glances with a hello. The reply to my exuberance? Frowns that said we don't worship like that here, we are reverent. But I was being reverent but in an enthusiastic way. I felt like I wanted to moan to the person in charge, but instead I blessed the congregation and asked God to come in person to each of the parishioners so that they would know about the singing that goes on in Heaven. "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." (Rev 5:11-12) Wow, they must have made a magnificent chorus.
Churches bring many people through their doors, to the 'special place' as stated in Deuteronomy 12:11. In this special place we are told to be "filled with joy there in the sight of the Lord your God. Your children should also be joyful." (Deut 12:12) There you have it, we are called to be joyful in our worship. That means in our prayers as well as in our service.
So if we are meant to be joyful in our worship our faith can help us be joyful in hope. Worship that is hope less and joy less will feed hopelessness and joylessness. It will make us feel that our situation is hopeless and helpless. Why was Paul able to say "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer?" (Romans 12:12) Because his faith was anchored and rooted in God's own promises. He knew that God lives in us, that God is master of our path and that in all things God has the victory. Therefore our worries, moanings and endless fretting about our life and the lives of our loved ones are useless. We cannot change a single thing about them through these actions. On the other hand God wants to be glorified in our lives. So when difficulties arise and we feel hope less (a feeling that the devil loves to twist and stir) we need to hand the situations over to God so that when we talk about our concerns they become challenges filled with the hope that God is in control. He has a detailed plan for each and every one of us. He knows the full story.
We are no longer hope less because God has redeemed us. His son Jesus Christ shed His blood for us so that we no longer need to be afraid. We have been bought and paid for, so we belong to Him. So be bold, be confident, bless God and your situation as He knows all your needs. Don't let doubt enter your mind, do not listen to the 'what if's', 'What if God has turned his back on them' 'What if my son gives up his faith' 'What if he never finds another job' these doubts come from the devil and need to be stamped on. God never turns his back, even if your son gives up his faith. God will never give up on him. God will show him what He wants your son to do. Trust and have faith in God's Covenant.
God will never let us down. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matt 6:26 Believe in the promises.
God bless.
