(Further reflections on “Pastoral Chat #3: Stress”—Sunday 2-May-2021) It had been a stressful week (at least for me) and perhaps for many of us due to the looming 4th wave of Covid-19 in Vietnam which seems to shatter many hope and expectation of recovering different industries as well as small/big businesses owners, entrepreneurs, co-workers, staff, home-makers, students, pastors/churches, and virtually all pockets of society. The pressure keeps pounding on the economy, market employment, and various aspects of social fabric. It has been pushing many out of business, stretching people’s patience, testing their belief, breaking their will, messing up their plans, and sending many into all kinds of emotional turbulence- from feeling of anger, grief, and anxiety to depression, brokenness, and hopelessness.
When shall then be our peace, hope, and joy? The answer is not easy, but it can be straight forward. Unless our peace, hope, and joy are banked on the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all of our human “currency” (which is “self-made/issued”) will be bankrupted in this trying/testing time. Unless our life (purpose and meaning) is built on the Rock—Jesus Christ, our “house” (peace, hope, and joy) will be collapsed and all our labors will be gone with the wind.
Furthermore, the Lord had never promised us an easy life. But He did promise and grant us His wisdom to live. However, His wisdom is not for sale. It needs to be established by the fear of the Lord. Failure to do so (cf. Proverbs 1:20-33), will make us prone to ignore God’s counsel and correction (which usually painful) by not hearing/obeying His word (oftentimes due to our half-hearted belief or unbelief). And when “disobedient and contrary” people who keep doing this for a period of time, they eventually acquire a “taste” of hating the knowledge of the Lord. Although no one will ever admit it, their actions and lifestyle say it all. Stress from all sources will be collected into their “home” over time. If they are slow to listen to the counsel of the Lord, chances are high that they are quick to obey their own ideas or other’s (even good) advice. As it is often said, “The good is the enemy of the best.” God’s counsel is absolutely the best. His word endures forever. He is the only eternal one. Everything else is innately temporal.
“Peace be to/with you” (cf. 1 Sam 25:6; Psalm 122:7-8; 125:5; 128:6; Daniel 10:19; Luke 10:5, 24:36; John. 20:19, 21, 26; Romans 15:33; Ephesian 6:23; James. 2:16; 1 Peter 1:2; 5:14; 2 Peter 1:2; 3 John 1:15) phrases are overwhelmingly repeated from the Old to the New Testament. It is not something one can generate or buy. It can only be found in the Lord by trusting and obeying His word. Similarly, “Hope” occurs 141 times and “Joy/ous/ful” 231 times (not counting all other related nuances/synonyms) throughout the Bible. And they always have to do with the Lord and His word. Hope and joy are people’s responses to what the Lord had said or promised or done or fulfilled.
So when peace is not with us, the seemingly possible conclusion is that we don’t know God’s word or we know but ignore or don’t take them seriously or simply don’t believe in the Scriptures or perhaps we have been doing it wrongly, putting peace on ourselves or others. Or when hopelessness and “joylessness” found their way in our life and established their presence in our “home,” the possible/logical reason spells D I S O B E D I E N C E, for we likely have chosen the fear of men rather than of the Lord. Repent, I say again, repent! No shame. No guilt. But pure joy in receiving of God’s grace, love, and mercy. We must then learn to cast our anguish/stress on Jesus Christ who had been taken all the iniquities (cf. Isiah 53:11) of all sinners who confess, receive, believe, and follow Him. In addition, we must also learn to treasure and delight in God’s commands (cf. Psalm 119:43; 1:1-2; Proverbs 1:33). May the Lord be merciful and gracious to us as we learn to trust Him, hear/obey His word, heed His counsel, take His correction/rebuke seriously (humility is required), and have the fear of the Lord. Amen.
—
Pastor Lap
Comentarios