Late Night Thoughts by Christy Mead

I have been married to Christy Mead for 21 years today.  She still amazes me.  These are her thoughts.

Late night thoughts...

I've been in Baptist churches for many years. Before that, I sporadically attended Assembly of God churches with my grandparents as a child. In college, I attended a Bible college. All of the churches I attended believed the Bible to be true. Believed Jesus is the son of God. Believed he died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Many people in those churches had hearts to serve Jesus and minister to others. I became very comfortable in my little Christian cocoon as a pastor's wife. I had all of the Christian cliche's memorized. I could quote Bible verses. I went to retreats and camps and mission trips. I taught Bible studies and counseled the hurting. But last year, my comfortable cocoon was ripped from me and I was rocked to the core. I, a Bible believing pastor's wife, truly struggled with my faith and belief in God. I struggled with churches. And became disillusioned in my Christian faith. I became wary and distrusting of Christians. Did I really believe what I've been teaching all of these years? Could I trust anyone, or God, ever again? Hurt radiated through every part of me and I soon gave way to severe depression. I stopped living. I became angry. Became bitter. Wanted the pain to stop. Wanted my life back. Wanted to stop seeing my husband weep every Sunday. Wanted to not have my children hurt. How could I ever trust God with my heart, with my soul, with my eternity after being let down by his people?

Last year, when publicly sharing our decision to step down from
ministry, I stated that we were viewing this as an"unplanned sabbatical." I think back and say, yes and no. It has been a break from ministry, but no rest has been involved. In fact, I think we have worked harder this year than ever in our adult life. But what this has done for us is remarkable.

For one, my faith in God has grown. My love and trust in God is very different now. It's not out of obligation. Or because I don't want to spend eternity in hell. Or because I've just attended a camp or church service that makes me pumped up for Jesus. My faith in God has become my life. I cannot function or breath without him. Although this was true before, I am much more aware of how completely dependent I am upon him.

I view ministry different now. I suppose being somewhat nomadic when it comes to churches and ministry, we've felt a little lost. But in this season of being nomads, I've experienced different churches and denominations. I've stepped back and evaluated churches and their function and purpose. I've come to appreciate many things about churches, and also realize some things churches do are counter-productive. I've watched as many churches grow based off of transfer memberships, but not as many grow based on people truly being delivered from a life of sin.

I've talked to non-believers and heard their stories. They share with me a lot more now that I'm not a pastor's wife. They've shared how they've been shunned, judged, excluded, hurt, ridiculed or simply been a victim of cliques and been left out or made to feel unwelcome. Ive gotten closer to many "sinners" that don't feel comfortable in church because they aren't good enough, don't dress right, or have a reputation.

All of this has been for a purpose. All of the pain and confusion. It was to change our perspective. Change our mission. Change our focus.

So here I am... In our "unplanned sabbatical." A year or so later and I love and trust God more. I realize church goers are sinners just like non-church goers. I've realized I am the chief of sinners and made many mistakes. I realize that everyone makes mistakes. That sometimes people you love and respect will hurt you. I realize that forgiveness is a necessity. I've come to understand that sometimes people think they're doing the right thing and unintentionally may hurt you in the process. I've realized that forgiveness sometimes is a daily act of the will and feelings rarely accompany it. I've realized that there are many amazing and godly people in every denomination and we can learn a lot from one another. I've learned that giving up on God and church simply because you've been hurt, is like giving up on all medicine simply because one medication you took made you ill. Not everyone is bad. Not all churches are evil. And God has a bigger plan and purpose.

I think God has something quite unique in store for our future. We are still in God's waiting room, but the door is starting to crack open a bit. What I can see on the other side is so very exciting. God never wastes pain! He never abandons us! And He has a great plan!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

PS-If you read these ramblings until the end, I'm very honor & humbled.

What Hurts You, Heals You

If you have been in the church for any length of time then most likely you know what it is like to be hurt by the church.  I have often told people that you should never let the hurt caused by people keep you from God.  Sometimes I have gone as far as saying that if you lose faith in God because the church has hurt you then your faith was not in God, but man.  But that statement is really not right.

Church hurts typically cause us to struggle with God for this reason: God’s people are called to be imitators of God.  In fact, Paul put it this way, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).  Therefore, it is not so unusual for a person to struggle with God when hurt by a church.

The church is supposed to be a gospel community.  It is to be a community where grace and undeserved favor flow in and through relationships.  It is to be a hospital for sinners, and a haven of hope and restoration for those who fall short of being all that God wants them to be.  It is to be a community of no condemnation because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Now, I know what some are thinking: “What about holiness?”  We are to pursue holiness out of love for God, never to earn approval from God.  Jesus has bought our approval with his blood.  We can’t add to it.  But we pursue holiness with a piece of bread in one hand and a cup of wine in the other.  The bread is Christ’s body and the wine his blood; a reminder that we are sinners in need of mercy that comes only through the saving work of Christ.

We need a gospel community, not because we are good people, but because we are sinners.  We need gospel community because each of us needs healing, deliverance, and restoration during our time here on earth.

Now, let me go back to being hurt by the church.  As one who has hurt and been hurt by the church, I have learned this: what hurts you heals you.  That’s right.  The church hurts, but the church heals.  The healing from church hurts can only be found in a gospel community, one that is overflowing with God’s grace and mercy.  Ironically, wounded people healed by the gospel of grace become the greatest vessels of grace for healing other wounded people.  Find a community of people who have tasted the redemptive and restorative power of the gospel, and most likely you will find a gospel community that heals.

Are You a Pioneer?

God is looking for Pioneers

I’m at an interesting place in my faith journey.  I, without any doubt, have been called to be a pastor.  But, I have no desire to do what I have been doing the past 17 years.   I know, it sounds like I want to be a pastor, but I don’t want to be a pastor.  I want to be a pastor, but I don’t want to be a “business as usual” pastor.  What I mean is that I don’t want to make a comfortable life for me, or my family, while the rest of the world goes to hell.  I want to make a difference.  I want to be a part of a movement of God. 

With that said, I’m not surprised that over the last few days the Lord has been putting a word in my spirit.  The word is “pioneer.”  This morning, he impressed upon me to be a pioneer pastor.  What is a pioneer pastor? A pioneer pastor is a pastor who will risk everything for the advancement of the kingdom of God.  In my case, it is a pastor who begins or helps develop something new and prepares the way for others to follow.

God has given me a burden to plant a “Word” and “Power” Church.  It won’t be easy, but I believe God wants to overflow his people with his power and truth so that we can change the culture we live in for his glory. 

Of course, now I am praying for God to bring alongside of me pioneers; people who want to do something new, who want to be a part of a movement of God. 

Getting Off the Path of Discouragement

Gloom, despair, agony on me. That's the best way to describe Elijah's condition in 1 Kings chapter nineteen. It's the consequence of not avoiding discouragement's path. Unreal expectations, allowing circumstances to overwhelm, and focusing inwardly all play a part in leading Elijah down the path of depression. 

 
 

In 2009, a health survey revealed 40 million American adults had been diagnosed with depression; serving as further evidence that discouragement and depression are the most effective tool that the devil uses against people, especially God's people. If more evidence is needed, then let me say that out of the fifteen years I have been preaching, last week's sermon received more comments from people than any sermon I have preached. Everyone battles with discouragement and depression. 

 
 

The four main causes of depression are fatigue, frustration, failure, and fear. Likewise, the four chief symptoms of depression are dissatisfaction, disgruntled, disengaged, and distressed. However, beneath the causes and symptoms is a deeper root cause. It's unbelief. When unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, it leads us down the path of discouragement and depression. 

 
 

In a recent conversation, someone questioned her salvation on account of struggling to trust God. I assured her the struggle to trust God is not a sign you are not saved, but a sign you are saved. The life of faith is a fight for faith. The child of God must fight unbelief faithfully because the failure to trust God for all he's promised in Jesus will lead us down the road of discouragement and depression. Therefore, the child of God should persistently pray, "Lord; I believe, help me with my unbelief." The solution to leaving the path of despair is winning the battle with unbelief. We win the battle with unbelief by trusting God. 

 
 

Elijah's story fuels our faith, so we can defeat unbelief, and leave gloom, despair, and agony behind. The first step to leaving discouragement's path reveals our need to trust God's faithfulness. 

 
 

Trust God's Proven Character to Provide 

"And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:5-8).  

 
 

Elijah received a messenger after he became dissatisfied with ministry and life, disgruntled with God and people, disengaged from all relationships, and distressed with the problems destabilizing his life. The messenger was no ordinary messenger. Verse seven reveals the messenger as "the angel of the Lord." When the anger of the Lord appears throughout the Old Testament it's called a "theophany." This is where the pre-incarnate Christ appears to God's people under the Old Covenant. Therefore, Jesus has manifested himself to Elijah and is now ministering to him. 

 
 

God's activity in Elijah's life has progressed very interestingly. The Lord uses ravens to provide Elijah's meals while camping at the brook Cherith. An impoverished widow furnishes sustenance in Zaraphath. However, when Elijah runs from the will of God, it is Jesus, who comes to provide for Elijah. Elijah flees, and God chases. 

 
 

The angel of the Lord's ministry was successful, and Elijah responds, "And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God"(1 Kings 19:8). This particular verse has great spiritual significance. The forty-day journey connects Elijah's situation with the past. Israel spent forty years roaming the wilderness because of unbelief. Elijah's wilderness experience was the result of unbelief. 

 
 

Elijah ended up in the wilderness of depression because he failed to trust God's proven character to provide for his people. For three-and a half-years Elijah experienced the faithfulness of God to provide, protect, and prevail. Nevertheless, he lost the fight with unbelief, and he ended up on the path of discouragement and depression. 

 
 

God has proven abundantly that he is faithful to his people. If you forget his proven character to provide, you will become discouraged and depressed. Thomas Chisholm, didn't want to forget, so he penned these words, "Great is Thy Faithfulness, great is Thy Faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand has provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me." The first step to winning the battle of over unbelief and leaving the path of despair is trusting God's proven character of provide. Second step: trust God's powerful presence to guide. 

 
 

Trust God's Powerful Presence to Guide 

"There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away" (1 Kings 19:9-10).  

 
 

 
After arriving at Horeb, the mount of God, The Lord speaks to Elijah, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" This question isn't for God, but for Elijah. The Lord wants Elijah to do some self-examination. Elijah's response reveals his despair, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hose. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." Elijah is so depressed he can't remember all that God did in chapters seventeen and eighteen. Elijah feels alone, and abandoned by God. 

 
 

Therefore, God will teach Elijah of his powerful presence, "And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave” (1 Kings 19:11-13). 

 
 

The Lord was not in the strong wind; not in the earthquake, nor in the fire. However, it is in the sound of a low whisper that the Lord reveals his powerful presence. Why? Elijah's three-and a half-years was characterized by the supernatural and spectacular. Ravens providing food, and widow's son raised from the dead, fire falling from heaven, and rain removing the drought. The low whisper teaches Elijah that the Lord doesn't always operate in the spectacular. In fact, God's powerful presence is mostly seen in the everyday affairs of life. The great lesson is this: when it seems the Lord is not answering your prayers with the spectacular, and seems to be absent from your life, don't forget that God's presence to guide is always with his people. 

 
 

God promised Moses, "I will be with you." He promised Joshua, "I will be with you wherever you go." Jesus promised his church, "I will be with you to the end of age." You can trust God's powerful presence to guide because he will never leave nor forsake his people. In a fiery furnace? Problems consuming you? God is with you and will guide you through. Third and final step: trust God's sovereign plan to prevail. 

 
 

Trust God's Sovereign Plan to Prevail 

"And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:15-18).  

 
 

Elijah learns in these verses that God's victory doesn't always come through the spectacular. In fact, God's victory comes a majority of the time in the ordinary workings of everyday life. God was going to bring judgement upon Israel through the political process. When you can't see the spectacular, just remember that God's sovereign plan will prevail because God is in control. God reminds Elijah of this, "Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18).  

 
 

Unbelief tells you God won't provide. Faith knows that God is faithful to provide for his people. Unbelief tells you God has abandoned you. Faith knows that God will never leave, nor forsake his people. Unbelief tells you God's not at work. Faith knows that God's sovereign plan will prevail because he is in control. Trust God's proven character; trust God's powerful presence; trust God's sovereign plan, and you will find yourself leaving gloom, despair, and agony behind.  

 
  
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Avoiding the Path of Discouragement

Avoiding the Path to Discouragement

1 Kings 19:1-4

Imagine an advertisement posted in front of you for a garage sale. It is obvious that this sale is like no other you have seen before. The devil is the one who is having sale, and the items listed are all the tools of his trade. You see the tools of jealousy, envy, doubt, hatred, and many others listed and priced. However, there is one tool listed and priced that takes you by surprise. It is the most effective took the devil uses; therefore, it is expensive. The tool is discouragement and depression.

I am becoming more convinced by the day that one of the main objectives of the devil is to discourage and depress God's people so that he can go to the lost world and says, "Do you really want to be like Christians, discouraged and depressed?"

As one who struggles with discouragement and depression, I find great solace in the pages of the Bible. For instance, read the book of Psalms you find King David and other psalmist crying, "Why are you in despair, O my soul?" Jeremiah is the weeping prophet. Peter is depressed after denying the Lord. Even the Lord Jesus is anguishing in his soul.

It's no surprise that the great prophet of the Old Testament, Elijah, experienced discouragement and depression. The late preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, once said, "Half the difficulties that men and women suffer arise from discouragement." I don't completely agree to that statement. I believe more than half the difficulties, we encounter, are a direct result of discouragement.

Elijah arrives on the scene abruptly in 1 Kings, chapter seventeen. Ironically, he leaves redemptive history in the same way without ever tasting death. Elijah spends over three years of his life hiding from King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel. Many supernatural things characterize Elijah's ministry; a sure sign God's hand was upon him.

In chapter seventeen, ravens provide his daily meals; dried-up Creek is his source of water, an impoverished widow about to eat her last meal provide continues meals, and the widow's son is raised from the dead. The subsequent chapter has fire falling from heaven, false prophets destroyed, and rain, after a three-year drought; all as a result of Elijah's fervent prayer life. It is only appropriate to end chapter eighteen with these words, "And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah."

Elijah experiences victory after victory because God's hand being upon him. Humanly speaking, you can't ask for better ministry results than the ones God gave Elijah. Nevertheless, contrasting chapter nineteen with the preceding two chapters is night and day difference. In the foregoing chapters, he's courageous; in chapter nineteen, he is discouraged and depressed.

The narrative reveals four causes of discouragement and depression: fatigue, frustration, failure, and fear.

·      Causes of discouragement:

#   Fatigue

#   Frustration

#   Failure

#   Fear

All these factors played a role in leading Elijah down discouragement's path. His failure to avoid the path of despair is the training ground for defeating discouragement. It is wise to realize that the battle with discouragement can't be avoided, but it can be won. How? Expect difficulties, not ease.

1.     Expect difficulties, not ease.

The first two verses of chapter nineteen reveal an unexpected response to God's work through Elijah, "Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a message to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow" (1 Kings 19:1-2). King Ahab does not see God's hand in Elijah's activity. Instead, he sees a troublemaker. True to her color, Jezebel responds to the news with a vow to kill Elijah.  

 
 

Elijah's response reveals the response was unexpected. After all the victories, he's not looking for any difficulties. He just prayed fire down from heaven, put to death over 400 false prophets, and prayed the drought away. Surely, everything is going to be easy at this point. Regrettably, Elijah underestimated the schemes of the devil.  

 
 

Children of God who are walking with God must never underestimate the tenacity of the devil. He will always give trouble to those who trouble him. He will never give up his attacks on God's faithful people, especially after great victories for the Lord.   

a.     Don’t underestimate the schemes of the devil.

Children of God who are walking with God must never underestimate the tenacity of the devil. He will always give trouble to those who trouble him. He will never give up his attacks on God's faithful people, especially after great victories for the Lord. 

The apostle Paul understood this truth when he penned Ephesians chapter six, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic power over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God that you may withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm. “   Elijah also misunderstood the nature of walking with God, or for us, the Christian life. 

b.     Don’t misunderstand the nature of the Christian life. 

God allows his people to suffer, and even calls his people to suffer. Consequently, he leads his people into difficulties to test their faith, and to conform them into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.  

 
 

If you are searching for a comfortable Christian life, you will end up on the path of discouragement. However, if you expect difficulties, and not ease, you are on your way to winning the battle within.   You will also need to think theologically, not circumstantially to avoid the path of discouragement.

2.     Think theologically, not circumstantially

The courageous prophet, in a matter of moments, is reduced to a coward in verse three, "Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there" (1 Kings 19:3). Fear has zapped the prophet of all his courage, and he runs for his life. 

 
 

Is this really the same prophet from the earlier chapters? Everything Elijah does in the prior chapters is in response to the Lord's word and direction. Now, he runs for his life without looking to God's word, or listening to his voice for assurance and guidance. What happened to Elijah? He allowed the circumstances to speak instead of the Lord. He was thinking circumstantially, not theologically. He was walking by sight, not by faith. Inevitably, his circumstances became sovereign and controlling.  

 
 

Thinking theologically is listening to the word of God, and standing on the promises of God. When the world crumbles around you, and the path to discouragement right before you, listen to God's voice, and stand on his promises, trusting him with all your heart, and learning not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your path away from the path of discouragement.  

 
 

Elijah is not to only example we have for failing to think theologically. Abraham allowed his circumstances to control his life on many occasions. Ten of the twelve spies sent by Moses to check out the Promised Land allowed circumstances to speak louder than God's promises.  

 
 

When you think circumstantially, you magnify the difficulties of life, and as a result you become petrified. The path of discouragement can be avoided when you think theologically, not circumstantially.   Nevertheless, there is one more element to avoiding the path to discouragement.  Look upward, not inward.  

3.     Look upward, not inward.

Thinking circumstantially blocks your vision of God by turning your focus inward. Notice where Elijah's vision is focused in verse four, "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers " (1 Kings 19:4). Verse ten, "He said, 'I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of host'" (1 Kings 19:10). And verse fourteen, " He said, 'I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of host'" (1 Kings 19:14). Elijah is consumed with "I" because his vision had turned inward instead of upward.  

 
 

The devil loves it when God's people turn inward. He will take a hold of self and use it to discourage and depress us. Therefore, we must fight to keep our look upward, not inward.  

 
 

The size of a quarter is minute when compared to the Empire State Building. Even so, if you take two quarters and place them over your eyes, though they are small, they block the vision of everything around you. Likewise, when you turn inward, and don't look upward you block your vision of God.  

 
 

Elijah's vision of God was blocked, and it led him down the path of discouragement. Once on the path, he started taking things in his own hands, stopped listening to God, and stopped waiting on God, which led him outside of the will of God. The path of discouragement will take you places you really don't want to go.  

 
 

A pastor in Texas had a church member experienced a financial crisis. Even so, the member avoided the path of discouragement and depression. One day, the pastor asked, "How do you stay so happy? How do you avoid discouragement and depression?" The member said, "Come to my house, and I will show you." A few days later, the pastor was knocking at the door, curious to know his secret.  

 
 

The member brought his pastor into a large sitting room. Over the fireplace was a hand-painted picture of Daniel in the lion's den. At the top of the painting was a light shining down into the den. The member told the pastor, "Look closely at Daniel's eyes. Where are they looking?" "They are looking at the light," responded the pastor. "Exactly," said the member. "I like to look at this picture to remind me that when life is falling apart around me, I don't have to look at my circumstances; I can look upward to the light of the world, and he will guide me through. Looking upward keeps me from going down the path of discouragement."  

 
 

You can avoid the path of discouragement! Expect difficulties, not ease. Think theologically, not circumstantially. Look upward, not inward.   

When God is the Problem

The other day the Lord led me to reread the notes of a sermon I preached from Ecclesiastes.  After reading, I thought I should share with others.  Maybe it will encourage you as it did me.

When God is the Problem

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Take your Bibles and turn to the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes.  We are in the midst of a sermon series from this great book called “Real life: Understanding the Meaning of Life.”  Even though Solomon wrote this book over three thousand years ago, it is so relevant for today.  

Solomon has spent the first two chapters showing how he searched for meaning and purpose in life apart from God.  He came to this conclusion: All is vanity.  Life without God became a problem for King Solomon.  But Solomon also found out that life with God could be a problem. 

Solomon’s frustration with God may have been the catalysts that led him to seek for satisfaction apart from God.  He found that life without God is much more difficult than life with God.   Life with God can be a struggle at times, and Solomon is honest enough to share his struggles with us in Ecclesiastes.   

 Life with God can be a real struggle, and part of that struggle will happen when God becomes our problem to overcome.  A few weeks ago, a young man came up to me out of the blue and said “Pastor, I am having a real hard time with God’s idea of death.”  This young man was four years old when he asked that question.  He was having a problem with God about death.  Why did God create death?

When does God become a problem?  When we are presented with the fact that a good God allows bad things to happen to people.  To overcome the problem we can say that God is not in control; therefore, he couldn’t stop the bad thing from happening.  Or we say that God didn’t do it, it was the devil.  And it would be so much easier for us to accept the Devil because he is all about evil and bad things.  But, if God is good and in control, then he allowed the devil to do what he did.  So you can see how God can become a problem. 

Solomon tackles this problem we can have with God by teaching what the Bible teaches from Genesis to Revelation:  God is sovereign and in control.  

1.     God is sovereign and in control.

Verse one, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” When Solomon refers to everything, and every matter under heaven is applying the widest possible range to human activities.  If you look at the events that he speaks of in the poem that follows verse one you will see why.    Every human activity has an appointed time.   

Some mistakenly believe that the one who appoints the time for every matter under heaven is man, but that is not the case at all.  It is God who controls time.  It is God who governs time.  I was studying the great philosophers from the sixties and seventies, The Rolling Stones, and they had a great deal to say about time.  In 1972 they sang, “Time is on my Side.”  The song from 1979, “Time Waits for No One”, followed this.  Well, maybe Mick realized that time really isn’t on his side, or in his control.  God is sovereign over time, and it is God who appoints the times for every matter under heaven.  This means that every event or matter under heaven is a part of God’s plan. 

2.     Every event is part of God’s plan.

We see this truth, that every human activity is a part of God’s plan, in the poem that Solomon uses to illustrate verse two, “a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast way stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to live, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”  

In this poem, we have fourteen pairs of opposites, or two sets of seven.  What is used here is a merism, which is a poetic device where extremes are listed to describe, not on the two extremes, but everything in between the two extremes.  You will also find the word “time” used twenty-eight times.  In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word is “kairos.”  This really drives home the truth time and all that happens within time are a part of God’s eternal plan.    

Verse two, “A time to be born, and a time to die.” Yes, from the time we are born to the time we die, and everything in between, are all a part of God’s eternal plan.  It is God who appoints when we are born, and it is God who determines when we have our funeral.  The fact that he refers to planting and harvesting shows that even a cornfield is a part of God’s plan.     

The rest of these opposites point out the fact that life is full of events, and we don’t have any control over them.  Sure, the events have human participation, but God is still in control.   

There will be times that someone you know dies unexpectedly, but it is followed by a season of joy and happiness, maybe over a job promotion, or building your dream house.  You are told that you have a disease that could take your life.  You sorrow for a while, and then God heals you and you rejoice. 

I will never forget the day that my first-born was born.  I wept with joy over her birth, and there have been many times of joy during the fourteen years, but there has also been many tears shed.    We don’t have control over tomorrow.  We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but we do know who holds tomorrow, and everything that happens is a part of God plan.    

Of course, that means that even the bad things that happen are a part of God’s eternal plan.  That does not mean that everything that happens pleases God.  Sin does not please God. What it does mean is that God is not perplexed when things happen that don’t please him because he is sovereign and in control.  Every event is a part of his plan.  And yes, this is where we will often have a problem with God.   

Verse nine expresses this problem, “What gain has the work from his toil?”  The answer is clear: all events of life unfold under God’s eternal plan; therefore, all the efforts of man alone cannot change times, or circumstances.  We have no control over events.     

How do we live with God when he is the problem? How do we live with God when his ways do not make sense, and seem to contradict his character? How do we make sense of a sovereign God when the world around is in total chaos? Solomon gives us for truths to stand on. 

3.      Truths to stand on:   

When struggling with God, we must realize that God’s sovereignty means that God makes all things beautiful in his time. 

a.     God makes all things beautiful in his time. 

Verse ten; “I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.  He has made all things beautiful in its time.” The phrase “Children of man” reminds us that we live in a fallen world, but that is not the way the Lord made it.  When he made the universe God said “it was good.”  And when he created man he said it was very good.  God’s creation is good.  The fallen nature of his creation is the result of man’s disobedience.  However, even though man brought the curse upon this world, God has made all things beautiful in its time.  That means that God can take something meant for evil and use it for good.   Paul spoke about this in Romans 8:28 when he said, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.”  We may not understand God’s ways, or his works, but we can understand that he is a wise God, and he makes all things beautiful in its time.    To stand on this first truth we must trust the wisdom of God. 

ü  Trust in the wisdom of God

Next truth is found in the last part of verse eleven.  God has made us for another world.

b.     God has made us for another world.

“Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”  God has made us to live forever.  Because he has put eternity into the children of man, we long for and look for a never-ending life.  So we seek out to know things of the future.  We want to know the meaning of life and of the world.  We want to understand the universe.  This passion to ask why and to search for answers about meaning and purpose is the result of God putting eternity into our hearts.  Unfortunately, God does not allow us to know everything.  God is mysterious because God is infinite.  He is mysterious because he is eternal. 

God knows all of history at the very moment, but we only know what he has revealed.  We want to know what God knows, we want to know all that makes God so mysterious, but God will not allow the creature to become equal with the creator.  This leaves man frustrated. 

Many will seek for answers to meaning and purpose but will leave God out.  This is not how God designed us.  He put eternity into our hearts so that we would find our way to God.  God went as far as sending his Son to provide a way for us to not only find our way to God, but to become a part of God’s family.  God put eternity into our hearts so that we would realize that we were made for another world, not this fallen world. 

C.S. Lewis put it this way: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another word.” He was right.  And this other world that we were made for is found only in Christ.    To stand on this truth, we must accept the fact that God is mysterious, and we will not always understand him in this world, and maybe not even in eternity.    The third truth is God has a plan for every individual.  

ü  Accept that God is mysterious.

c.      God has a plan for every individual. 

Verse twelve, “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”  Everything is a part of God’s plan, and God has provided a way for us to participate in his plan.  How do we do it? We enjoy life by doing God’s business.  

The plan that God has for every person is to glorify him.  Unfortunately, the fall of man has caused us all to fall short of the glory of God.  Since the fall the children of man have failed to image forth the character and glory of God because of sin.  Therefore, God sent his son to pay the price for our sins so that we could once again do what God has planned for us before the foundation of the earth, and that is to glorify him in everything we do.  

When we come to Christ we become new creations in Christ created to do good works for the Lord.  These good works don’t get us to heaven, but reveal that we are going to heaven because we have experienced the grace of God in Christ Jesus through faith. 

It is God’s plan that we trust his Son Jesus for salvation so that we can image forth his character and glory in our homes and families, in our work, in everything that we do.  We truly enjoy life when we spend our life doing God’s business.   We stand on this truth by enjoying life by doing God’s business.  The fourth truth we stand on is the most important.  In fact, the first three will only be experienced when this truth is acted upon.  God wants us to worship and submit to him. 

ü  Enjoy life by doing God’s business

d.     God wants us to worship and submit to him.  

Verse fourteen, “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.”  God is in control and every event is a part of his plan.  What God wants from us is to worship him and submit to him.  He wants us to have no other gods before him.   God’s sovereignty should not cause us trouble.  Instead it should bring us great comfort to know that whatever happens is under God’s control. 

When we fear God it will lead us to see out meaning in life only in God.  If we fear God we will believe in God, and that every one of our actions are accountable to God, and that God is the author of all things.    When we fear God we trust that God is in control even though we don’t see him.  There have been many times I have not seen the pilot of a plane that I flew on, but I know he was there because I heard his voice an I watched the plane take off and land.   Fearing God means we trust God even though we may not understand his ways.    To fear God means that we submit to and trust in God’s sovereign rule.  

ü  Submit to God’s sovereign rule.

God is sovereign and he is good.  These two things seem to be in conflict when we look at the brokenness of this world.  God is sovereign, which means that e is in control of everything that happens to you and others.  This is heard to deal with when you see things like we saw in Boston, or Connecticut, or Aurora.  We see at that happens under God’s control and we think that he’s not good. He’s cruel. 

This is where faith comes in.  When God is our problem, we must trust that God is wise, accept that he is mysterious, live out the plan he has for our life by doing God’s business, and submit to his sovereign rule.    

I have had problems with God on several occasions.  I must confess that every time I see young parents bury their infant child or child I have problems with God.  Every time a young person dies to early I have problems with God.  When I pray for something I know is the will of God and he makes we wait, I have problems with God.  Just this past week I told God that if my daughter asked me as many times I have asked you, I would have given it to her.  Do you want to know what God did? Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  You want to know what I did? I submitted to God’s sovereign rule trusting that God is wise and will make all things beautiful in his time, accepted the fact that I will not always understand God’s ways, and I went about doing what God has called me to do, serve him.       

Is your life in chaos? Are you bothered about all the turmoil in our nation, or in your life? God is in control and wants you to believe in him.  He wants you to give your life to his son, Jesus Christ.    

When God is the Problem

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

1.     God is sovereign and in control.

2.     Every event is a part of God’s plan.

3.     Stand on these truths:

1)   God makes all things beautiful.  

Action: Trust in the wisdom of God.

2)   God has made us for another world.

Action: Accept that God is mysterious.

3)   God has a plan for every individual.

Action: Enjoy life by serving God’s kingdom. 

4)   God wants us to worship and submit to him. 

Action: Submit to God’s sovereign rule.