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Give to God the Time that Remains (St. Alphonsus Liguori)

When a Preacher is Downcast by Charles Spurgeon

"Even if the enemy's foot is on your neck, expect to rise and overthrow him. Cast the burden of the present, along with the sin of the past and the fear of the future, upon the Lord, who does not forsake His saints. Live by the day—ay, by the hour. Put no trust in frames and feelings. Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement. Trust in God alone, and lean not on the needs of human help." Charles Spurgeon.

When a Preacher is Downcast by Charles Spurgeon.

Who Is Your God? (Isaiah 40:1-11; 12-26; 27-31)

Who Is Your God? (Isaiah 40:1-11; 12-26; 27-31) [Nov 2016]

1. The God of Comfort (1-11).
2. The Incomparable God (12-26).
3. The God Who Makes Man Fly (27-31).

Most scholars agree that ch. 40–55 were written to the Babylonian exiles after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Some, doubt Isaiah wrote this ~150 years in advance, and say an anonymous prophet, a devotee of Isaiah, wrote it in 550 B.C. The book makes no reference to this.)

Theme:

1. Chs.1-39 is Trust: the Basis of Servanthood.
2. Chs. 40–55 is Grace: the Motive and Means for Servanthood, for trusting God.
1. Ch. 40 is the intro; 
2. ch. 41–48 is part A, Motive; 
3. ch. 49– 55 is part B, Means.

1. (40:1–2) What attitude/emotion requires encouragement? Why would the exiles be experiencing this? Why was God punishing them? What questions might they be asking? What encouragement does Isaiah offer here? How would these be encouraging? [Comfort" is not a good translation. The idea is to encourage, strengthen.]
2. (40:3-5) How might 40:3 apply to John the Baptist (Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4)? How does that fulfill these promises? Compare to the promise of 7:14. What do these verses say about Yahweh's desire to deliver?
3. (40:6–8) If the goal here is encouragement, how could 40:6–8 be understood as encouragement? Compare the final clause of 40:5 with the final clause of 40:8. What is the point of this repetition (Isa 45:23; 46:11b; 55:10-11)?
4. (40:9-11) Zion and Judah have been destroyed (9). How can they be the heralds of deliverance (10)? What is the good news (11)? What are the two different uses of "arm"? How do they relate to the message of good news? See shepherd in the OT (Ps 23:1; 78:52; Jer 23:2-3; Eze 34:1-31; Mic 2:12). How does Jesus exemplify this (Jn 10:1-18)?
5. (40:12–26) What is the expected answer to the rhetorical questions in 12–14? What is the point? [In the myths the gods were always taking counsel with one another to decide what to do (40:13–14).] Relate 40:15–17 to the points made in chs. 13–23.
6. Why do people constantly seek out idols as objects of worship (18–20; 46:1–7)? How do they compare to Yahweh (21–24)? How is he different? How do 40:18-28 stress the uniqueness of Israel's God?
7. Who is Yahweh being compared to (25–26)? [In paganism the stars are considered to be the visible representation of the gods. "The Host of Heaven" is an expression for "the gods."] What do 40:12–26 say about Yahweh's ability to deliver?
8. (40:27–31) What are the people's complaint (27)? What are they forgetting (28)? Who gets tired (30)? Who gains strength (29)? How can any person "fly" (31)?

The God who Deals with Your Sin is also the God who Saves You (Psalm 38)

Turn to a Justly Offended God.

• "Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath" (Ps 38:1). "Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior" (Ps 38:21-22).

• "Lord, do not rebuke me in Your fury nor chastise me in Your wrath" (Ps 38:1, Robert Altar). "Do not forsake me, Lord. My God, do not stay far from me. Hasten to my help, O Master of my rescue" (Ps 38:21-22).

• "Yahweh, do not, in your exasperation, discipline me, nor in your rage, chasten me" (Ps 38:1, Alec Motyer). "Do not leave me, Yahweh! My God, do not be distant from me! Oh, hurry to my help! O Sovereign One, my salvation!" (Ps 38:21-22).

Theme: The God who acts against our sin is the God to whom we can appeal for help.

In Psalm 38, a lament psalm, David feels the overwhelming burden of his sin and the corresponding displeasure of YHWH, causing God to move against him and to attack him (Ps 38:1-2). He feels intense misery, like a cursed sin-bearer, and quite aware of two things: the evil of his own sin, and God's great displeasure of it. He knows he's guilty (Ps 38:4) and foolish (Ps 38:5) resulting in great unbearable anguish (Ps 38:8). He uses imagery of illness, weakened bones, overwhelming burdens, rotting flesh, crippling ailments, mourning, fear, helplessness, and loss of strength with no control. He freely admits his sin and his remorse (Ps 38:18). He asks God to stop because he can't take it much more (Ps 38:7-8). David knows he doesn't deserve God's mercy, but he asks for God to save him anyway (Ps 38:22).

1. How does David describe his suffering and the cause for it (Ps 38:1)? How does he feel (Ps 38:2)?
2. How did David's sin and guilt affect him (Ps 38:3-8)? How does your sin affect you?
3. What does David know about God's knowledge of him (Ps 38:9; 139:1, 5, 7, 23-24)? How devastated is he (Ps 38:10, 17)?
4. How does David's friends react to him (Ps 38:11-12)? Why (Ps 38:19-20)? How did he respond to their criticism and opposition (Ps 38:13-14)?
5. How did David overcome his great suffering (Ps 38:15, 16, 18; 39:7; 42:5, 11; Job 13:15; Isa 40:31)? How does honesty, confession and seeking God's forgiveness help you (Ps 38:17-18)?
6. How is David's plea and prayer for God's help a reverse of the opening verse (Ps 38:21-22, 1)?

• How might affliction, anguish, adversity and anxiety help a Christian more than comfort and convenience (Ps 119:67, 71, 75, 92)?

The evidence of sin's effects is all around David: his body is failing; his mind is troubled; his spirit is in turmoil. And in addition to this internal misery, he's also afflicted from without. "Enemies" set traps and lie in wait, and his friends and neighbors shun him. All this the psalmist sees as God's punishment.

• Overall Theme: What is the overarching theme of Psalm 38? How does it relate to the consequences of sin, the importance of seeking God's forgiveness, and maintaining faith during trials?
• Application: How can we apply the lessons and principles from Psalm 38 to our own lives? Are there areas of sin or suffering where this Psalm's message can provide guidance and comfort?
• Prayer: Spend some time in prayer, using Psalm 38 as a model. Confess any sins, seek God's forgiveness, and ask for His help and protection in your current circumstances.

[Psalms express worship. It encourages its readers to praise God for who He is and what He has done. They illuminate the greatness of our God, affirm His faithfulness to us in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His Word.]

References:

1. Alec Motyer. Psalms by the Day. A New Devotional Translation. 2016.
2. Robert Altar. The Hebrew Bible. A Translation with Commentary. 2019.
3. Affliction, Adversity, Anxiety and Anguish is Good for Me.
   

Suscipe of St. Ignatius of Loyola

The word "suscipe" is Latin for "prayer."

Learn How to Suffer Well (Job 1:1-22)

1. What does Job's description reveal about his character and status in society (Job 1:1-3)?
• How is "blameless and upright" related to "feared God and shunned evil" (Prov 1:7; 9:10)?
• What does this tell us about his integrity, honesty and devotion? His priority in life (Mic 6:8; Mt 6:33)?
2. How does Job's concerns as a father for his children (Job 1:4-5) reflect his values? His piety and devotion to God? His worship and prayer?
3. In the heavenly conversation (Job 1:6-12), how did Satan accuse and challenge God (Job 1:9-11)? How would the infliction of suffering from the 3+1 calamities that befall Job's possessions and family distract him from God (Job 1:13-19).
4. How did Job accept his extreme losses, tragedies and sufferings (Job 1:20-22)?
• Why was Job acknowledging when he shaved his head (Job 1:20)?
• What does he confess about his wealth, possessions and children (Job 1:21; Gen 1:1; Eccl 5:15; Ps 115:3; 135:6; 1 Tim 6:6-10)?
• How could Job not blame God at all when he has lost everything (Job 1:22)?

• How do you suffer well during trials, troubles and tribulation (Jas 1:2-4; Rom 5:3-5; 1 Pet 4:13; Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28-29; Heb 12:10)?
• How is Jesus the ultimate job?

What is the overarching theme of Job 1? How does it address the problem of theodicy*? How can you apply it to your life? 
How can we respond to trials, adversity and suffering with faith and trust in God? Do you have strength and faith to face your own challenges? Do you gain a better understanding of the themes of suffering, faith, and trust in God that it presents?
Pray to reflect on Job's example of faith and trust in God despite suffering.

* Theodicy is a theological construct that attempts to justify God in the face of evil. It is a branch of theology and philosophy that attempts to solve the problem of evil. Theodicy is the question of how God can exist when there is evil in the world. 

Theodicy literally means "justifying God." It is an attempt to reconcile the power and goodness attributed to God with the presence of evil in the human experience. Theodicy is an attempt to explain the coexistence of God and evil.

How You Know You Truly Believe

Affliction, Adversity and Anguish is Good for Me (9/25/23)

• "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Ps 119:67).
• "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees" (Ps 119:71).
• "I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me" (Ps 119:75).
• "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction" (Ps 119:92).
• "My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?" (Ps 6:3).
• "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" (Ps 22:1).
• "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins" (Ps 25:16-18).
• "I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul." "My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak" (Ps 31:7, 10).
• "I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart" (Ps 38:8).
• "My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me" (Ps 55:4).
• "Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities" (Ps 107:17).
• "The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow" (Ps 116:3).
• "If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales!" (Job 6:2).
• "Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul" (Job 7:11).
• "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them" (Isa 30:20).
• "But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul." "Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back" (Isa 38:15, 17).
  
• "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa 48:10).
• "In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old" (Lam 1:7a).
• "Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed" (Lam 1:9b).
• "I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord's wrath" (Lam 3:1).
• "I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord's wrath" (Lam 3:19).
• "For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone" (Lam 3:33).
• "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Rom 12:2).

 

Simultaneously Both at All Times

Simultaneously, at all times, I am both:

1. Righteous and Wicked
2. Innocent and Guilty
3. Holy and Unholy
4. Godly and Ungodly
5. Spiritual and Unspiritual
6. Pure and Impure
7. Humble and Arrogant
8. Believing and Unbelieving
9. Faithful and Unfaithful
10. Obedient and Disobedient
11. Trusting and Doubting
12. Blessed and Cursed
13. Healed and Wounded
14. Joyful and Sorrowful
15. Rewarded and Punished
16. Rich and Poor
17. Strong and Weak
18. Protected and Helpless
19. Helped and Abandoned
20. Light and Darkness
21. Contented and Crushed
22. Peaceful and Distressed
23. Acquitted and Condemned
24. Exalted and Humiliated
25. Consoled and Anguished
26. Exonerated and Accused
27. At Rest and Restless
28. Lifted Up and Brought Low
29. Gaining Everything and Losing Everything
30. Like Christ and Like the Devil

Affliction (God’s Medicine) by J.C. Ryle

"Affliction is one of God's medicines. By it He often teaches lessons which would be learned in no other way. By it He often draws souls away from sin and the world, which would otherwise have perished everlastingly. Health is a great blessing, but sanctified disease is a greater blessing. Prosperity and worldly comfort are what all naturally desire; but losses and crosses are far better for us, if they lead us to Christ. Thousands on the last day, will testify with David, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted' (Psalm. 119:71)."

Date: Sat, Sep 16, 2023. JCRyle (@J.C. Ryle) posted: God's Medicine: Affliction by J.C. Ryle

Affliction is one of God's medicines. By it He often teaches lessons which would be learned in no other way. By it He often draws souls away from sin and the world, which would otherwise have perished everlastingly.

https://x.com/jcryle/status/1703011813615403500?s=51&t=sFmLgXATMpy1pbkwNjp9Nw

If You Are Seeking God

Suffering Produces Angels

7 Deadly Sins

3 Stages of the Converted

"There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection."–Pope St. Gregory the Great