Tag Archives: Suffering

Safe on Base

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“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty…”
(Psalm 91:1)

Today’s message is brought to you by that eternal and ever-present childhood game: Tag.  You remember the game: running furiously to avoid getting “tagged,” until that moment you are “it” and you begin to chase the rest of the crowd.  “No-Tag-Backs!” you’ll hear the children shout, just to make sure they can get away.

Of course there are countless varieties to the classic game:

Freeze Tag – once you’re tagged you are “frozen” in place until another person crawls under your legs.

Blob Tag – one person starts as “it,” but as others are tagged, they join hand-in-hand to create a large “it” blob

Toilet Tag – when you are tagged you must squat down to form the toilet and hold out your hand like a handle.  To get back in the game, someone must flush you and make the flushing sound.

Then you will all remember crying “Base” just before you got tagged.  Now, a good game leader will have established a base, if there is one.  But when kids just get together and start playing,  base” becomes whatever is closest to keep you from getting tagged; a tree, a wall, a rock, it doesn’t matter, just so long as it keeps you “safe.”  Of course then, arguments ensue about the legitimacy of the base, how long one can stay, and how far away “it” has to stay from the base.  Who knew Tag could be so complicated.

Now you be thinking, Pastor Ethan’s lost his mind… and you might be right.  But there’s actually a point to all of this.  When playing tag, having a pre-determined base could come in handy.  It was a safe place, a place to catch your breath.  I always thought, as a kid playing tag, that base was a cop-out.  That was, until I needed one.

Wouldn’t it be nice if in this life, when thing are spiraling out of control, when everything is “tagging” you and you feel like you’re always “it” – wouldn’t it be nice if there were a place to call “base,” a hideaway, a safe place to go?

This is the promise of the Lord’s presence in Psalm 91:1-2.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

Now, before you all start singing “And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings…” consider for a moment what those verses have taught us about God.

God is a Shelter, a Refuge, a Fortress, He Hides us in the Shadow of his wings.  All of these images tell us that the Lord is a secure defense for those who trust in Him.  Keep in mind, you don’t need a shelter, a refuge, a fortress, a hiding place in times of comfort and ease.  The image of God as savior and keeper are only meaningful for those who need to be saved and kept from harm.

We are never promised that we will not face adversity.  In fact, Jesus said that those who follow Him must expect trials and tribulation (John 15:18-21).  Paul even said that no one who seeks to be righteous will avoid persecution (2 Tim 3:12).  We are not exempt from the storm, but we do have a shelter in the midst of it.

Today, whatever your facing, whatever storms are brewing, whatever “it” is chasing you down; run to Him who is your Shelter, your Refuge, your Fortress, hide yourself in the Shadow of His wings.

Sola Deo Gloria!

Sheltered by Truth in a Storm of Lies

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“For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin,
and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me.”
Nehemiah 6:13 (ESV)

Normally the books of Ezra and Nehemiah aren’t high on my priority of Scripture reading.  I don’t know why that is, and perhaps to compensate, I should plan to preach through them sometime, but I wouldn’t have been reading them if it weren’t for M’Cheyne’s daily reading plan.  For that plan, and for the way in which God continues to speak as I study His word, I am grateful.

For those of you unfamiliar with the book of Nehemiah I think a little background is due.  The city of Jerusalem sat in ruins, the nation of Judah had been conquered by the Babylonians (who were subsequently conquered by the Persians), and the people deported as strangers in a strange land for 70 years.  Nehemiah served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, and when he had heard report from the remnant of Jews in Jerusalem, and of their trouble and shame, Nehemiah wept and prayed that the Lord would show mercy on His people.

God answered His prayer.  Through Artaxerxes, Nehemiah is returned to Jerusalem to oversee the rebuilding of the wall, and is given letters from the King that all the supplies and provisions necessary for the restoration of Jerusalem should be supplied.  Nehemiah governs Jerusalem, rebuking the city officials for over-taxing the people and gouging their prices, and maintaining peace in the city during the period of reconstruction.  If ever you need to read about the power of prayer and faithfulness in the midst of trials, the book of Nehemiah is second to none.

Still, Nehemiah’s work did not go unopposed.  There were other regional governors who were rather put out over the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls.  Neh 4:7-8 tells us, “When Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites hear that the repairing of the walls in Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry.  And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.”

The behavior of these tribal leaders reminds me of that of Junior High Girls.  I’m sorry, that’s unfair to the girls.  Listen to what they did.  They assembled their armies, surrounded Jerusalem, and while the people were rebuilding the walls, they taunted them and ridiculed them.  They invited Nehemiah to come out and meet with them, hoping to kill him if he left the city, and spreading lies about him.

Notice, though, how Nehemiah responds.  He does not lower himself and deride his accusers, neither does he give up his work in despair.  Rather, what we see from Nehemiah is great faith in the midst of great persecution.  He prays that God would remember their guilt and vindicate His people (Neh 4:5); that God would be his protection (Neh 4:9); he encourages the people by reminding them that the Lord is great and awesome and they had no need to fear their accusers (Neh 4:14), and he found his strength of character and resolve in the strength of God (Neh 6:9).

Much is being said today about the problem of bullying in our schools, and hopefully the conversation will make have a positive impact, but what we are dealing with is nothing new.  Bullying started as soon as we left the Garden, when one brother was jealous of the other, and decided he could take what he wanted by force.  We find this kind of intimidation in our schools, the workplace, the government, and even, sadly, in the church.  While we should work to overcome it, we must recognize that as long as we are dealing with broken and sinful people, we will deal with broken and sinful behavior.  It is how we deal with it that matters.

Let Nehemiah be an example.  When being bullied, it is very easy to respond in kind, bullying back, or intimidating others weaker than ourselves.  That is not the way of Nehemiah, nor it is not the way of Christ, neither can it be the way of those who would follow Him.  When you are slandered, falsely accused, and outright bullied, consider this:

Pray that God would remember their guilt and vindicate His people (Neh 4:5).  Our God is a God of justice, so leave the justice to God.  The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Pray that God would be your protection (Neh 4:9), them that the Lord is great and awesome and they had no need to fear their accusers (Neh 4:14).  Remember that the God who loves you is the God who has created the world, the God who set the stars in motion, and who holds all things in His hands.  He has the power over every situation, and “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28).  It is sometimes very difficult to see when in the midst of the trials how God could possibly work things for your good, but as Jesus said, “what is impossible for man is possible for God” (Luke 18:47).

Remember that the foundation of you character and resolve is in the strength and love of God (Neh 6:9).  This is probably the most important thing to remember when others are trying to cut you down.  People, out of their own insecurity or jealousy, will say some of the meanest, hateful, and vile things you can imagine.  They will try to cut down everyone around them, they will turn on friends, they will betray confidences, and they will simply lie just to make themselves look good.  “The tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).  But we must always remember, what they say, though it hurts, does not matter.  What matters, in the long run, is the truth.  The truth is, God loved you with such a love that He would send His Son to save you, that He might call you His beloved child.  No lie, no accusation, no flaming arrow can pierce the armor of God’s mighty love for you in Jesus Christ our Lord – you are fireproof.  You identity, your confidence, your self-esteem is not found in the words of man but in the Word of God.  If your life is found in His life, then nothing, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

May God’s Word be your strength and your defense.  “Do not be afraid.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome!”

SDG