Week 4, May 23Rd 2021 - Where Is God in All This?

Week 4, May 23rd 2021 - Where is God in all this?

Biblical References – Psalm 40:1-17 and Romans 8:31-39

Psalm 40[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.[b]

5 Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. 6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened[c]— burnt offerings and sin offerings[d] you did not require. 7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.[e] 8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD, as you know. 10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 13 Be pleased to save me, LORD; come quickly, LORD, to help me. 14 May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame. 2

16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!” 17 But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay. (Psalm 40:1-17)

More Than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

Sermon Outline

During the sermon Steve gave physical actions for each of the six points to help us remember…

1. God is where he always is (Pointer finger points up)

In control – Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Colossians 1:16f; Is 45:7

Love Unchanged – Psalm 103:11; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Romans 8:38,9

2. God weeps with us (Face downcast in weeping motion)

John 11:35; Luke 19:41; Romans 8:26

3. God was there (Hands stretched out as if on the cross)

John 1:1 – “The Word became flesh”; Philippians 2:6-8 – “made himself nothing”; Hebrews 4:15 – “tempted in every way, just as we are”

4. God is with us (arms wrapped around yourself in hug motion)

Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 43:2; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5

5. God is at work in us (double fists beat on chest)

Romans 8:28 – “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him”

a. Changing us – 2 Corinthians 4:16,7; 1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4 b. Giving credit where it is due – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 c. God working in his people – John 13:14,5

6. God is bringing us to glory (hands raised in glory)

Revelation 21:4 – wiping every tear; 1 Corinthians 15:42,3 – promised transformation; Romans 8:18 – not worth comparing

Prayer for God’s help as we seek to support others

Give to us grace, O Father, not to pass by suffering or joy without eyes to see; give us understanding and sympathy; and guard us from selfishness that we may enter into the joys and sufferings of others; use us to gladden and strengthen those who are weak and suffering; that by our lives we may help others who believe and serve you, and project your light which is the light of life.

H. R. L. Sheppard (1880 – 1937) Sourced from Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Darkness is My Only Companion, p. xxiii

Bible Study - Where is God in all this?

1. Have you ever felt like God wasn’t there? What circumstances made you feel this way? What helped you move through these feelings? 2. Read Romans 8:18-39. What do vs 20-21 have to contribute to the question of why suffering exists in our world? What evidence do you see here that Paul understands what suffering is like (you might also like to read 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 to answer this)? 3. How might the promise of vs 28 be both a source of joy & frustration for those who are suffering from mental anguish of any kind? Can you see in this chapter any examples of how God might be at work in us through our suffering? Share how you’ve seen God at work as you look back at your past times of difficulty. 4. What comfort do you gain from the knowledge that God’s love is unchanging (vs 38-39)? What hope for the future does Paul lay before those who suffer? (cross reference 1 Corinthians 15:42-43; Revelation 21:3-4) 5. Read John 11:32-36; Philippians 2:6-8 & Hebrews 4:15-16. What comfort might we draw from the fact that Christ has experienced suffered as we do? 6. Read Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 43:1,2; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5. What difference might it make to someone suffering from depression, anxiety or the like, to know that God is always with us? 7. In Isaiah 45:7, God says that he is responsible for both the good and the bad we experience. What do the following verses say about why he might allow bad things to happen to his people? 2 Corinthians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10; 12:7-10; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7. 8. What is one practical action you can apply to your care of others from what you have learnt in this study?

Testimony 23rd May – Where is God in all this?

The very beginning of Psalm 22 goes like this…

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Where was God during this time?

On the 4th Nov 2020 I celebrated my 60th birthday, two weeks later I was admitted to hospital (16th November 2020). The scans showed a brain cyst

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!

From Monday 16th to Friday 20th, I had some time to think, certainly to pray and read God’s word. It was an extremely emotional time leading up to the ‘Big Meeting’ on Friday 20th Nov.

As a result of that meeting, I was scheduled for brain surgery on Monday 23rd Nov.

I had been trusting God for 48 years (really since I was 12)

I had been trusting a sovereign God

Omnipotence: all-powerful

Omnipresence: everywhere at all times

Omniscience: all-knowing

Where was He is this situation? I thought, maybe He was going to manifest Himself through a miracle of healing, or perhaps through the doctor’s skill or even, was this the end for me? So many thoughts were swirling around in my head.

In Psalm 42 it says…

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,

I experienced (for me) overwhelming emotion and felt that my tears had been my food day and night.

During this time, I recognised I was experiencing a faith gap of about 30cm between my head and my heart? The gap between what I believed in my head and had been proclaiming all my life, however NOW when confronted with this crisis I had to ask myself, did I really believe this in my heart?

Was I REALLY going to trust God with my life?

I have often said that I trust God or have said to others to ‘trust God’. But was I actually going to trust Him in this situation?

I did not believe that God was responsible for my situation even though I am a sinner like I have always been but I did recognise that He could use this situation to His Glory if he chose to do so.

So, after 48 years of walking with the Lord, I felt that Psalm 42:5 expressed where I was at…

‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,’

The Big Friday Meeting Came

When the surgeon said if this was on the side of your brain, I could remove it with my eyes shut; but yours in the Pons area which is against the brain stem and it will be difficult to access. The possible outcomes of surgery could see you end up with diminished capacities, for example blindness, loss of speech, loss of balance, loss of hearing and so forth.

At this point he turned to my wife and said, what do you think?

I wondered, why do they always go to your wife?

Because they are wiser than their husbands! At least this one is!

My wife and I prayed once again and handed over to God our fears and our desires.

God was there,

God was real,

We affirmed our trust in Him.

Before I went into surgery, I prayed…

“Dear Lord, not my will but yours. If I get to stay on earth, I will praise you and if I get to come home (heaven), I will praise you. I want to say that I trust you for the here and now, and forever. Amen”

Psalm 71 Became my prayer; verses in this psalm struck me, for example…

2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.

3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.

9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvellous deeds.

18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, 9 till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

19b Who is like you, God?

20 Though you have made me see troubles, …you will restore my life again;

So where was God in my crisis? Was He on holidays or deaf?

NO, He was (and is) alive and speaking to me through His Word! His word became my refuge, strength and hope

Psalm 103 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

The Cyst grew back 6 weeks later

My wife and I were facing the same predicament again. But this time it seemed easier to trust somehow. While I had earlier worried and questioned what was going on, now I seemed to be ‘in the trust zone’ if that makes any sense. It was still a challenge but God was very present.

A second surgery with follow-up radiation occurred and currently I am engaged in immune-therapy and my health is improving daily. I thank God for His mercy and grace.

Where was God during this time?

God was in the Word, my head and my heart.

I had accepted Him more fully during this challenge, and I pray, that I may deepen my trust in Him for any future challenge when it comes. PTL! (Praise the Lord)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Prayer seeking God to ‘take possession of our souls’

O blessed Jesus, you know the impurity of our affection, the narrowness of our sympathy, and the coldness of our love; take possession of our souls and fill our minds with the image of yourself; break the stubbornness of our selfish wills and mould us in the likeness of your unchanging love, O you who alone can do this, our Saviour, our Lord and our God.

William Temple (1881 – 1944) Sourced from Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Darkness is My Only Companion, p. 14

Breathe Again – Book Review by Sarah Condie

Anything that will help us breathe again is worth picking up to read. Niki Hardy wrote this book after her life fell apart. First, she lost her Mum and sister to cancer. Six weeks after her sister died, she faced her own personal diagnosis of rectal cancer. Niki’s strong Christian faith glows out of this book. She is honest and has a wonderful sense of humour.

Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). Niki shares how it is possible to live the full abundant life God has for us, right in the middle of our heartache, tragedy, yearning and grief.

This book is easy to read and is filled with practical wisdom. There are many opportunities for the reader to build in simple habits into their life and she has written many beautiful prayers and other helpful resources. Niki’s book doesn’t say anything new, but when life falls apart, we need reminding, lots of reminding, of the simple truths about God, what He is like and how to persevere when life is messy.

Delighting in God and His word

– By Sarah Condie

Have you ever noticed this verse, “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4) and wondered what this looks like? Delight means experiencing “a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy, rapture, something that gives great pleasure”.

“The things we delight in seem to easily fill our minds and thoughts.

If I delight myself in the Lord, I fill my mind with thinking about the amazing things he has done for me. I think about them and remember with great joy and wonder, that he loves me, he let his only son Jesus die for me, that I am forgiven. The things we delight in seem to easily fill our minds and thoughts.

In a way, our delight in the Lord is a response to His delight in us. Do you know that you are a source of pure delight to God? Zephaniah 3:17 says, “he will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

If churches are filled with men and women who delight in God, there will be an inner joy which radiates, affecting everything about that church community. Using the language of enjoying God and finding delight in Jesus will help churches speak about God in deeply personal ways.

One way that I learnt to enjoy God was in how I read my bible. By slowing down and meditating carefully on what I was reading, I was able to notice and absorb the details of what God was like and what he has done. This type of meditation is not about emptying the mind, but rather focusing the mind on the words and imagery used. According to the Puritan pastor, James Ussher, one hour spent in this type of meditation ‘is more worth 13 than a thousand sermons, and this is no debasing of the word, but an honour unto it.’

Meditating upon the word of God has the potential to inflame our love for God and drives our desire to read it more so that we come to know him even better. I first did this with Psalm 23. I read it slowly and then returned to it and read it daily for a month. I thought about this detail, “he restores my soul,” and asked myself, “what does a restored soul look like?” I discovered a way of reading God’s word that fed my soul in a way that I’d never experienced before. And I found it delighted me. And delighting in God’s word leads to delight in God.

Ways to cultivate this in a church context:

• During conversations ask, “What has encouraged you from God’s word recently? How are you enjoying God?” • Ask others to share their salvation story to be mutually encouraged with reminders of God’s wonderful work in our lives. • Read through one of the Gospels. What story of Jesus do you love the most and why? Encourage people to share this story. • Remind yourself and others of how much God loves you. Memorise a verse like 1 John 3:1a.

Family time and teen Mental Health

Two key ingredients to improved levels of mental health for teenagers might be more sleep and time with their parents. This is the conclusion from an Institute of Family Studies research done on 1500 US High School students surveyed during May and July 2020. Just over half of these students reported the following during lockdown:

• Their families ate dinner together more regularly • More time spent with their siblings • Increased closeness in their families – 68% reported this

Even more surprising, the share of teens reporting depression dropped from 27% in 2018 to 17% during March to July of 2020 when most students were doing school online from home.

The researchers concluded that “time with families buffers kids from depression. They may be sad or in distress, but parents are there to comfort them and help them regulate their emotions and handle conflict. This doesn’t mean coddling but helping them learn to cope with intense feelings. Parents’ physical and emotional presence promotes emotional security, the foundation of resilience.” If you are a parent, don’t underestimate the power of sleep and connecting as a family over a meal. They are enormously beneficial to building better mental health.

Taken from the Pastoral Care and Mental Health Institute website

Connecting with others – By Sarah Condie

Social isolation is not good for our mental health. Connecting with others in meaningful ways is how God has wired us. Healthy relationships in our church communities nurture our overall wellbeing as well as growing our maturity in Christ.

New research has emerged showing the health benefits for those in our community who are socially isolated with few friends and few regular social activities to increase their network of friendships and social activities. Our churches do small group activities well and provide many opportunities for people to come together to connect and interact.

According to this research:

“On a population level, our estimates suggest if such people were to engage regularly in social activities, we would see a 5-12% increase in people reporting better quality of life and a 4-8% reduction in people experiencing symptoms of depression. This would be a substantial change to population mental health, given more than 70% of people in our sample (aged 50+, in Europe) have three or fewer close relationships.”

“the New Testament is full of encouragements for these relationships to reflect the likeness of God in mutual love and support, seen so clearly in the “one another” passages.

Churches have a part to play in improving mental health of their local community, simply by providing these opportunities to connect. Even more, the New Testament is full of encouragements for these relationships to reflect the likeness of God in mutual love and support, seen so clearly in the “one another” passages.

Think, for example, about small bible study groups. These give participants the opportunity to meet weekly, share in the reading of the bible and applying rich truths to their personal lives, praying together and sharing deeply with “one another” the ups and downs of life.

Ways to cultivate this in a church context:

• Encourage people to join a small bible study group or to join a “serving” ministry such as music, playtime, or welcoming. • Identify members of your church who are isolated and check in with them to find out what may be preventing them from joining a small group. • Help these small groups build a culture of forming friendship, support, praying together and following one another up if someone is absent. Teach them how to do the ministry of “one another” care.

Changing Minds – The inside story (documentary series)

For the first time in Australian television history, a documentary series has been filmed inside one of the busiest mental health units in the country. Brave, raw and sometimes funny, the three-part series CHANGING MINDS goes behind the locked doors of Liverpool Hospital’s Mental Health Unit to meet the patients and staff who are challenging the stigma and taboos that exist around mental illness. Patients agreed to be filmed while mentally unwell and then consented formally once they recovered their health. The stories reveal the realities of 21st century psychiatric care.

There are two seasons, each with 3 episodes that can be viewed for a small fee on either YouTube or i-tunes

mind & soul foundation - Our Vision

We believe in a God who loves us AND cares about our emotional and mental health. Our faith and emotions are often kept separate. Mental health is rarely discussed in churches and Christian spirituality is seen as having little to offer the world of psychology. We want to bridge that gap…

• To Educate: Sharing the best of Christian theology and scientific advances. • To Equip: Helping people meet with God and recover from emotional distress. • To Encourage: Engaging with the local church and mental health services.

Our core leadership team of a psychologist, a priest and a psychiatrist have developed high-quality, integrated resources and bring a powerful message that BOTH are important.

Prayer for God’s help as we seek to support others

Our Lord God, you see all and know all and love all. As your church, please grow our awareness and compassion for those in our midst who suffer with their mental health. Let no one be hidden away beneath blankets of stigma or shoved into corners of marginalisation. You call us as your Body to care for the least, the lost, the lonely, the left-behind – teach us how to include those whom others consider unworthy. Bless us with the opportunity to become a community where they flourish. Enable us to reflect your love in our love for each other. We ask for this mercy in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Adapted from Catherine R. Downing, Sparks of Redemptive Grace, p. 58

HOPE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

"Your greatest ministry will flow out of your greatest pain." — Pastor Rick Warren

The commitment of Saddleback Church to people living with mental illness greatly increased on April 5, 2013 when Pastor Rick and Kay’s youngest son, Matthew, took his life after a lifelong struggle with mental illness. In the midst of the devastating loss of Matthew, Pastor Rick and Kay along with the Saddleback community, have united together to journey alongside people living with mental illness and their families in a holistic way.

The Hope for Mental Health Ministry extends the radical friendship of Jesus by providing transforming love, support, and hope through the local church. The heart of this ministry comes from three passages of Scripture: "I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15), "Serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13b), and "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

Five life-transforming Scriptural truths that shape our approach to the Mental Health Ministry are illustrated in The Hope Circle: you are loved, you have a purpose, you belong, you have a choice, and you are needed.

hope4mentalhealth.com