5-Rock Bottom: Bible Survival

The Big Idea: At some point in life we hit rock bottom. Use the Psalms to pray through and survive.

Desperate prayers for desperate times.

Have you ever hit rock bottom? You feel desperate with nowhere to turn. Some may say they never experienced this. But surely most adults have at least had a season where they have had it. Exhausted. Fed up. Lost hope. No answer to a serious dilemma.

May I introduce you to someone who hit this point repeatedly? King David from the Bible. His life was often in danger pursued like a dangerous criminal. His political opponents were very vocal against him. He had family troubles (he had a total of four wives). His sons did not always live up to how the son of a King of Israel should act. David disappointed God with Bathsheba and had to live with the consequences. Evidently he had some physical ailments as he aged. I could go on.

If you need words of comfort and understanding in the Bible…

If it might be helpful to observe someone talk very frankly with God…

If you could use an example of words to pray in desperation…

Go to the Psalms.

The Psalms are in the middle of the Bible. It is the largest book of the Bible. It is easy to find. In it lies  very frank expressions of anger, loneliness, hunger, longing, sickness, revenge, abandonment, failure…

The Psalms teach us:

• We can talk to God and He will listen and not be shocked or turn away.
• How to guard and protect our heart and our emotions.
• How to pray. We learn to be authentic yet turn to Him, not just vent.
• Who God is. Faithful, creator, powerful, eternal…
• People have been calling on God since the early ages of civilization. Even a Psalm of Moses in here.

Many are written by David under almost any circumstance of life that you can imagine. He vents. He cries. He laments. He grieves. He is very open and honest in his cries to God. Shock of all shocks, God listens and is never surprised. God never cuts him off. But David also reminds himself by the end of every prayer that God is God, and he will intentionally turn his trust toward Him. He says he will fix his eyes on God. He will put his trust in Him because God is all powerful and all loving.

It is useful to read it with a thought for thought Bible version such as the Message, or the New Living Translation. This is a time to soak up God's Word for your aches and pains. Try reading a passage that touches you like a prayer and pray it.  Or go line by line, stopping to think where you are touched and talk to God.

There are periods of my life that were tumultuous or difficult. Often this has revolved around illness or overwhelming circumstances in my living situation. I tell people "I lived in the Psalms at that time." What that phrase means is that I read them over and over, and soaked up as much of them as I could.

I have enjoyed marking up my Bible to remember different portions that have meant a lot to me. A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook, "What is your favorite Psalm." It was interesting to see Psalms that others appreciate. My favorite is Psalm 34. But I also love Psalm 1, 19, 23, 37, 51, 103, 139… and I could go on! These are a few that come to my mind right away! If you read five a day, you can finish the book in a month.

Find your favorite Psalm!

Reference:

God helps us in trouble   Ps 27, Ps 46:1, Ps 86:7, Ps 32:7, Ps 34:17

God protects us   Ps 4:1, Ps, 16:1, Ps 91, Ps 27:5,

God helps us, asking for help  Ps 79:9, Ps 86:6-7, Ps 121, Ps 143:1

Grief  Ps 4:8, Ps 23, Ps 31:9, Ps 34:18

God hears our prayers  Ps 22:24, Ps 116, Ps 143:1

God is mindful of our needs  Ps 86:1,Ps 79:8, Ps 16:1, Ps 70:5

God will restore us  Ps 40, Ps 30:5, Ps 70:20-21

God heals and helps us cope with illness  Ps 31:9, 14-15, Ps 6:2-4, Ps 34:9-10, Ps 73:26, Ps 107:19-20, Ps 118:5-7, Ps 147:3, Ps 41, Ps 35, 38

Here is a Bible Study found on the Christianity Today magazine site on emotions and the Psalms. https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/p/psalms-managing-our-emotions-12-session-study.html

Up Next: Danger Ahead

Previous Post: Waiting... and Waiting...

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Reflect:

1. Do you have a favorite Psalm? Why?

2. Do you like the book of Psalms? Why or why not?

3. Can you remember a time when you could have used the encouragement of the Psalms?

4. Is there a desperate period you are walking through right now? Is it time to turn to the Psalms for your focus?

 

4-Waiting… and Waiting: Bible Survival

 The Big Idea: When it feels like God is not responding train your mind to worship, not worry.

Waiting with Worship: My Heart Protection Plan.

We do not wait well. We are used to microwaves, drive-through service and cell phone accessibility. Amazon can make sure you get what you order by mail in two days. We wait because of technological glitches or waiting on hold for customer service. We want what we want and we want it NOW!

God often says wait.

God always answers prayer, but it is like a traffic light. Sometimes He shows us "no" like a red light. At times He says "wait awhile", like a yellow light. Other times We have a "yes"! We get the green light!

Most of us don't wait well.

The truth is through the waiting He forms and shapes us to be more of whom He wants us to be. He  waits for us to cry to Him and grow in our faith. Some of my closest time with God was while in waiting mode. I didn't find it good at the time. Looking back, I see it as something special God and I went through together.

If I told you I am getting better at waiting, I would be lying. I've had a lot of practice (and I mean a lot of practice) but I still have sleepless nights and have had to coach myself through the worries.

 

WHY WE WAIT ON GOD

We wait on God for little things and big things. I am referring especially to the big things when we wait for a long time. But littler waits can wrap us up in anxiety too.

• Job/Career: Direction such as getting into a college, or an internship. Getting that stepping stone job. Hoping for a change of a new boss or wanting a different shift.
• Mates: Direction to find the right mate. It could be the salvation of a mate. Seeing a habit broken.
• Kids: Being about to have kids. Direction for a child. We watch them go through their own quests as if it were our own. And can't do much but pray for them. It could be acceptance into a program to help a special needs child, or one with an addiction.
• Health/Cancer: That pathology report. Is it cancer or not? It could be waiting for a transplant. It might just be living with a broken body where there seems no end in sight.

There is much more but you get the picture.

BE STILL MY HEART

I always hoped to marry a godly man with whom I could serve the Lord. In my mid-thirties I had not yet seriously dated anyone. I asked God numerous times to take away my desire. He often filled me with peace, but He did not take that desire away.  

A couple months before I met my husband to be, I was convinced a single missionary living nearby must be the man for me. If I ever married, I felt, it must be a missionary. And of course aside from friendship, this man never offered me any hope there would be anything more. Still I decided I could wait and see what God might do as I prayed about it.  The man invited me to attend an event. And he showed up with a date. Someone I knew. I was shocked. It seemed it had been far easier to wait when I was in Africa where I did not have an active social life.

I hated the way I let my heart be jerked around by my own wistfulness.

In reading the Bible, praying and journaling, I wrote down a plan to help me wait in the midst of my desires and anxiousness.  The key thought: waiting with worship. I knew I needed to fix my gaze on God continuously. But how? What would that look like?

I use the phrase, "Heart Protection Plan" and you might think it is only applicable for romance.  Our heart breaks for many reasons.  For not getting in the school you thought was perfect. For not getting that promotion you felt cut out for. For a wayward child messing up choices. For a looming divorce from one you thought would be yours forever. We need to guard our hearts and look to God for solace and guidance.

I wrote this plan in my journal. I used some alliteration to help me remember.

ACTIVATE: "HEART PROTECTION PLAN"

1. Focus on the CHARACTER of God

• God loves me
• God never changes (circumstances do)
• God is my Creator who knows all and is all powerful
• God is in control

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

 

2. Trust in God's CONTROL

• Worship Him while you wait and remember His attributes
• Express to Him your trust because you know He's not wringing His hands. He's got it.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

3, Be honest and CONFESS frets

• You can trust Him with your anxieties, mistakes, bad days, etc.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. ¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.  Psalm 25:16-17

• He won't give up on you, exasperated.

4. Get busy and CONSTANTLY serve Him

• Serve God with your whole heart
• Don't seek to take matters into your own hands - Let God

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.  Romans 12:19

• Be productive for spiritually good things
• Do good.

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

 

5. You have value - COUNT on Counting

• Remember you are loved by a great God, you are important to Him
• Expect Him to direct in His time because He has a plan

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

• Ask Him to make your life a blessing

With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised.  Psalm 119:58

• Reflect that you are valuable to God and have a purpose for being in the Body of Christ

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

 

MORE PRACTICE WAITING

I mentioned putting this together a couple months before meeting my husband-to-be. You must be thinking, ah ha! Trust God and He will give you what you want! That was not how it played out. My husband to be was a new widower. And he was not a missionary. He was a chaplain. I  did not see him as a viable future mate, and he did not see me as one either, for he never planned to remarry. As our friendship grew my heart was drawn to him. I could see us serving God together. But he had to move and reminded me we are just friends.

It was three years after meeting that we got married. Honestly I spent many prayer times going over this heart protection plan again so I could reaffirm that God loved me and would take care of me no matter what. 

I needed to keep my focus on God, not any other human being. 

It was good training. A few months into marriage we entered a devastating period waiting on God a lot. Having lost his first wife to breast cancer, I was diagnosed with the same disease. The journey was scary and arduous.

Of everything I hold dear, that which I value most is the very real presence of God. He cannot change. He has promised to be with us and He will be.

Train your heart to focus on God and trust Him. Keep honest with Him. Maintain a servant heart. And never forget, you matter to Him. 

Up Next: Rock Bottom

Previous Post: Embracing Lent

Previous Post in Series: Sleepless in Cleveland

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Reflect:

1. When have you had to wait on God? How did that go?

2. Which of the 5 parts of the plan do you think would be most meaningful to you? Why?

3. Could you think of a situation you are waiting on now and try applying these ways of focusing on God? Journal about it.

3-Sleepless in Cleveland: Bible Survival

The Big Idea: When you can't sleep use Scripture verrses to help

Six ways the Bible can help you sleep!

As a baby, my mom said sleep was impossible for me. She thought maybe I was too curious about everything going on. A creak in the floor or a cough from my dad, and I was wide awake looking around.

I am a very light sleeper. I hear ever tick of the clock and every car that zooms up the street. At least until I can finally fall into deep sleep. After an evening meeting, I play over in my head all the conversations I participated in.

It is even more difficult when I have something serious to worry about. However, I have learned a few tricks over the years how to apply scripture to my need for sleep. I can tell you I have put this into practice

I would like to recommend six ways to use Scripture to fall asleep.

 

1. Meditate on a verse or a passage familiar to you

I gave an example recently about using the 23rd Psalm to meditate on. With that you could take a verse or a phrase and emphasis different aspects in your head. You could repeat a phrase, examining it, and making it a prayer.

Here are a couple examples:

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. Psalm 127:2

You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. Proverbs 3:24

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

2. Get up and read the Bible

There are several ways you could approach this. If you are reading through the Bible in a year and have gotten behind you can catch up on some reading. You might want to go through a shorter book in its entirety such as Ruth in the Old Testament, or Philippians or another epistle in the New Testament.

a. List of sleep verses. Read over a list of sleep and peace from worry verses. Here is a PDF of a list.

b. Read a favorite Psalm or one good for sleep. Suggestions might be Psalm 4, Ps 91, and Psalm 116. Favorites are often Psalm 1, Psalm 19, Psalm 23, Psalm 34, Psalm 103, Psalm 139.

c. Read stories in the Bible involving sleep. There are a lot of them but here are a couple good ones to recommend.

Genesis 28:10-22 - Jacob sleeps as God speaks to him.

1 Kings 19 - How God brought sleep to Isaiah when he was worried.

Mark 4:35-41 - Jesus asleep in the storm. Read the whole chapter

3. Listen to Scripture

Put earplugs in for your ipod or phone with the audio Bible or meditation songs based on Scripture. YouVersion has audio Bibles on it and you can start listening.

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. Psalm 42:8

4. Think through lists in the Bible.

This might really test your Bible knowledge, which may drive you to study it more the next morning. Here are some examples to think through.

• What happened on creation each day.
• Recite a Psalm or the Lord's Prayer.
• What are the books of the New Testament in their order.
• Think through I Corinthians 13 for the "Love is" section.
• Name the Armour of God or the Fruit of the Spirit

5. Pray

You can use a Bible verse to help you pray. You can also pray for lists of family or friends. Are you worried about someone or an issue in particular? Pray about it.

God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. Romans 1:9

Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice. Psalm 55:17

6. Godly Fantasy

Imagine yourself in a Bible story. Think of being in a crowd when Jesus is getting ready to feed the 5000 and imagine what it would be like to be there. Talk to the little boy with his five loaves and two fishes. Interview one of the disciples. Or think about being in the tent with three strangers visit Abraham, or put yourself with Sarah as she is listening from the other tent while preparing a meal for them. Talk with Sarah about this crazy promise from God to have a son.

Each of these methods help me get my mind off of the issues trying rob my mind of peace.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

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Up Next: Embracing Lent
Up Next in Series: Waiting...and Waiting
Previous Post:Finding God's Will
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Reflect:

1. What keeps you from falling asleep at night? Are you prone to having trouble falling asleep?

2. Which suggestion appeals to you more to help you fall asleep?

3. Is there a verse you would find helpful to memorize so you can use it when you are anxious?

2-Finding God's Will: Bible Survival

The Big Idea: Bible verses that help you trust God and seek His will. 

Can I know God's Will?

In the mid-sixties on a cold day in September. We lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota where the black rich soil grew the best of crops. My mom and dad took us to a potato field where combines were harvesting potatoes. Mom gave each of us an old ice cream bucket and invited us to help gather potatoes left behind in the dirt. It was called "gleaning," just like what Ruth did in Bible times.

"It's because Daddy's job is on strike again," Mom explained. "This will help us to have enough potatoes to last us through the winter."

We filled a large sackcloth full of potatoes, stored them in sand in the basement, and ate them through the winter.

How does a child feel when their parent's world caves in? I remember the first time Dad's job went on strike. Dad tried to sell World Book Encyclopedias door-to-door. Then he got a job processing milk. Mom became a Tupperware lady. My siblings and I pitched in monthly to clean the local Red Cross building. We got by. But we all knew money was short and we should all pitch in.

Less than two years later, Dad's company went on strike again. By the time it would be done, dad would have been off work for almost a full year between the two strikes. We could hear his disgust and frustration by now.

"I need to look for a new job, Eileen," he told my mom.  "I can't keep doing this anymore with a company with this attitude."

WORRIED ABOUT DAD

As kids, we had not really noticed the hardship. Then we started to notice the cracks in the serene facade as the strike got longer and longer. I started to worry about my dad. But one night, at our church's Wednesday night prayer meeting, my father stood up to share a testimony.

"I want to share two verses with you tonight," he began, "that have been important to me for a long time. Jeremiah 29:11 '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.' A couple chapters later is another favorite verse. Jeremiah 33:3.  'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'  As you know, I have been out of work for awhile now because of the strike. We feel I need to find something else. I don't know what that is, but I know I can depend on God and call on Him. He will take care of us. I find great comfort in that and I hope you can too in your situation."

I felt better about our family situation after that night. And I decided I needed to remember these verses for the rest of my life. They got marked in my Bible.

READ, REPEAT

Years later in college, I went back to these verses when I was not sure where I would get my first job. The hiring market had completely upended and no one was hiring in my home state of Minnesota. I wanted to panic. It helped a little that the rest of my class was in a similar situation. Still it was very unnerving. I made these verses into homemade bookmarks to remember them. I put them on a 3x5 card and propped them up on my dresser. I remembered them when I prayed.

Another verse in the Old Testament became a significant part of seeking God's Will for my life.

Isaiah 58:11. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

This verse allowed me to trust Him when I found Him leading me to be a missionary in Africa. It was not what I had expected. I really thought I was to go to Japan as a missionary. But He changed my course. I knew as I prayed and sought Him, he would guide. And He would satisfy my needs and give me strength.

Later I was at another standstill in life. I was very torn. I was a missionary and I thought I was supposed to go back to Africa. That was my life calling, right? But I kept getting led in another direction regarding service to God in the United States. This would be a total shift from how I had envisioned what I thought God had for my life. How could I know what to do? What was the right thing to do?

MARK THESE VERSES

When I suggest you mark up your Bible, it helps you find verses again and again during the hard parts of life. His Word for us is eternal. It is always relevant. Often the trials and upheaval of life gets harder each time. We can lean on the former verses, for it helps us build on what we have already experienced. God's Word is active. It is not static. It is not dead. It is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It grows in us and deepens. It reminds me of a diamond that has multi-facets. You bring the verse out in a new situation and find the relevancy and understanding to be a new, deeper hue.

By this time, colored sticky notes were available. Instead of writing these verses on 3x5 cards, they went on colored sticky notes. I put them on my mirror, in front of the kitchen sink, on the door of the fridge and any other spot I frequented. By this time these verses were memorized. I could reflect on them and pray through them at any time during the day.

It fixed my mind on Him and was like nourishment for my soul day and night. He answered my prayer for guidance. It was never immediate. It always took time. I think this is in part, because God loved how much I leaned on Him in moments like these. I look back on these days as a sweet, special time of intimacy with God. And these verses are still very precious to my soul. 

Up Next: Sleepless in Cleveland

Previous Post: MRI Meditations

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Reflect:

1. Have you worried about your parents too? Or worried how to provide for your children? 

2. Where do you turn when you have no idea what to do?

3. Is there a verse in the Bible that gives you comfort? How might you apply this in an unnerving situation? 

1-MRI Meditations: Bible Survival

 

The Big Idea: When anxious about the unknown use Bible verses to keep your sanity.

The doctor says it might be WHAT?

If you ever had an MRI you know how disconcerting all the pulsating noises can be. Last week I needed a brain MRI. They strapped me in and fit headphones over earplugs in an effort to provide enjoyable music for the experience. Imagine the stress knowing you need a brain MRI. You hope they find nothing out of the ordinary!

As they strapped me tightly in with whirring and piercing beeping sounds gearing up, I wondered how I would endure the next hour or so. I recently read about the value of Scripture meditation. It seemed the perfect time to put it to good use. I knew I must stay still and this verse came to mind.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

SCRIPTURE IN OUR MEMORY

One of the first verses or chapters that a Christian often memorizes is Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd.” One of the benefits of scripture memory is the ability to meditate on it. Chew on it, as it were. I began with those first five words, repeating them and putting a different emphasis on each word sequentially, thinking about the difference of the phrase by each particular emphasis.

THE Lord is my shepherd.

The LORD is my shepherd.

The Lord IS my shepherd.

The Lord is MY shepherd.

The Lord is my SHEPHERD.

 

VISUALIZE GOD WITH US

 I reflected on how much I could remember of the whole Psalm. I learned it as a child

in the King James Version of the Bible with its archaic poetic style. That left food for thought, because its style helped me remember it. I mulled over each verse in my mind. I took the archaic KJV asking myself how I would express it in modern English. I dwelt on the idea of God as my shepherd. I was his sheep. Because of my anxious thoughts inside the MIR machine I pictured myself as that little lamb safely in His arms. His soothing presence was very real to me.

After about a half an hour the exam continued but I felt like I was running out of fodder. Then I remembered that I knew this Psalm also in French. Could I remember it all? Were there fresh insights for me in French, and from my time working in West Africa? Indeed there was much more to ponder.

Finally, I thought of a song or two I knew based on this Psalm. I sang it to myself, lifting up an attitude  of prayer to my God.

 

THROUGH THE NIGHT

 

You would think I had saturated everything there is to think about Psalm 23. However, that night as I lay in bed, my mind was vexed with worry.

What would they find? Would I be OK?

I knew I could be up for a sleepless night if I did not reign my thoughts in and turn them toward my Creator who loves me.

There are numerous verses in the Bible about meditation as we lie on our bed. Undoubtedly the Psalmist and other saints of old also had trouble with vexing night accusations.

The Bible is a true and accurate portrayal of real people with real world problems. They teach us how to live.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Joshua 1:8a

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6

Laying in bed with eyes wide open, I reviewed each verse of the Psalm and what I had reflected on earlier. It is always good with Scripture to review, review, review! Remember what God has shown you. Do not forget! This is one of the reasons the Old Testament patriarchs left so many stone alters and monuments in the desert. It was to remember!

USE THAT BIBLE APP

Earlier that week I sat in a waiting area with delays. Though I did not have a hard copy Bible with me, I had Bible apps on my phone. I turned to a verse I have been studying, one I have not committed to memory yet, and used that time to reflect, chew, pray through and just think about who God is and what He means to me in that verse. It is a wonderful way to fix our eyes on Him in an anxious place.

Incidentally, my brain is fine. However, this week God's Word has brought my mind to return to Him and focus on Him and how much I need His Word. It comforted me and guided my thoughts. This is how we can use God's Word for our benefit and our edification. His Word is meant to be useful to us for life and godliness.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3

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Up Next: Finding God's Will
Previous Post: Biden's Bible
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Reflect:

1. Can you think of a stressful or anxious moment recently when you could have taken a moment to reflect on God's Word?

2. Do you have a meaningful Bible verse memorized or that you can easily go to on a phone app when you need to focus on Him?

3. Have you ever considered memorizing some of God's Word, or reviewing what you already have memorized, to put to good use for life's stressors?


Where do you turn when your world caves in? This is the first post in a blog series on how to rely on Scripture in crisis. The crisis may entail health news, a death of someone close, catastrophic world events or some personal angst that no one around you knows. But God knows and wants you to turn to His living Word to uphold you. This series is on how to incorporate the Bible for that very purpose. It's about Surviving by Scripture.