Tag: difficult

Finding Comfort in God’s Compassion:

Encouragement from the Bible for Those with Chronic Illness

Brent Pollard

I constantly struggle with feeling the sufficiency of the actions that demonstrate my faith (James 2.18). Some days, just getting out of bed feels like an accomplishment. Some of this is due to my physical condition, while others are due to the psychological effects of chronic illness. Chronic illness and depression often go hand in hand. Because I, too, am just one of the clay lumps shaped by the Master’s hand, readers can benefit from their study of these personal issues.

Understanding chronic illness’s profound impact on one’s life is crucial. The daily battle with physical limitations and emotional burdens can leave one feeling isolated and misunderstood. In these moments of struggle, it’s essential to remember that the Bible offers profound comfort and assurance that God is deeply aware of and empathetic toward our pain.

The Bible beautifully portrays God’s compassion for those who are hurting, emphasizing His nearness to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34.18) and His gentle touch in healing their wounds (Psalm 147.3). He is not a cold, heartless god. Instead, He is a compassionate Father who witnesses our suffering and comes close to offer solace and restoration. Knowing that a compassionate Higher Power understands and empathizes with our struggles brings comfort.

God’s strength shines brightest in our moments of vulnerability. In his testimony, Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12.10). Even when dealing with chronic illness, our physical limitations do not diminish our value or the boundless potential that God sees within us. In 2 Corinthians 12.9, He assures us that His grace is more than enough and that we realize His power in moments of vulnerability. Through the divine power given to us, we can echo Paul’s words, which were spoken in the context of Christ seeing us through times of need and plenty: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NASB).

Despite not aligning with the divine’s original plan, chronic illness can catalyze positive transformation in our lives. There is a comforting belief that all events in life unfold with purpose. An often-quoted verse that supports this idea is Romans 8.28. In its original context, this verse speaks to what God has done throughout human events for the benefit of His people, explicitly bringing us Christ and the Church. However, just like the concept of the butterfly effect, the things God does here and there through His providence touch and change our lives in unseen and unexpected ways. Therefore, we find comfort in the steadfast faith that our compassionate Creator carefully arranges every aspect of our lives, even amid our suffering.

In a society that values productivity above all, the existence of chronic illness can lead to feelings of inadequacy and insignificance. However, God’s love for us is not dependent on our productivity or abilities. Jesus extends a heartfelt invitation, saying, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11.28 NASB95). Our true worth lies not in our accomplishments but in the essence of our being as cherished offspring of the divine (Acts 17.28). We tend to look at surface beauty, but the divine gaze penetrates deep into the core of one’s being (1 Samuel 16.7).

Ultimately, we can find comfort by trusting in God’s caring embrace. Peter encourages us to cast our worries and burdens on him since he deeply cares for us (1 Peter 5.7). In moments of weariness, God extends His gentle hand, offering strength to those who seek comfort. He lifts those who trust Him, enabling them to rise above the world’s troubles like majestic eagles in flight (Isaiah 40.29–31). Amid our struggle with chronic illness, we find solace and renewal within the embrace of a merciful and omnipotent God.

In times of trial, the comforting presence of God’s Word reminds us that we are never alone. God understands our struggles and promises to support us with His unwavering love and strength. By embracing the timeless wisdom within it, we can find comfort and stability even in difficult times.

…

Who Is The “Troubler Of Israel”?

Neal Pollard

Ahab was the most wicked king in Israel’s history (1 Kings 16:30). To top it off, he was married to perhaps the most immoral woman revealed to us during the time of the divided kingdom in the Old Testament. Her name, Jezebel, is still somewhat infamous today. She destroyed the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4). The prophets who survived feared for their lives because of Ahab (18:9). Instead, Jezebel kept a stable of false prophets, 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (18:19). Read this section of 1 Kings and the first nine chapters of 2 Kings to get the full flavor of who this notorious couple was.

How ironic that when Elijah appears to Ahab before the prophet’s infamous confrontation with the false prophets on Mount Carmel, Ahab’s first words to him were, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” (18:17). There was controversy, division, problems, and trouble in the land, but Ahab’s narrative was distorted. Ahab was like a reckless drunk driver weaving in and out of traffic and blaming a law-abiding pedestrian for being in his way on the sidewalk. Elijah was not the troubler of Israel for daring to oppose the false ways of Ahab and Jezebel. He was doing exactly what God wanted him to do!

In our present, lawless age, there are so many “prophets” who come along with a message appealing to right ideas like peace, grace, unity, and love. Many of them package themselves in the garments of relevance, using our culture as their props and stage. The causes célèbre which our age reveres, some of which are diametrically opposed to the doctrine, ethics, and morality outlined in Scripture, are pushed at God’s people—who are shamed and made to feel unrighteous if they dare protest what is said. In some circles, it is asserted that anyone teaching that the Bible is authoritative, contains a pattern, and is God’s objective truth for all times, is Pharisaical, consumed with self-righteousness, hateful, mean-spirited, and divisive. In short, that they are “troublers of Israel.”

As a quick side-note, there are some who do press their personal proclivities, traditions, and convictions as divine truth. This is as accursed a thing as seeking to nullify what God has bound in heaven (cf. Mat. 16:19; Rev. 22:18-19). Such folks manufacture trouble rather than trouble people by faithfully sharing God’s Word. These occupy unenviable ground, in view of the end of all things.

Yet, anyone who conscientiously tries to follow God’s blueprint for how to share His truth (Eph. 4:15; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Col. 4:6), who takes care to handle Scripture accurately (2 Tim. 2:15), is going to invariably encounter the Ahabs, Jezebels, Baalites, and Asherahists. Teach the singular, undenominational nature of the church (Eph. 4:4), the role of women in the church (1 Tim. 2:9-12), the essentiality of baptism in God’s saving plan (Acts 2:38), God’s plan for marriage and sexuality (Mat. 19:1-9; Heb. 13:4; Rom. 1:26-27), and the like, and it will come. The Ahabs will label you the troublemaker and the source of the problem.

In what may sound dark and grim, Paul warns Timothy that difficult times will come (2 Tim. 3:1). He speaks of men immoral in nature and inaccurate in message who succeed with the weak and impulsive (3:6), who themselves are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (3:7), who in fact “oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith” (3:8). Ultimately, they will not carry the day (3:9). But they will always have their eager followers who “accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (4:3-4).

Suppress the victim mentality if you are trying to be an Elijah in this Ahab society. On the job, at home, in the community, within the religious community at large, and even at times within the church, “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). Do it with great patience and instruction, as Paul counsels. Don’t be a troubler in God’s eyes, but know that you will be seen as one in the eyes of some in this world. Keeping company with Elijah is not a bad thing.

012-elijah-baal