Why So Downcast?

 A perusal of world events can leave a soul downcast. It appears another world war could break out at anytime. The government is shut down again because politicians cannot see eye to eye. Ideologies clash leaving society fractured. Prices keep increasing while some are getting left behind and cannot keep up financially no matter how hard they work. Some have declared war on Christians with whole villages getting destroyed.  On top of all this is the mounting spiritual warfare on parents trying to raise God fearing and Bible believing Christians. It is enough to discourage the stoutest of heart. 

What has you downcast today? The death of a parent, spouse, child, or friend. We got news that a beloved neighbor we had in the Runaway Bay community died yesterday. His wife relayed how the last two years of his life he was rarely at home dealing with multiple health issues that kept him in the hospital. The death knoll knocks for each of us on this side of eternity. 

Maybe you deal with wayward children or grandchildren. Their rebellion and defiance break your heart. They reject the Bible truth they were taught when younger and chase after sins that will never satisfy. Tears soak pillow cases at night as fervent prayers are lifted on behalf of the prodigal. Parents grope through days and nights of weeping longing for the joy that has eluded them in the morning. 

There are many who deal with sickness or caring for someone battling disease. Healing may be slow in coming if it comes at all. There are those who experience the steady decline in health no matter the treatments or prayer sessions. It is easy to get downcast and to lose hope. 

To all of these and more I point you to {Psalm 42:11]. The questions is asked why so downcast? You have your reasons and crisis. Hope in God. The word hope there means to expect good. Many lost hope in God because they feel God failed them in a critical time. The healing did not come. The prodigal did not return. The provision never arrived. The fractured relationship never got restored. The soldier on the battlefield did not return alive. It may appear God failed you. 

Where else will you find hope? Sexual immorality? Substance abuse leading to addiction? Walking away from God and His people in bitterness? How is any of that working for you? Is is producing hope? This world is just a shadow of what is to come. It is all temporary. God is eternal and offers eternity with Him for those who repent of sin and turn to Jesus for salvation. There is hope in that. There is the hope of heaven. There is the hope of abundant life promised by Messiah. No matter how life crushes there is hope with God. Sometimes we just have to worship our way through the hard times. Paul and Silas did in [Acts 16:25]. Lift up another hallelujah, another triumphant shout proclaiming better days by faith. 

I've trod the dark nights of weeping and have lived long enough to see the joy that comes in the morning eventually. I have cast mountains of burdens on God. He has sustained me through devastating seasons of crushing defeat. He has pulled me from the pit of despair. He has delivered me from the dungeon of depression. He can do the same for you. He is faithful. Find a reason to worship Him and keep singing at midnight. Trust Him in the darkness and harshness of life. Cling to Him and bring Him your battered, bruised and broken heart. He will give you reason to hope in Him once again. 

Dream Again

 From as far back as I can remember I have always been a dreamer. In my childhood it was to be an NFL player. I even practiced writing my autograph in classes over and over again. I played football with myself when none of my friends wanted to play. The dream changed as I got older. I still wanted to play football, but settled for playing in college. I also began dreaming of becoming a writer. I carried that dream through high school and just before I entered college. 

The dream changed again when God called me to preach. I still remember the day I was on a 4,000 acre ranch with a good friend when I felt like God dropped a big dream in me. One I've carried for over 30 years. A dream I've shared with only a very select group of people. A dream so outlandish that most would never believe me. So I kept it to myself. 

Life hit hard. Ministry was hard. Many times I felt like a horse chasing a carrot dangling in front of him that he chases futilely but never gets to taste. As time passed the dream faded. It was still there, just not as vivid as it once had been. Then I hit middle age and the dream still had not come to fruition. It was painful to even think about it. One day I quit dreaming. It was easier. Less painful and disappointing to give up on the dream and just do my duty. 

A couple of decades ago I stumbled on a book called The Dream Giver. I read the book in literal tears as the dream was rekindled. I marked that book up and down front to back and made notations in the margins. I read it again and reread it a couple of years later. Once again life and ministry hit hard. The dream faded again and just like before I gave up on it. Only this time, I gave up on it for good. Or at least I thought. 

Until this morning. Let me backtrack. Weeks ago Brenda and I were in Mardell Christian Bookstore. I always go to the bargain section first to peruse the titles. You never know when you might discover a treasure at a bargain price. I did on that day and did not even realize it. It was a book written by Jerry Falwell. The title caught up my eye. How to Build Dynamic Faith. It was only $5. I put it on a shelf and forgot about it as I read other titles in subsequent weeks when we got home. Earlier this week I rediscovered it and took it from the shelf to read. Turns out the book is a 31-day devotional. This morning the reading hit me right between the eyes. It was about God planting dreams in our hearts. It was about the slowness but steadiness of those dreams becoming reality. My pulse quickened as I read. Falwell shared a story about a dream God gave Him and how it took 28 years for the dream to be realized. It did come true through lots of prayer and hard work. 

God resurrected my dead dream this morning. I could not fight the excitement. The hope and passion rekindled. The dream burned as bright and vivid as it ever has before. I told Brenda about the dream and a couple we ate lunch with earlier. I know some of you are on the edge of your seat waiting for me to reveal the dream. Not yet. The time will come. 

My counsel to you is if you lost a God given dream, sit before Him today and ask is it over. Maybe it has just been delayed. Maybe it is hope deferred. Don't stop believing. God can make His dreams for us come true. No matter our age or the number of years we wait for it. God is the best dream giver, and He is able to make them come true no matter how outlandish they may seem to others.