Pastor's Ponderings, January 4, 2016

Desperate Times Call For Jesus

The expression, “Desperate times calls for desperate measures,” was believed to come from Hippocrates, who wrote: “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable.”  It is sad that many times when we face hopeless situations, we think that we must do something that is equally hopeless in the belief that perhaps we may win.  This is a trick of the evil one to convince us that all hope is lost and we might as well abandon ship since our future may be totally bleak.

In the Bible, Job’s wife said something similar when faced with the loss of her children, her wealth, and her husband’s health.  She said that Job might as well curse God and then die (Job 2:9-10).  Her despairing words might be used in any of today’s catastrophes.  Yet, Job understood even before the scripture was written by King Solomon that death and life are in the power of the tongue and he refused to use his mouth in rebellion against God (Proverbs 18:21).

Desperate times call for us to cry out to the true and living God.  He is able to keep us from falling into any terrible thing and make us without any faults (Jude 24-25).  We don’t look to the challenges of our problems, we focus on the power of our God.

In 2016, let us resolve that our desperate times are an excellent opportunity to praise God, to magnify Him, to let faith work in our lives, and to know that whatever is going on, we are not desperate, we are accepted as the beloved of God (Ephesians 1:6).

Job 2:9-10
New International Version (NIV)

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Proverbs 18:21
New International Version (NIV)

21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Jude 24-25
New International Version (NIV)

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 
25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Ephesians 1:6
King James Version (KJV)

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.