Our Problems Are His Problems

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5, NIV





I hear voices sometimes. I hear them when I read the newspaper. I hear them when watching TV or listening to the radio. And I hear them most often when I see the wonderful possessions that some people have that I don’t have. The voices I hear feel like warriors from strange places. It seems like they scream out to the whole world about how poor and weak I am. They suggest I need more money, a newer car, a nicer home, better health, better sex, a better marriage. They tell me about the new book I must read, and about the new technique I need to apply to my life. The voices tell me I am a bad Christian and that I need to get my act together so that I can get my life together.

But, the voices are not the only sounds that I hear. Something Else speaks to me at the same time. This Something Else is deeper and more sane than the frantic voices the world sends my way. It is more like a drumbeat that echoes through the mountains from an ancient and good land. It beats out a message that says I am not alone. Someone is out there, the drumbeat says. Someone is calling to me.

Do you hear voices and feel drumbeats like I do? If so, maybe it’s time to slow down and reflect on your priorities and yours actions to see if they fit together like they should. Honest self-reflection is one of the most productive things we can do. It helps us to see what needs to be changed in our lives. And recognizing how we have gotten off track is the first step to finding our way once again.

As we reflect back, let’s remember that God doesn’t define wealth and poverty the way we do. He measures wealth and poverty by what we have, or don’t have, in our hearts and not in our hands or in our pocketbooks. The world may, or may not, provide riches for our bodies, but it is only God who will make us rich on the inside. For you see, life is not a matter of accumulation or technique. It is not a matter of circumstance. And - think about this for a moment - even if we do ever get our so-called act together successfully, all that we will have in the end will be nothing more than an act.

So, let’s free ourselves from the demanding life of getting and possessing. We do this by admitting how we have been distracted and paralyzed by worldly distractions in the past. Doing this is fundamental to our health and well being going forward. Even more, admitting our inner poverty prepares us to accept God’s wealth. No one can experience God’s transforming power unless they know they need it.

God is the faithful friend to the down and out. The sick, impoverished, desperate, wretched, immoral and despicable characters of our day are more likely to recognize their need and respond to the drumbeat of His love. They want what He has to give them and their lives are transformed when they entrust their needs to Him. On the other hand, self-rich, pious, religious and morally proud people tend to miss or ignore the drumbeat of Christ’s love and continue to follow the demanding voices of self-righteousness. They don’t think they need Him because they are satisfied with their own answers. They think they are in control and they make a continually growing list of rules for themselves and for other people, too.

So, who are you listening to? Is it the voices that demand more of you? Or, is it be the drumbeat of Christ that is inviting you to lay your burdens down? Your difficulties are an opportunity for you now. They will show you your need for God if you let them. Make a decision and take action. Accept your need and embrace Godly change by blending your difficulties together with faith and trust in God. Our difficulties become our guides when we listen for and hear the drumbeat of God’s love echoing through our soul.

In light of what Christ does for us, the sins that have haunted us in the past are not our biggest problem anymore; unless we deny or minimize how sinful we have been. This simple principle is a continuous starting point where can always begin to make the most of our lives. With this in mind, let’s admit what good sinners we are. Let’s admit how we tend to want our way over God’s way. We don’t need to be embarrassed or ashamed anymore.

Be open! Be honest! Be real! Leave nothing out! Your problems become God’s problems when you give them up to Him.

copyright 2009, David Zailer