THE SECRET OF FACING THE THREAT OF LOSS

The Apostle Paul wrote something about contentment that had long perplexed me:

• Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (Philippians 4:11-12 ESV)

I know that our God can do all things. He can even give us joy after a hurricane takes away from us everything that we value, everything upon which we had relied for our joy. However, I was perplexed about the “secret.” What was I missing?

Normally, we are convinced that our joy depends upon a variety of factors - a cup of coffee, the right job, house, spouse, enough money, respect, and friends. As we age, we can add a few more factors to our list of necessities - health, memory, and freedom from pain. My tastes have become more simplified. I love to walk, ride my bike, and to minister the Word. However, with my declining health, these too are being threatened and so too my peace-of-mind. (I should warn you that I am a bit of an alarmist. However, most nights I have been waking up terrified that even my few joys might be taken away.)

Well, what was Paul’s secret? I’m going to take a stab at it. Actually, I think it’s very simple. I had been trusting God but not for EVERYTHING. I just couldn’t accept the idea that my health might abandon me and that I might not be able to do the few things I enjoy.

I certainly pray that God will restore my health, but I also must trust that even if I lose what I cherish, the Lord will provide in whatever circumstance I might find myself.

The Israelites hadn’t been trusting God according to His instructions regarding their collecting the manna. They were so fearful that they would not have enough that they collected more than they were supposed to collect and hid it away. However, the maggots always found it, and it created a stink (Exodus 16).

This is what happens when we have an area in our lives that we have not entrusted to our Savior. Our hopes and efforts are eaten by the maggots, and what we had cherished begins to stink. Instead, He wants us to learn that He is enough for any occasion!

I cannot guarantee that the Lord will answer my prayers the way that I want Him to. However, I must trust the Lord as did Daniel’s three friends. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had entrusted them with honored positions, and he expected them to worship his statue as others had been required to do. However, they refused to worship, even after he offered them a second chance:

• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

Honoring God took precedence over their own lives. They were fully invested in Him. I pray that God will deliver me as He had delivered them from their fiery ordeal, but even if He doesn’t, I am resolved to remain faithful, knowing that He will provide for me one way or another, whether here or in heaven. But do I have the wherewithal to endure any loss? Certainly not! However, even when I fall, I can trust Him to pick me up:

• The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalms 34:18-19)

When the trial even exceeds the limits of my ability to trust Him, I will trust Him to supply me with the trust. Jesus warned that

·       “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24)

Do I have the fortitude to resist the deceptions? No! Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:4-5). However, He has promised to be our strength in the time of need. Only this with this reassurance can we endure.

Paul had stated that he had to learn “the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” It had been after a long process of learning to trust in the Lord. Abraham also seems to have learned this lesson of trust. God had asked him to sacrifice what had been most precious to him – his long awaited child-of-the-promise, Isaac. He ventured out willingly. When asked by Isaac, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering,” without any apparent bitterness towards God:

·       Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:8)

The Book of Hebrews further explains that:

·       He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:19)

This kind of trust only came after perhaps 40 years of Abraham following his faithful God. I have been following my Savior for 43 years. Even in the midst of my anxious outbursts, He has also assured me that He will provide.