—for when I am weak, then am I strong.–2 Corinthians 12:10

Soon after receiving Christ as my Savior I surrender to preach and began reading everything I could about preachers. One of the first books I read was the biography of Charles Spurgeon. I couldn’t put it down. His story amazed me, and the older I get the more amazed I am.

Spurgeon has been called “The Prince of Preachers”. He is read by more preachers than any other man. I am amazed by his great abilities and accomplishments. But the thing that amazes me most is that he was able to do all those things in spite of great adversity. Sadly it is that part of his life that many people are not aware of.

Spurgeon suffered from gout, rheumatism and Bright’s disease. He spent about one third of his last 22 years out of the pulpit suffering or convalescing. Then there was the depression which he battled from the time he was 24. He said, “My spirits were sunken so low that I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I know not what I wept for”. He considered this to be his “worst feature” and was ashamed of it. Add to that the fact that his wife was in ill health, the pressure of pastoring the world’s largest church, running an orphanage, and the critics who hounded him continually and you wonder how he was able to do anything. Yet he remained faithful to the end and left behind 63 volumes of sermons–the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity. Yet, I suspect that some churches today would have fired him for missing so much time from the pulpit. Thankfully his folks realized what a treasure they had for a pastor and supported him throughout his ministry.

So when I tell you that I am amazed by Charles Spurgeon you can see why. Maybe you’re thinking, “Wow! There’s no telling what he might have accomplished had he been healthy and not had all these problems”. I suppose you can look at it that way, but I tend to think that he would not have accomplished half of what he did had he been completely free from these problems. Our problem is that we don’t realize that the things working against us are actually working for us. Listen to what Spurgeon told his students–“I dare say the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness—if some men, that I know of could only be favoured with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God’s grace mellow them marvelously”.

It would take many hours to explore this subject in depth, but it is not my purpose to study the life of Spurgeon. My only purpose is to help you see that there is hope, that our burdens can make us better rather than bitter, that God can help you and use you regardless of how severe your trials might be. The worst thing that happens in your life might be the best thing for the Kingdom of God. If you don’t believe it just look at the record preserved for us in history. Spurgeon is just one example. History teaches us that those who have been used the most by God have also suffered the most. They could have never been what they were without it. And there is no better example of that than Paul who said,”when I am weak, then I am strong”.

Like most preachers, regardless of how long you preach, you never say everything that is on your mind or in your heart. We always feel that we’ve left something unsaid. We run out of time or energy, but never out of words. I wish I had time to re-cap Sunday’s sermons every Monday morning, but I don’t; nor do I believe everyone would be truly interested in reading it. However, every once in awhile it’s good for us to give some additional thought to a particular message. Yep, you guessed it–I’ve got one in mind.

Yesterday morning I preached from Isaiah 36:5. The title is taken directly from the verse–“On Whom Dost Thou Trust?”. That question was asked by Judah’s enemy, a foe rather than a friend. But, it is a question that needs to be asked, analyzed, and answered by all, because we are all accountable to God. Since it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6) it behooves us to give this some serious thought. So, who do you trust?

Sadly a lot of people have misplaced faith. They are confident in something other than God, something that will fail them in their hour of need. Some poor deluded souls have faith in faith, as though believing something will make it so. They are positive thinkers, always looking on the bright side and confident that their attitude will determine the outcome. The truth, however, is that nothing short of faith in God will suffice. It is God who accomplishes things, not faith. Faith is merely the means by which God operates. Only by trusting Him to fulfill His word can we expect to have our needs met. No subject is of greater importance than this. Faith in God if foundational to everything else.

Just think about how our life is affected by faith. Faith in God decides our destiny, defeats death, dissolves doubt, determines delight, dismisses dread, disposes deprivation and a thousand and one other things that affect us negatively. It affects every area of our life–body, soul, and spirit. Those who refuse to trust God displease Him, dishonor Him, deprive themselves of His blessings, and destroy their usefulness in the Kingdom of God. So, “on whom dost thou trust?”.

Those who are wise trust in the Triune God! You can trust the Father. He foresaw our needs before the foundation of the world. He promised and provided a means to rescue fallen man from his awful condition. He watches over all His children, provides their needs, corrects them when they are wrong, and prepares for them an everlasting inheritance. You can trust the Son. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He forgives us of all our sin and adorns us in the robe of His righteousness. He is our great Intercessor at the throne of grace and our Advocate when we fail. You can trust the Holy Spirit. He quickened us when we were dead in our sins. He seals us with life eternal. He subdues our stubborn will, enlightens our mind, illuminates the darkness, helps us in our weakness, transforms us into the likeness of Christ, assures us when we are confused, sanctifies us wholly–spirit, soul and body.

You can trust God–the One who created and controls all things, and conquors every foe. You can trust Him Whose power is never diminished, supplies are never exhausted, love never wanes, kindness never lessens, faithfulness never fails, wisdom is always abundant, grace is always sufficent. You can trust Him–do you? Will you? It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.(Psalm 118:8). THINK ABOUT IT!

From the moment we are saved there is a struggle that ensues, for “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit”(Gal. 5:17), and throughout our journey on earth it never stops. Our flesh continously opposes what God would have us do. Our intentions might be good, but our flesh is weak. We can boast that we are ready to follow God, but as soon as He leads us contrary to what we prefer we start resisting. When I surrendered to preach I said I was willing to do so anyplace on earth, at least that was my intent. When my pastor privately told me of his desire to start a church in California I said,”I’ll go with you”, and I thought I meant it. Yet a few years later God called me to leave my family and friends in the Ozarks and move to Tennessee. I don’t have words enough to describe how my flesh resisted that move. I knew I should go, but I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to sound spiritual and say that I was willing to follow God anyplace, but deep within I knew how weak I was. I could think of a dozen “good reasons” why I ought to stay and there was only one reason why I should go–God was leading–leading in a way I didn’t want to go.

I knew then and I know now that it’s not enough to just preach–to be in God’s will I have to preach in the place where He wants me to be,even if my flesh doesn’t approve! It’s one thing for me to admire the great faith of Abraham, who was called to leave his homeland, it’s another thing for me to be willing to do so myself. In the end there can be only one thing that matters–is this where God wants me to be? If it’s not then it’s time to pack your bags. There is only one “right way”, and that’s God’s way. When He speaks we need to start packing.

This is not just about preachers. The same is true for every child of God. Being in the place where God wants you to be is paramount to all else. Just attending any church isn’t good enough–we must be where God wants us to be, even if it means moving; even if it means leaving things and people we love; even if it means facing hardships; even if it means disappointing others. Are you willing to pack? Are you willing to make that move that will get you to the place God wants you to be? I’m ready, are you? There are many pleasant places on earth, places that the flesh would enjoy, but there can be only one place where I ought to be. I need to get there even if I have to climb the highest mountain, swim the widest sea, or face the resistance of the flesh. Being “there”(1 Kings 17:4-9) is all that matters!

James Smith (1802-62) wrote something pertaining to our text that has helped me, perhaps it will do the same for you:

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.–Proverbs 16:9

Out of the depth of his vast experience Solomon reminds us that man may make plans, but God has the final say. Man devises–God directs; man proposes–God disposes.

From the time I trusted Christ as my Savior I’ve been learning to expect the unexpected. Notice, I didn’t say,”I’ve learned”; I said, “I’ve been learning”. I am still in the process! Perhaps you also have noticed that God has a way of surprising us. One minute we’re sailing along on smooth seas then God suddenly changes things –sometimes in an unpleasant or painful way. When I became a Christian I expected, even desired, some changes, but I never expected what lay ahead. I had no idea that things would change so drastically, so quickly, and so often. I sure never dreamed of the journey that was to come. It’s a good thing that God doesn’t allow us to know the future. Most of us are not strong enough to deal with the shock of knowing what lies down the road.

Now, after all these years and many experiences, I’ve noticed a pattern forming–changes just keep coming; sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Some of the changes are caused by God and sometimes they are simply allowed by God. Whatever the cause or the result, I’ve noticed that when we assume that things won’t change they do. We work overtime to get things just the way we like them and then, about the time we become comfortable, God stirs up the nest and we find ourself up in the air on the wind currents of uncertainity.Expect it!

We can expect the unexpected because there are good forces and bad forces at work. Consequently both good and bad things happen, and we often mistake the one for the other. Eventually we learn that things are not always as they appear. The light at the end of the tunnel might be a train!

About the time I think I’ve learned to expect the unexpected God shows me I haven’t. Like most people, I’m sometimes guilty of assuming that things will remain as they are,whether pleasant or painful, when in reality they won’t. That being the case I need to make sure that I respond appropriately to the situation at hand. I must not assume that I will have forever, or even a day, to do what I should do. Nor should I mope about in a state of depression as though I will never smile again. I will! It’s always just a matter of time until things change–but sometimes it happens very unexpectedly.It’s then that we must be very careful.If we are wise we will try to ascertain the reason for the change and be the better for it, rather than bitter about it.

Some changes come to discipline us–those are the ones that are really painful. Other changes come to develop us. God wants us to grow spiritually–to accomplish that He often sends the unexpected and puts us in a situation where we must walk by faith. Then, on other occasions God sends the unexpected to direct us–putting us in a position where our talents can best be used for His purpose. We often don’t understand why it happened until years later when we are better able to see how His hand of Providence has been working.

Learning to expect the unexpected can be frustrating and/or fearful. Change often makes us feel uncomfortable. It can keep you tied in knots and keep you from enjoying what you have. However, on the other hand, expecting the unexpected can be a blessing. Remember the old saying,”This too shall pass”?–that’s true. Just because it appears that the sun will never shine again doesn’t mean it won’t. You might suspect that your health will never improve, but you could be wrong. Expecting the unexpected, or expecting God to do the unusal or the unthinkable, or the impossible adds excitment to one’s life. We all need a wake-up call now and then, and God knows exactly what it takes to get our attention!

The bottomline is this–things are going to change. You can bank on that. You can resent it or resist it, but you can’t stop it. Change is coming. As much as you might want things to remain the same, you have to accept the fact that they might change–maybe sooner than you think or desire. Let’s just make sure that we don’t make changes that shouldn’t have been made. There are many things that we can’t control, but in many instances God puts the reins in our hands and gives us a choice in the direction we take. It’s then that we that we must be very careful. Get ready–change is coming! Expect it.

Have you ever gone to church feeling as though you would rather be almost anyplace else and then leave the service feeling great? I sure have, many times. So, how is church supposed to feel? If you said it ought to feel like being with family you wouldn’t be far from the truth.

I realize that we can’t always base things on feelings. Placing feelings over facts has got a lot of people in trouble. However, that being said, feelings are important. I’ve been in some churches where it felt like I was in a morgue. Everyone was stiff as a board and cold as an icicle. You couldn’t get a holy grunt out of anyone, even if you broke your neck trying. Nobody said,”Amen”, “Praise the Lord”, “Hallelujah”, or even “hello” or “goodbye”. That amazes me! How can the saints be silent? How can God’s children treat their fellow family members like strangers–or even worse, like enemies?

I’ve often said that a church might have an excuse for not being rich or having a lot of talent or a large crowd, but there is never an excuse for being unfriendly! If God accepted you for Christ’ sake how can you ignore others? Isn’t that a form of abuse? Suppose a mother treated her child the way you treat others–it would eventually starve and die. Again I say, there is no excuse for being unfriendly. Your heart isn’t right with God.

Well, that’s enough of the negative. Now, let’s take a peek at the positive side. Isn’t it wonderful to be in a church where the atmosphere is warm and inviting –where you feel welcome and accepted? Wow–there is no place on earth quiet like being in a friendly church. I’m talking about the kind of church where folks greet one another with a firm hand-shake, a warm embrace, or even a “holy kiss”. I’m talking about a church where people enquire about your welfare, ask about your family, and offer help when they see a need, the kind of church where people “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”(Romans 12:15). When people find a church like that they don’t want to leave.

I suppose we would all say, “that’s the way a church ought to be” or “that’s the kind of church I’m looking for”, but what are we doing to make the church that way? I’ve noticed that most of the time those who complain the most about the short-comings of the church do the least to make it what it ought to be. That’s another form of hypocrisy, and why do we keep excusing ourself when we are as guilty as sin? What gives us the right to expect from others what we don’t demand for ourself?

If you want the church to be friendly you need to do something other than complain–“a man that hath friends must shew himself friendly–“(Prov. 18:24). If you sneak in the building and hide in a corner sucking your thumb, feeling sorry for yourself, never making eye contact with anyone, don’t be surprised that the church feels unfriendly.

People need people and that is one reason why Christ established the church. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of a church family where you feel loved, accepted and needed. Every Christian needs that and there in no excuse for a church not being that way. You can find what you need in this regards and you can be a blessing to others–your life can make a difference. Ask God to direct you to the church of His choice, get involved, and be a blessing. You will be blessed– no doubt about it. Think about it!