Potholes In The Road

Scripture

Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse.

Psalm 25:16-17, NLT

Quote

To make life less difficult, accept the fact that life is difficult.

~M. Scott Peck

I think it is Max Lucado who talks about potholes in the road to glory and by potholes, I mean the everyday problems that can try our faith. I’m not talking about tragedy. David was plagued by a lot of problems that we all face from time to time. We come down with a cold and it turns to flu: just when we think we are better, we get pneumonia. We buy a new vehicle and it breaks down on our first road trip. Our accountant tells us the IRS will be sending us a check but then the IRS informs us that we owe more than we have paid. I’m talking about everyday problems that can get us down. David did not have one problem, he had many. His political rivals were trying to destroy him. His sons were rebelling against him. His friends were betraying him. His pass sins tormented him with regret and no one understood him. David felt overwhelmed by his sin and his problems.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your sin and problems? I do! I’m like David, my sins are too many to recount and I don’t do that well with problems. I am one of the guys Joe David described in his sermon, full of information and pride. I only value my opinion more than others when folks disagree with my opinion. Some days, I am like David, I reach my wits end and feel like throwing up my hands a quitting. What are we to do when we feel overwhelmed by difficulties of life? We do like David, we turn to the LORD. David was not a perfect man but he was a praying man and in Psalm 25 he carries his burdens to the LORD. David was afraid, lonely, depressed, heartbroken and filled with regret but he carried all these problems to the LORD. David trusted the LORD. He believed in the LORD’s goodness and mercy. He believed that God would hear and help. You can not trust someone when you are doubting their integrity but the LORD’s integrity is unquestionable.

God is totally trustworthy, He is batting 1.000 when it comes to keeping promises. He has never lied not has He ever attempted to deceive. We may not be able to trust people, but Jesus can be trusted. He does not intend for us to negotiate life’s problems without His help. He wants us to turn to Him in our distress. So whatever is going on, find a quiet place and tell it all to Jesus. He will guide us. He will help us overcome our fears. He will enable us with His amazing grace. Whatever you do, don’t go it alone. David had above average skills and intellect but he would not make decisions without consulting with the LORD. We need to do the same.

Great LCBS Lesson yesterday. I had the privilege of leading Jeff’s class and we had a good discussion about the sanctity of human life. On the way home from church, I reflected on Roe V. Wade. I was 24 at the time and as I confessed to Jeff’s class, I was ignorant. I didn’t even know what the word abortion meant. We moved to Danville in the summer of 79 and it was some months afterwards that I saw the SILENT SCREAM and it horrified me. I began to work overtime to get informed on the issue and the more I researched, the deeper I got into the Pro-Life movement. Some 20 years or so after getting into the movement, I heard Adrian Rogers say, “A fanatic is a person more committed to a cause than to Christ.” It made me angry but I knew he was talking about me. I repented and renewed my commitment to Christ but I am still avidly Pro-Life but so is Jesus. Harry Andrew Blackmun was a Supreme Count Justice appointed by Richard Nixon. He went on to the bench as a conservative. He was the swing vote and the left courted him for months. They seduced him compliments and false promises. They convinced him that if he would come over to their side, it would make him a hero, an icon in American history. He would be forever famous and the sad thing is: he bought it. They lied and now millions have died. You wouldn’t even know his name had I not brought it up. It is not famous. He will never be famous. Psalm 139 is a remarkable scripture, too bad that five US Supreme Court Justices did not read or heed it. The bible and science don’t always agree but we have to be patient and give science a chance to catch up. The bible was clear on life–it begins at conception. If these so called wise men had only read the book. So there you have it–more information and my opinion to go along with it. Have a great week.

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