This is the third lesson in a series on fear.  

In the last lesson, we talked about determining if your fear is rational.                                     

How do you know?  When I was a baby, a neighbor girl threw a puppy on me.  It scratched me so badly that I still carry the scar on my toe. So, was it rational for me to be afraid of dogs as a child?  I would say 'yes'.  However, I had to learn to handle that fear. Is it rational to be afraid of snakes?  I would say 'yes', because even if the snake is nonpoisonous, its bite can still make you very sick.  

Some fears are not rational.  I always think of something I witnessed years ago.  Even as a child, I knew it wasn't rational.  We grew up next door to a couple with three children about our ages.  We were close as children and our parents were close.  They often got together to play dominoes. One summer night, all the kids were outside playing while the adults played dominoes.  Behind their dining room table, where the adults sat, was a big picture window.  The mother sat with her back to the window.  The boy in the family told us, "Watch this.  My mom is afraid of frogs."  The boy, who was about 9 or 10, caught a frog, held it up to the window, and yelled "Hey mom, look."  She turned around, screamed, jumped up from the table, knocked her husband out of the way, and ran to the bedroom, screaming all the way.  I could not believe it.  A grown woman was afraid of a frog.  A FROG.  They don't bite or sting.  So how can you be afraid of them? Not only that, but how could the frog hurt her from the other side of a picture window?

That is absolute irrational fear.  Now someone is going to say, "You don't know.  Maybe she was frightened with a frog when she was small."  She probably was, just like I was frightened with a dog.  Even when I was afraid of dogs, I wasn't scared of them if they were on the other side of a wall or window.  And I never knocked my husband down trying to get away from one.  

In Deuteronomy 1, the Israelites were ready and willing to march into the promise land.  Then the spies began to talk about the huge people inhabiting the land. The people probably grew two inches with each story told.  Some scholars say the Israelites were between 5'5" and 5'10", so the dwellers looked even larger than they actually were.  The spies probably started out telling about the 6'2" men.  The next story the men were probably 6'4".  During the night of storytelling, they might have gotten to be 7' or more.  With each story the Israelites were less willing to march into the land. 

So was their fear rational?  Yes, absolutely.  However, their fear was based on exaggerated information.  This is another thing that fear does.  It distorts God's purpose.  Do we think that God didn't know how big the inhabitants were when He promised the land to the Israelites?  Of course He did.  But He had a purpose in sending the Israelites to take the land.  The Israelites allowed the stories to blur God's purpose. 

We do the same thing.  God lays something on our heart and we feel a little fear.  Before long we have talked ourselves out of doing what God told us.  Imagine He says, "Reach out to Josephine.  Make amends with her."  You answer quickly, "Lord, I'm willing to follow You, but she is the one who broke our friendship. She should reach out to me."  "I told you to reach out." "Yes, Lord, but I'm busy today.  I'll do it tomorrow."

During the night, your mind starts.

• What if she doesn't want my friendship?  (Concern)
• What if she tells me to leave?  (Worry)
• What if she slams the door in my face? (More worry)
• What if she meets me at the door with a gun? (Irrational worry)
• What if...

Oh, let's get real.  If she doesn't want your friendship, leave.  If she tells you to leave, leave.  If she slams the door in your face, leave.  What if, what if, what if.  We 'what if' our lives away and miss many opportunities to serve others.  Then we miss the blessings the God has for us, just like the Israelites did.

In this case, ask yourself:

• Is my fear rational?
• Do I believe that God told me to go?
• Do I trust God?
• Would my loving savior lead me into something dangerous?

Fear disregards God's plans and distorts His purposes.  The fear may be real, but God will give you the victory over it.

This is the second lesson about fear.  Please be sure you have read the first lesson before reading this one. Some references will not be clear if you read this one first.

In the first lesson, we talked about fear and where it begins.  Well, we all know it doesn't begin with God.  The Bible tells us 365 times 'do not fear'.  That is one time for each day of the year.  We usually think of these verses as written to comfort us.  I'm sure they are.  But what if there is much more to these verses? Is God commanding us to not fear?  Are we being disobedient when we fear?  Let's be clear that we are talking about irrational, debilitating fear. Let's look at that kind of fear.

So where does fear begin?  In our minds.  Fear has been described as beginning with a small trickle and expanding minute by minute until it is so wide that all of our thoughts fall into the gully.   Like erosion wears away the earth, fear wears away our ability to use logical reasoning and trust in God.  You remember from science class that small creeks grow into streams, streams into lakes, lakes into rivers, and rivers into oceans. That is what we allow fear to do to our minds.  It goes something like this:

• I sure am coughing. (Awareness)
• I hope I'm not getting sick. (Concern)
• It could be a cold. (Rational thinking)
• What if I am getting an infection?(Worry)
• What if I have a virus? (More worry, blood pressure rises)
• What if I have COVID-19?(Extreme worry, blood pressure rises, heart beat races)
• What if I have to go to the hospital? (breathing labored)
• What if I can't get to the hospital?  (dizzy)
• What if I die?  (call for help)
• Medical personnel examines you.  (Diagnosis--Allergies and extreme stress brought on by worrying about your cough)

You mean the same allergies you have every year at this time?  Yes, those allergies.  In a very short time, you took yourself from coughing to having a deadly disease.  Everything, except the coughing, was in your head. Your mind manufactured the 'what ifs' and did more harm to your health than the real medical problem.

Years ago, there was a man in our church that had a heart attack.  He was treated in the hospital and given instructions on how to be safe and healthy.  Yet, every time we had a storm or there was a loud noise in the neighborhood, he thought he was having another attack.  After several trips to the Emergency Room, a doctor told him, "Look, you are causing your pain.  It's not your heart, it's your fear that is hurting you." Wow!  What a great statement.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  My fear is real and telling me that the Bible says not to fear doesn't help.  Now what do I do with my fear?

​I'm glad you asked.  I will answer that--later.  For now, let's look at one thing that fear does.  

Fear disregards God's plan.  In Deuteronomy, God had a plan to give the Israelites the Promise Land.  They knew that.  Yet, they decided to disregard God's plan and stay in the wilderness.  God wanted to bless His people.  Because of they feared rather than trusted God, they didn't receive God's blessing.

We do the same thing. God still wants to bless His people.  We fear we won't get the job we want, so we accept a lower position.  We fear we will spend our life alone, so we accept a marriage proposal from someone who doesn't love God.  We fear our children will be upset with us, so we fail to discipline them.  

When we make a decision based on fear, we are disregarding God's plan. Fear based decisions are not rational, logical, or reasonable.  But worse than that, it is faithless.  It robs you of your faith in God and His blessing for you.

Just yesterday, I had to do something I didn't want to do.  I had to speak to another Christian about some issues that were hindering her growth.  I feared she would turn away from me.  Of course, I decided to forget it and not talk to her.  You don't think God let me get by with that, do you?  No, He let me know that I had to speak to her.  So, I spent some time on the internet with preachers that I trust, learning about how to admonish and edify a fellow Christian.  Then spent time in prayer. When I did speak to her, God gave me loving words to say that built her up instead of hurting her.  I can assure you that what I said is not what I wanted to say.  But, they are the words that God gave me.  I was able to get the point across and show the love of Christ at the same time.  Had I let me fear control my thinking, I would have failed to learn from the pastors, allowed a fellow Christian to flounder, and missed a blessing that God had waiting for me.

What do you do with your fear?  We will talk about that in more detail in later sessions.  However, here are a few questions that will help.  Ask yourself:

• Is my fear rational? 
• What are the odds that this will happen to me?
• Am I failing to trust God?

We will talk more about these and other questions next session.  Thank you for studying with me.  Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email.

 If we look closely at the things that hold us back, it can usually be summed up in one word.  FEAR.  Are there things that we should fear?  Absolutely.  There are forces in this world that we cannot conquer on our own.  But what about the fears that we create for ourselves?  Well, I can't help it if I'm afraid.  Maybe not, but facing our fears does a lot to nullify them.  

I am severely claustrophobic.  At least I used to be.  When my house flooded, my husband's employer bought a travel-trailer for us to live in while our house was being renovated.  It was about 10' wide and 26' long.  If I was cooking, my husband couldn't get to the bathroom.  I would have to step out of the 'kitchen' so he could get to the bathroom door.  I never put food on the table because he could refill his plate from the stove without getting up from the table.  It was not comfortable, but my gratitude for a place to live over-came my claustrophobia. I no longer fear small spaces.  I had created that fear for myself. I do not know if at some point in my young life I was trapped in a small space or where the fear came from.  But at my age, I had been in enough small spaces without an incident that I should have been able to rationalize that the odds of a problem were minimal.

In the first chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses recaps what has happened to the Israelites since leaving Egypt.  He reminded them what God had told them on Mt. Horeb --Enter the hills of the Amorites and the surrounding areas in the desert, the highlands, the lowlands, the arid southern region, and the seacoast—the land of the Canaanites—and the Lebanon range, all the way to the great Euphrates River. Look, I have laid the land before you. Go and possess the land that I promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants after them. Deut. 1:7-8.  Then Moses reminded them how he had split them into groups with leaders to better govern the people.  

They had obeyed God's instructions and traveled to the land which He had promised them.  The people weren't willing to enter the land without knowing what they would encounter.  They requested that spies be sent in and return with a report so the people could better plan their attack.  Seems reasonable.  Moses said to them:  Then all of you approached me, saying, “Let’s send spies ahead of us—they can check out the land for us. Then they can return with word about the route we should use and bring a report about the cities that we’ll be entering.”  Deut. 1:22.  Notice what they said. They wanted to plan their route 'that we'll be entering'.  There was no doubt about entering.  However, when the spies returned with the report of giants in the land, the Israelites began to question the wisdom of taking the land which God had given them.  They had seen God send plagues in Egypt while protecting them.  They had watched God lead them by fire at night and cloud by day.  They had crossed over Jordan on dry land. Then they had watched Pharaoh's army drown in the same river they had just crossed. They had seen how God had provided food for them every day. Now they believed that God had brought them to this new land to die.  

Moses reminded them of the incident. They took some of the land’s fruit and then came back down to us. They reported to us: “The land that the Lord our God is giving to us is wonderful!” But you weren’t willing to go up. You rejected the Lord your God’s instruction.  You complained in your tents, saying things like, “The Lord hates us! That’s why he brought us out of Egypt—to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us!  What are we doing? Our brothers have made our hearts sick by saying, ‘People far stronger and much taller than we live there, and the cities are huge, with walls sky-high! Worse still, we saw the descendants of the Anakites there!’” Deut. 1:26-29. Can you imagine leading your child to something or someone you know will harm them? If God wanted to kill them, why not just leave them in Egypt? The Egyptians were killing them work.  Did they not trust God?  Had God not proven Himself already?  Was their fear rational? 

The next time you experience FEAR, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I believe that God wants to harm me?
• Do I trust God?
• Has He proven Himself to me in the past?
• Is my fear rational?

In the next lesson, we will dive deeper into the study of fear.  Where does it come from?  Why do we give in to it?

 Have you heard of the Coronavirus?  Silly question. Everyone has. According to the media, we are all going to die.  This the end of the world. Mankind will be wiped off the face of the earth.

There are 2628 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in the United States.  There are 50 deaths because of the pandemic.  There are 332,865,306 in the United States. That means that .001% of the population has died due to Coronavirus. For this reason, schools have closed.  Restaurants are losing money.  Stocks are falling. Flights are empty and church services have been canceled. 

This year, 180,000 people have been hospitalized and 10,000 have died because of influenza.   That is 3% of the population.  

Why is this happening?

Do you want the answer?  Here it is in one word.  MEDIA.

Let's look back.
In 2003 SARS was going to end the population.
In 2005 it was the Bird flu.
The swine flu hit us in 2009.
The Zika Virus was in the forefront in 2016.

It hasn't been all diseases.  Remember Y2K?  The computers were not going to roll over to 2000.  The banking system was going to basically implode.  Supermarkets would not be able to sell groceries. Our lives were going to be severely hampered for a few months.

Oh my, how we listen to those 'in the know'.  We fail to look at reality. When reported, all of these things were suppose to happen in the near future.  Did any of them happen?  NO! Yet the next time a scare was reported, the people fell for it again.

This week I watched a video clip from Dave Ramsey.  He said, "The degree of your anxiety is directly related to how much you watch the news. Turn off the news and open your Bible." What wonderful advice.  Someone told me that they watch the local news every night so they know what is going on.  I replied, "It's the same as yesterday, only worse."

Isaiah knew who to believe.  In Isaiah 19:11 he said, "The officials of Tanis are fools; the wisest of Pharaoh's counselors give stupid advice." He knew to sit in the counsel of godly men. Psalm 1:1 says "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, not stands in the paths of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." Psalm 81:13 says, "Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways."
When speaking of God's counsel, Job said, "With Him are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His." Job 12:13

Job's friends gave him advice for seven days.  Job knew it wasn't good advice.  He answered them by saying, "Who is this darkening counsel with words lacking knowledge?" Job 38:2. 

That is a good description of the media today.  They lack knowledge and wisdom.  Several doctors have been interviewed on TV and all have said, there is no reason to panic. I'm with Dave Ramsey.  Turn off the news and pick up your Bible.
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​

Well, it happened. I didn't think it would, but it did. I had been afraid it would and my fear came true. 

For several weeks, I had been suffering with a strained muscle in my hip.  I did something to cause the strain, but don't remember what it was.

I looked on the internet to see what to do about strained muscles.  There was a list of things to help.  The first of which was 'Rest.  Stop doing what caused the strain in the first place'  DUH! There were other suggestions which I did follow.  I experienced minimal relief.  The pain was still hanging on, but it was no longer excruciating. 

Just as I think everything is going to be alright, I caught my shoe in a piece of trim on the floor.  I knew I was going to fall.  Since I was in the entrance hall, there was nothing to grab for support.  Every piece of furniture was too far away.  I hit the floor hard.  The muscle that was already strained pulled even tighter and burned.  My precious dog was all over me with hugs and kisses.  Then when I tried to get up, she tried to help.  After several attempts, I was able to get up.  I went straight to my bed and cried.  More out of frustration than pain. The rest of the day was miserable.  I dreaded getting up the next morning.  I knew the pain would be worse the second day.  Surprise!!

I got out of bed the next morning and my leg didn't hurt.  I didn't have the pain running down my hip and into my thigh. I felt better.  I had been in pain, fell down, got up in worse pain, and woke up in no pain.

Sometimes we fall in our spiritual life also.  God lets us fall so that he can heal our broken spirit. One character in the bible that illustrates this is the Samaritan woman at the well.  The fourth chapter of John tells the story.  

The Fallen
Jesus sat at the well while the disciples went to buy food.  A Samaritan woman came to the well alone.  The reason she was alone was because she was what used to be called 'a fallen woman'.  She had been married five times and was at that time living in adultery.  She wasn't a person with whom the community socialized. She was ostracized by the women and well respected men didn't want to be seen talking to her. So she went to the well when no one else was there.  She had truly fallen. 

Standing
She had tried to 'get up' with each husband, but once a person has fallen it is very difficult to get up again.  Especially when they are reminded that they have fallen. If someone is able to find any success, the world is suspicious of the accomplishment.  It is as if once a person falls, the world expects them to stay down forever.

Healed
When Jesus spoke to her, she was the one who was suspicious.  She was not only a fallen woman, but a Samaritan. She was considered lower than low.  She asked why He was speaking to her.  He told her that she should ask him for a drink.  She asked how He could draw living water.  He told her that everyone who drank from that well would thirst again. Not one time did Jesus answer her questions.  He told her what she need to hear.  

When she ask for the living water, He told her to go get her husband.  She informed him that she had no husband. He revealed her life and life style. 

She went to the well fallen and left healed. She ran to town and told the men about Jesus.  Why didn't she tell the women?? Because the women probably wouldn't have listened to her.  John 4:39 says, Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman's word when she testified, "He told me everything I've ever done."

When we've been healed, we should tell the world. We were in sin, tried to stand on own, were lifted by the cross, and rose healed. We need to tell the world that we are no longer fallen or trying to stand on our own. We are standing by the power of Jesus and healed from our sinful nature. We have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The ability to make choices is a crucial life skill.  People who are unable to choose something, actually are making a choice to not choose.  That probably sounds contradictory, but God placed in us the desire and ability to choose our behavior.  

When I taught the College and Career Class at church, the students often told me what they HAD to do that week.  They always seemed to sum it up with "I had no choice."  Yes, they did. We always have a choice. The only time you don't get to decide the action is at your birth and death.  In between those two, you make every decision for your life.  No, I didn't.  My parents made the decisions for me. Yes, I understand that.  But you had the choice to obey or not. No, if I didn't obey, I received severe punishment. So you chose to obey rather than receive the punishment.

What we fail to calculate is the consequence of our choice.  Every decision has a consequence.  We tend to think of consequence as the negative result of something.  Actually, the word consequence means the result or effect of an action or event. It doesn't matter whether it is positive or negative. If I earn money, the positive consequence is that I can afford the things I want. The negative consequence is that I have to pay the government their share. I can choose not to earn the amount of money so that I don't owe the government.  However, then I would miss a lot of blessings.

God gives us choices.  Sometimes we make them with little thought to the consequences.  Our spiritual walk with him is our choice.  I hope you make a decision today. 

Sunday we will look at the choices David and Rahab made and the consequences that resulted.

I watched her through the glass doors of the office. She had a look of determination on her face.  Not exactly angry, but certainly not happy.  It had been a miserable day since about 9:00 that morning.  It was a stormy day with winds howling and blowing rain.  It was the kind of rain that makes an umbrella useless.   I watched as she literally jerked her jacket off.  I wondered why, until I saw her place it over her child's head.  She had come to the school to take her child home. I don't know who she was, but I know that her first priority was protecting her child. It didn't matter to her that she would get wet.  Her child would be safe.

  She never saw me watching. It wasn't necessary.  I pictured God's protection as I watched the scene. Depending on the Bible translation, there are between 45 and 189 verses  about God's protection. 

Who is our protector?
Psalm 121:5
The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shade right beside you.
Have you ever wanted shade?  It is very hot where I live and when working outdoors we long for a bit of shade.  It is not only comfortable, but reviving.  It allows us to restore our energy and continue with our work. 
Sometimes we get weary in the Lord's work.  When we call upon His name, he will restore our energy and allow us to continue working for His kingdom.

At times there is no shade to comfort us, but our Heavenly Father is always standing by to give us the rest we need.

One of my children had asthma as a young child.  Many were the nights I sat beside his bed and watched him breathe. I didn't fall asleep, out of fear that he would stop breathing. Our Heavenly Father doesn't sleep either.  He watches over us as a parent watching a sick child. 
Psalm 121:3 tells us God won’t let your foot slip. Your protector won’t fall asleep on the job. And again in  Psalm 121:4 No! Israel’s protector never sleeps or rests!

​Many have heard the story of the hen who protected her chicks when there was a fire in the barnyard. After the fire was contained, the farmer went out to dispose of the rubbish.  He picked up the charred, lifeless hen and found all the chicks alive and unharmed.  The mother hen had protected them with her wings, even unto death. That is the way God protects us when we call out to him.Psalm 17:8 Watch me with the very pupil of your eye! Hide me in the protection of your wings.  And then in Deuteronomy 32:11 Like an eagle protecting its nest, hovering over its young, God spread out his wings, took hold of Israel, carried him on his back. The psalmist praised God for His protection.  Psalm 63:7
because you’ve been a help to me and I shout for joy in the protection of your wings.

Can we trust Him?
The psalmist testified.  Psalm 118:14
The Lord was my strength and protection: he was my saving help!

As women we look to our husbands for protection.  Yet Abraham removed that protection from Sarah.  Instead, he asked her to protect him by telling everyone that she was his sister.  There was a very real threat of men being killed so rulers could take the wives.  Rather than trust God, Abraham chose to put the responsibility on Sarah. 

Genesis 20 tells one of the stories of Abraham's deception. Abraham tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. Sarah is taken to Abimelech's palace. Can you imagine what she was thinking?  Did she lie awake thinking that at any minute the king would send for her, forcing her to be intimate with him?  How did Abraham sleep that night?  Did he lie awake worrying about his beautiful wife? 

However, God protected Sarah.  He prevented Abimelech from touching her.  Then God came to him in a dream.  Abimelech was told that Sarah was married and touching her would result in death.  He pleaded for his life.  The next day, he returned Sarah and rebuked Abraham for being deceptive.  What would have happened to Sarah if God hadn't intervened? 
From what does He protect us?
He protects us from our enemies. Psalm 143:9
Deliver me from my enemies, Lord! I seek  protection from you.

God protects us from physical harm. Deuteronomy 32:10 God found Israel in a wild land— in a howling desert wasteland— he protected him, cared for him, watched over him with his very own eye.
 Joshua 24:17
The Lord is our God. He is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. He has done these mighty signs in our sight. He has  protected us the whole way we’ve gone and in all the nations through which we’ve passed.

Further examples and discussion will be heard in class Sunday morning.  

 There is no question how God feels about a humble spirit. He has made it very clear in His word.  There are 14 verses about humility and 70 using the word humble.  On the other hand, He tells us how He feels about a proud or haughty spirit.  There are 51 verses about pride and 56 with the word proud.  

Humility is a noun.  Someone has humility.  Humble is a verb.  God chose to tell us 70 times to 'humble' ourselves.  If you told your child to do something 70 times would it be important?  Would you mean it? Would you expect it to be done?  Of course you would.

The verses where we are told to 'humble' ourselves, are followed with a promise.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.  James 4:10. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt in due time.  I Peter 5:6. 

Be sure to note that it is God who exalts the humble.  When a person feels that he deserves to be exalted, he is in for a shock.  And whosoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11.

So why do we exalt ourselves?  PRIDE.  We rely in our talents, intelligence, and judgement. We begin to think we are self-sufficient and able to run our own lives.  We believe that we deserve to be honored.  It would be difficult to find a better example in the Bible than Haman.  Oh, how Haman loved himself. He must have been a good politician. He was able to talk the king into passing a law that everyone must bow when he walked by.  Let's tell the story in a short version:

• Esther is taken to the king's palace.
• Mordecai learns of a plot to kill the king.
• He tells Esther.
• Esther tells the king.
• Haman gets promoted.
• At Haman's request, King writes law ordering subjects to bow when Haman appears.
• Mordecai refuses to bow.
• Haman decides to have Mordecai and his entire race killed.
• Haman has gallows built to kill the Jews.
  
• Mordecai finds out. 
• He tells Esther.
• Esther goes before the king.
• She invites the king and Haman to a banquet.
• After banquet, the king can't sleep.  
• The king learns of Mordecai's loyalty.
• The king seeks Haman's advice.
• Haman suggests a ridiculous display to honor a loyal subject--thinking it is himself who will be honored.
• The king and Haman attend a second banquet with Esther.
• Esther exposes the plot.
• Haman is hanged at the gallows he had built for Mordecai.

Because of his pride, Haman lost his life. We don't usually lose our lives because of pride, but we do lose.  We lose relationships, friends, jobs, and respect. 

When I think of times in my own life when things didn't go well, I know the way I handled the situation was because of pride. Why didn't I just do this or that?  Pride.  Why didn't I say I was sorry?  Pride. Why did I say such a hurtful thing?  Pride. 

God's word tells us what happens to the person with pride. A proud and haughty man--"Scoffer" is his name; He acts with arrogant pride. Proverbs 21:24. A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18. 

What happens when pride is around?  When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2  By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10.  

 Are you broken?  Have you ever been broken?  If you have, that question doesn't need an explanation. Synonyms for broken include shattered, smashed, damaged, and destroyed. Sometimes when something is broken, it can't be repaired. I have felt that way. I know others that have experienced the same feeling.  Sometimes we feel like nothing can fix our broken spirit.


When broken, you feel like you are of no value and should be discarded.  You begin to wonder if there is a human landfill where you can go to live with other invaluable people. Or maybe, you feel like no one is as worthless as you.  The human landfill might not even accept you. 

Naomi felt that way after her husband and two sons died. She decided to go back to Judah.  As she arrived, the people came out to meet her.  Ruth 1:20 reads, But  Naomi told the people, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad." 

There are many times in our lives when we will feel 'very sad.' There are life-changing events that we all must deal with at some point.  The end of a relationship, empty nest syndrome, death of a loved one, change in job or retiring. These events leave us off balance emotionally.  Some people handle it better than others.  Still, it is difficult to face these occurrences without feeling 'very sad.'  

  In the film, The Overcomer, a man was trying to explain to his daughter why he had left her 15 years ago when she was a baby.  He explained what his life was like at the time and then he said, "But God loved me enough to allow me to be broken.  I needed to be broken."   Job said, "I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark." Job 16:12  

 Illustration: Basic training in the military is eight grueling weeks.  It is said that they spend the first four weeks tearing recruits down and the next four building them the way they want them to be. They want soldiers who are respectful, trustworthy, loyal, and can follow orders.  They want the men and women fit for their service.  Why does God allow us to be broken? Sometimes God loves us enough to allow us to be broken. Then He sets about building us back the way He wants us--fit for His service.

God is able to build and make us what He needs for the Kingdom of God.  He not only builds us, but he heals our broken heart in the process.  
He healeth the  broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.Psalms 147:3. 


Yes, God loves us enough to allow us to be broken when He knows that there is a better life waiting for us. When we are broken, we can then cry out to Him and receive the rich blessings that He has for us.  I said, "Lord, be merciful tome; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You."  Psalm 41:4.

He heals our broken hearts and binds our wounds, sometimes by reminding us of the things that are really important.  He is able and willing to heal us, but we have job to do before He can.  If my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  II Chronicles 7:14.

Concentrate on that verse. It is an if/then statement.  The IF must happen before the THEN can happen.  In this verse he requires four things from His people:

• Humble themselves
• Pray
• Seek God's face
• Turn from wicked ways

That is FOUR things.  Not three or two.  Certainly not one thing.  When we as humans get in a bind, have trouble, or experience major unhappiness, we immediately begin praying.  When nothing in our lives changes, we say, "Well, I prayed, but God didn't do anything."  When my children were growing up and wanted to go somewhere, I sometimes gave them a list of things that had to be done before they could go.  They knew everything on the list must be completed before they could expect their reward. I would go down the list.  Did you do...? I made sure that the list was completed before they were given permission.  God, our Father, is no different.  As a father, He might ask:

•  Did you humble yourself?
• Did you seek my face?
• Did you turn from your wicked ways?

God loves us enough to allow us to broken.  He knows that He is willing and able to repair and heal us--right after we do our job.

We have all heard children yell, "It's not fair."  Usually  when something isn't going their way.  They aren't getting what they want or are being asked to do some unwanted task. 
Most of us have said or thought the same thing when reviewing something in our own lives.

• ​Someone else received the promotion, dashing our hopes and dreams.
• Our children are rebellious or non-compliant, robbing us of the joy of parenthood.
• We were betrayed by a friend, leaving us with feelings of mistrust.
  
• Our spouse made a decision that will change our lives forever.  

God Didn't Promise a Rose Garden

Nowhere in the Bible does God promise us that life will be easy if we follow him.  In Exodus 6:7 God promises  And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Even though they were God's special people, the Israelites suffered through many difficult issues.  Some adversities were due to poor decisions they made, while others dealt with social or territorial matters.

Yet There Were Those Times

Life occasionally brings about completely unwarranted hardship.  Look at Michal, the daughter of King Saul and wife of David.  She fell in love with David as a young girl. Her sister had been promised to David, however Saul changed his mind and gave her to another man.  Saul was not interested in the happiness of either of his daughters or David.  He was simply trying to secure his own throne. 

Saul then promised to give Michal to David. So from the beginning, she is second prize. David enters the marriage with political aspirations in mind, while Michal enters with thoughts of beautiful romantic evenings with the man she loves.

When threatened, David runs from Saul, promising to send for Michal.  Instead he takes another wife. After some years, Michal is given to another man, finally living the life of her dreams. Then David decides he wants her back as his wife--one of several.  Again, a political move.

To sum up Michal's life:

• Her father gave her to David as a second attempt to save his throne.
• Her husband lied to her.
• ​Her husband was unfaithful to her.
• Her father gave her to another man.
• She was forcefully returned to David, whom she then despised.
• She verbalized a protest to David's behavior.
• She was rejected by David and never mentioned in the Bible again.

Deserved Or Not?
Did Michal deserve the way she was treated? Probably not, but God allowed it,  the Bible has documented it, and we can learn from it.  Have you been treated unfairly in life?  Certainly!  Everyone has been dealt a low blow at some point. No one gets out of life unscathed. 

Lately, our country has been plagued by one weather related disaster after another. People have lost their homes, jobs, and communities. No one could stop the onslaught of attacks by nature. The weather cannot be stopped or altered. 

Just recently, a group of people were worshiping on a Sunday morning.  Suddenly a man pulled a gun from his pants and shot two members of the congregation. The gunman was met by gun fire from other members, ending the shooting in six seconds. Although many lives were saved, two very godly men lost their lives before the shooter was stopped.

In 2019, doctors diagnosed 11,060 children with cancer. While many will be cured, some will die. Innocent children stricken with a disease that no one should suffer through.

Each day 90 people die in a vehicle accident. Some of no fault of their own.  

During the first seven months of 2019, there were 137 violent crimes reported.

​None of these incidences were fair.  None of these people deserved what happened to them. God did not promise to keep us from all harm. In fact, John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulations but be of good cheer,; I have overcome the world."  He said that as long as we live in this world, we have trouble. Why?  Because Satan is still at large. I Peter 5:8 says, Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  

Although God didn't promise to give us a smooth ride, he did promise to go with us. Genesis 33:12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let go, and I will go before thee. 
Deut. 31:8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee,; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
 Isiah 45:2 I will go before thee,  and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

When life seems unfair, remember that God has a plan and one day we will understand everything that we walked through on this earth.  Take comfort in the fact that God promised to be with you every step of the way.