Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO200021S
|
00:26 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:27 And welcome to the Worship Hour. 00:30 Let me ask you a question. 00:32 Do you find yourself in God's waiting room? 00:36 Maybe you're in emotional pain or physical pain, 00:40 have anxiety ridden thoughts, 00:43 or just going through mental anguish right now. 00:47 Today, we're going to do 00:49 something a little bit different. 00:50 I want to share with you my testimony of eight months 00:54 that I spent suffering, 00:57 but in God's waiting room, and let me tell you, 01:00 time is never wasted in God's waiting room. 01:04 He will teach you much. 01:07 And today's lesson is called 01:11 "Lessons Learned in God's Waiting Room." 01:14 Let's pray. 01:16 Heavenly Father, 01:17 we come before You in the name of Jesus. 01:20 And, Lord, thank You for everyone 01:22 who is hearing my voice. 01:24 Now I pray they will. 01:26 Stay tuned, join in. 01:29 And, Lord, learn the lessons 01:33 that You have taught me in Your waiting room. 01:36 I ask in the name of Jesus, 01:37 You'll send the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. 01:42 Get me out of the way, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:46 I want to lay a foundation 01:49 before we get into 01:51 some of the more personal things, 01:53 but this would be lesson number one. 01:56 It is not a lack of faith 01:58 to admit crushing burdens 02:02 are beyond your ability to bear. 02:04 Let me repeat that. 02:05 It is not a lack of faith, 02:08 to admit that crushing burdens 02:11 are beyond your ability to bear. 02:15 In the middle of COVID-19, in March, 02:21 I had two unrelated friends who called me. 02:24 Both had just lost a loved one to cancer. 02:28 One, it was a mother, the other it was a daughter. 02:32 And as they were sharing their grief with me, 02:34 all of a sudden, 02:35 they both ended with this statement. 02:37 "Well, God won't put on us more than we can bear." 02:43 Have you ever heard someone say that? 02:45 Someone who, whose spirit is crushed 02:48 and they're going through the worst time of their life, 02:51 but to keep a stiff upper lip, 02:53 they bravely put forward this idea, 02:56 God won't put on us more than we can bear. 02:59 Let me tell you something, that is not biblical. 03:03 It is not a biblical truth 03:05 and I want to prove that to you. 03:07 Listen to the Apostle Paul's own admission of his despair. 03:13 2 Corinthians 1:8. 03:17 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul writes, 03:20 "We were burdened beyond measure, 03:25 above strength, 03:26 so that we even despaired of life." 03:31 So it's an error to say that 03:35 God won't allow more on us than we can bear. 03:39 And in fact, in my mind, 03:41 it makes God out to be a monster to think that 03:44 He would allow these things 03:46 because He thought we could bear them. 03:49 Where did that idea originate? 03:53 It is a twisted application of 1 Corinthians 10:13. 03:59 1 Corinthians 10:13 says this, 04:03 "No temptation has overtaken you except 04:07 such as is common to man, 04:09 but God is faithful, who will not allow you 04:12 to be tempted beyond 04:15 what you are able, 04:17 but with the temptation 04:18 will also make the way of escape, 04:20 that you may be able to bear it." 04:23 You see, Paul was encouraging the Corinthians. 04:27 He was encouraging us, 04:29 that God will always empower us to resist temptation. 04:34 He will always give us an escape route 04:37 from temptation. 04:39 All we have to do is pray and ask for His help 04:42 and we can count on it 04:43 because Matthew 1:21 says that 04:45 Jesus came to save us from our sins, 04:51 but it is wrong to say that God doesn't allow us 04:54 to be overwhelmed with earthly burdens 04:57 or that it's a lack of faith to admit it. 05:01 Let's return to 2 Corinthians 1:8. 05:05 2 Corinthians 1:8. 05:08 And we'll also look at verse 9. 05:10 He says, again, 05:12 "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, 05:15 of our trouble which came to us in Asia, 05:18 that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, 05:22 so that we despaired even of life. 05:24 Yes, we had the sentence 05:27 of death in ourselves, that," 05:31 and anytime you see that, 05:32 it's a purpose statement that so that, 05:35 we had the sentence of life in ourselves for this purpose, 05:39 "that we should not trust in ourselves 05:43 but in God who raises the dead." 05:48 Burden beyond measure, this is Paul's admission. 05:53 He was saying that he had more 05:56 than he could humanly bear. 05:58 Why would God allow more than Paul could bear? 06:03 Why would He not save him 06:07 when Paul had no physical or intellectual 06:10 or emotional resources to bear? 06:12 Why would God not spare him that trouble? 06:17 Well, he says right here. 06:19 God allows it to happen for this purpose 06:22 that we should not trust in ourselves 06:26 but in God who raises the dead. 06:29 Paul was God's great ambassador for grace. 06:33 And he needed to learn that 06:36 God's grace is sufficient that 06:39 he had to trust in God's power to save him. 06:43 And, you know, that's the same lesson 06:45 we need to learn today. 06:46 When we are crushed in our spirit, 06:50 when our burdens become unbearable, 06:53 it's not a lack of faith to admit it, 06:55 Paul did, but we go to God in prayer. 06:59 Cast your burdens on Him, if you will... 07:03 Remember that He loves you with an everlasting love. 07:08 And He says to us in the Bible, "Seek me with all of your heart 07:12 because I have a plan for your life, 07:14 a plan to prosper you." 07:16 He will carry you, He says, in His everlasting arms. 07:21 Yes, God loves us beyond measure. 07:26 His grace is beyond measure. 07:29 And I ask today, 07:32 if you're feeling crushed in spirit, 07:35 allow God to lift you up, 07:37 allow Him to fill your heart to overflowing with hope. 07:43 And that brings us to our second lesson, Hope. 07:47 In the Greek, hope means eager expectation. 07:52 So you can say that hope implies patient waiting, 07:59 that's lesson number two. 08:00 Let's look at Psalm 27:13-14. 08:07 And David writes, "I would have lost heart, 08:09 unless I had believed that I would see the goodness 08:13 of the Lord in the land of living." 08:16 In other words, while I was still alive. 08:18 "Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage, 08:22 and He shall strengthen your heart, 08:25 Wait, I say, on the Lord!" 08:28 Waiting on the Lord is eager expectation 08:31 of what He's going to do in your life, 08:35 but who likes waiting? 08:37 You know, I'm a fast person. 08:39 I walk fast. I eat fast. 08:41 I learn fast. 08:42 I work twice as fast as most people. 08:44 My husband calls me his racehorse. 08:47 And, boy, I'll tell you, we're on an elevator, 08:49 the door's open and I'm out the gate 08:53 even if it's the wrong floor. 08:55 I am not fond of slowing down to wait, are you? 09:01 Time is generally thought 09:06 of in terms of linear advancement, 09:11 but I have found myself 09:13 for eight months in God's waiting room. 09:16 I expected after my eye 09:18 was recovering from two surgeries, 09:20 by the way, two major back-to-back surgeries 09:23 three months apart. 09:24 And what I found was, my expectation was that 09:29 after the first surgery, 09:30 I would return to work within six weeks, 09:33 but I found myself in this time warp. 09:37 It was an inescapable cycle of circling 09:41 just going round and round, waiting for a landing place. 09:45 It was almost 09:46 as if I was waiting for life to reboot. 09:50 The problem with waiting 09:52 is that waiting can cause anxiety ridden thoughts. 09:56 And anxiety ridden thoughts can breed impatience. 10:02 And you know what happens when we become impatient. 10:06 It can cause self-defeating actions. 10:09 Just look at Abraham and Sarah. 10:11 And what I found in my own recovery is that 10:15 I was guilty of trying to rush my recovery 10:18 and all my zealous efforts backfired 10:21 and just slowed everything down. 10:24 Facing my physical limitations to me was, 10:27 at first, extremely devastating, 10:31 but God brought me to a place 10:33 that can only be described 10:35 as settled acceptance, settled acceptance. 10:41 It was when I finally realized this is beyond my control, 10:44 there's nothing that I can do, 10:46 but God still has a plan for my life. 10:49 And I realized that if I would just give it to Him, 10:55 surrender to Him, 10:57 He would take the anxiety out of my heart 10:59 and I would accept His timetable. 11:03 I told my husband, think about an oyster shell. 11:09 When you have an oyster shell and it gets an irritant in it, 11:13 what happens? 11:14 Over time it produces a pearl. 11:17 Well, I was learning to 11:21 have the patience of an oyster, 11:23 and God was producing a new treasure inside of me. 11:28 What I also learned is that 11:30 I focused on God's hidden blessings. 11:35 What I mean by that 11:37 is I didn't focus on my lack 11:39 or my inability, 11:41 but rather I began to focus on 11:44 what goodness God had 11:45 still given to me and what I could do. 11:48 And I found that prayers of thanksgiving 11:52 helped to strengthen my heart, 11:55 banish discouragement, 11:58 and restore some joy. 11:59 Now I don't want to make light of anyone 12:02 that suffering depression 12:04 because thanksgiving is not a panacea 12:10 for depression, but it helps. 12:13 And by the way, it is not a sin to be depressed. 12:16 Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. 12:20 Are you in God's waiting room? 12:24 Don't lose heart, keep hope in your heart, 12:28 and remember, hope implies patient waiting, 12:31 eager anticipation of what God will do. 12:35 He will strengthen your heart. 12:37 He will save you. 12:39 And He will increase your courage 12:41 as you're going through this. 12:42 And, you know, 12:44 one of the beautiful blessings of the time 12:46 in the waiting room is as time passes, 12:50 the painfully sharp edges of our memory 12:54 begin to get worn down and it brings relief. 12:59 Lesson number three, 13:02 rebellion rips our lives to shreds. 13:06 Rebellion rips our lives to shreds. 13:11 Let's look at Hosea 11:4. 13:14 Hosea 11:4 God says, 13:18 "I drew them with gentle cords, 13:22 with bands of love, 13:24 and I was to them as those who take the yoke 13:28 from their neck. 13:30 I stooped and I fed them." 13:33 Isn't this an endearing picture of our loving God? 13:37 He draws us with gentle cords 13:40 to guide us to His path of life. 13:42 With bands of love, He keeps us close to Him, 13:47 and He removes Satan's yoke of sin, 13:50 and then He gets down 13:52 on such an intimate level to stoop 13:55 and feed our souls. 13:57 I find that amazing. 14:00 You know, in December of 2019, 14:04 I had extensive spinal surgery, 14:07 and then this was spinal surgery, 14:10 when I say extensive 14:11 there were four lumbar discs L2 through L5 14:15 and one lumbosacral joint L5 and S1. 14:20 And what happened is they gave me a spinal tap, 14:24 and they gave me a level of anesthesia 14:27 to keep me paralyzed 14:28 during the surgery 14:30 because it was critical that 14:32 I didn't move while the surgeon 14:34 was wielding his knife to release my nerves. 14:38 After the infusion pump, pump me 14:41 filled with this anesthetic. 14:43 The surgical team strapped me to a table very tightly, 14:49 and my arms were strapped 14:52 completely above my head. 14:56 Well, what happened? 14:58 Five hours got swallowed 15:00 in the black hole of erased consciousness. 15:04 And, you know, I knew when I awoke 15:08 I was gonna be in pain 15:09 because I had my first spinal fusions 15:11 when I was only 19. 15:12 I knew there would be severe pain, 15:14 but what surprised me besides my back is that 15:18 I had this constant firing 15:20 of lightning like pain in my shoulder. 15:23 It caught me off guard, 15:25 it caught the medical team off guard, 15:27 and I had to do some serious 15:28 whining for six days 15:30 before they ordered an MRI. 15:32 And the results of the MRI showed that 15:36 I had a totally torn rotator cuff 15:40 and a shredded bicep. 15:42 How did that happen? 15:44 Even though I was seemingly unconscious 15:49 during my surgery, my mind was very aware 15:54 of the discomfort of being bound 15:57 in a certain position and subconsciously, 16:00 I couldn't recognize that 16:03 what was going on is that 16:06 I was banded to this table for my own protection. 16:11 So what did I do? 16:12 My body resisted. 16:14 I strained against the restraints, 16:17 and I strained so hard that it tore the shoulder, 16:22 the rotator cuff, it tore the bicep, 16:25 I had to have a shoulder replacement for this, 16:27 it was irreparable, 16:29 but there is a similar scenario 16:34 that exists in the spiritual realm. 16:38 Please listen to what I'm about to say. 16:42 Rules without relationship 16:46 result in rebellion. 16:49 Rules without relationship result in rebellion. 16:54 Humans tend to rebel against anything, 16:58 any rule that they perceive as restricting their freedom 17:02 if they think it's just an arbitrary rule. 17:05 When you think about this, 17:07 how many religious rules are resented 17:10 because they are not... 17:12 It isn't recognized the foundation of love 17:15 upon which they are built. 17:18 How many overprotective, well meaning, 17:23 but over restrictive parents have mourned 17:27 as they watch their children walk away from church 17:30 and into the black hole of erased consciousness? 17:34 I wanna tell you something. 17:36 You cannot beat somebody over the head 17:39 with the fiddle to convince them 17:41 how beautiful the music is. 17:43 We can't do that with God's Word either. 17:46 If we don't have, if we don't recognize 17:51 and are conscious of God's love for us, 17:56 if we have an incomplete 17:58 or incorrect understanding of God's character, 18:01 it causes us to perceive His commandments as restricted. 18:06 And all too often we will restrain 18:10 or strain against His guidance, 18:14 and then our rebellion rips our lives to shreds. 18:19 God does have clearly defined boundaries 18:23 for His path of life, 18:25 and His Ten Commandments serve as guardrails 18:28 to keep us on that path, 18:31 that we can experience abundant life 18:34 that we can be saved 18:39 and avoid the enemy of our souls 18:43 that we can avoid sin, but let me tell you something. 18:48 God created us as creatures of free will. 18:51 We can either accept His love, or we can reject Him. 18:56 God does not intend, 18:57 He never intended His bands of love 19:02 to restrain us against our will. 19:07 That wouldn't be love. 19:09 So what I encourage all of us 19:12 is to understand how much God loves you. 19:15 And to realize obedience isn't legalism. 19:20 Obedience is love. 19:22 It's an expression of love and loyalty for God. 19:26 Obedience is His pathway to blessing. 19:29 Obedience is our highest expression of worship. 19:35 Lesson number four. 19:38 This one really caught me off guard. 19:42 Refusing help from others robs them 19:46 of an opportunity to grow in Christ. 19:51 Let's look at 2 Peter 3:18. 19:54 2 Peter 3:18 Peter writes, 19:58 "Grow in the grace and knowledge 20:00 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 20:02 To Him be the glory both now and forever. 20:08 Amen." You know what? 20:12 I learned at a very early age to be fiercely independent, 20:16 it was a matter of necessity. 20:19 And people often praised me for this trait that, 20:23 you know, "Oh, Shelley, 20:25 you're so good at handling things." 20:28 But what I didn't recognize is that 20:30 it was in direct competition 20:33 with God's plan of salvation by grace. 20:36 In fact, it took an epiphany, 20:39 a Holy Spirit light-bulb moment 20:43 for me to understand 20:46 that this was not God's plan. 20:52 It is something that, here's how I'll put it. 20:56 Self-reliance is nothing more than pride. 21:00 God took me in 2002. 21:03 He took me on a journey through Scripture 21:05 as I tried to understand His plan of grace. 21:10 Let me tell you what the bottom line is. 21:12 The bottom line of salvation by grace 21:15 is total dependence from God. 21:18 That's it. 21:20 Grace eliminates all rights to self-glorification. 21:26 It's about being totally dependent upon Him. 21:29 You know, He taught me that 21:31 His three greatest gifts of grace 21:34 are Jesus Christ, 21:35 the Holy Spirit, and the Word. 21:38 Now you think about those three great gifts, 21:40 and you understand the effects of grace. 21:43 Here's the definition God gave me. 21:46 Divine grace is the unearned, undeserved gifts bestowed 21:53 by a God of infinite love, which provide these gifts, 21:58 provide His divine assistance 22:02 and supernatural power unto salvation. 22:05 Well, if you've watched 3ABN much, you know, 22:08 I wrote a book called The Grace Pipeline. 22:10 I even had a program about this. 22:12 Hey, I thought I understood God's grace. 22:14 I spent a lot of time studying it, 22:17 but while I was in God's waiting room, 22:19 He gave me a lesson, I will never forget. 22:22 I was lying in my hospital bed after the five-hour surgery. 22:26 And Nurse Brooke walked into my room. 22:29 And she said, "Shelley, 22:30 is there anything I can do to help you?" 22:34 She came to my bedside. 22:36 And even though I was in excruciating pain, 22:39 in my usual manner, I tried to help her. 22:42 It's hard for me to accept help from someone else. 22:45 I feel guilty. 22:46 And she looked at me and she said, 22:50 "Why do you do this? 22:51 Why do you always try to help us? 22:54 Please don't rob me of the joy of serving you. 22:58 That's why I'm here." 23:01 But the most amazing thing is when she said that 23:06 the Holy Spirit impress 23:09 something upon my mind, I will never forget. 23:12 What He said to me is you are doing 23:15 more than robbing her of her joy. 23:19 You are robbing her of the opportunity 23:22 to express God's love. 23:25 Therefore, you are robbing her of the opportunity 23:30 to become a little more like Christ. 23:32 What? 23:34 Have you ever thought about that, 23:35 that refusing someone's help you 23:38 are actually robbing them 23:41 of an opportunity to become like God? 23:44 It's amazing. 23:46 That day, I realized 23:48 I was guilty of interrupting God's plan in developing 23:53 self-sacrificing love in others. 23:57 I was speechless actually, 24:00 but what I've come to understand is this. 24:03 I knew vertical grace. 24:07 I understood the grace that came from God to man, 24:12 but I didn't understand horizontal grace, 24:15 the grace that comes from God through others to us. 24:21 And God's grace, the fabric of grace is woven 24:27 with both vertical gifts straight from His hand 24:30 and horizontal gifts coming from others. 24:34 Are you allowing Him 24:36 to weave that blanket of love 24:40 in your life? 24:43 Lesson number five. 24:45 This one was amazing. 24:49 It's time to get real. 24:51 It is time to rip off the mask 24:57 of verbal camouflage. 25:01 Let's look at Psalm 34:13. 25:04 Psalm 34:13 says this, 25:08 "Keep your tongue from evil, 25:11 and your lips from speaking deceit." 25:16 When I was in the hospital for a week out five days 25:21 and had to go back in a second time 25:24 because I woke up and couldn't walk, 25:25 couldn't move my legs at all. 25:28 So the therapist who had worked with me before the first week, 25:31 I was in the hospital came to see me 25:34 the second day after I had been readmitted. 25:38 He tried to get me up out of my bed, 25:41 and I strained to even move my leg an inch or two. 25:45 I had had some complications with nerve damage in my groins. 25:50 So I slumped back down to my bed. 25:54 And just as I did a charge nurse popped her head 25:57 into my room and she said, 26:00 "Just checking on how you're doing." 26:02 And I said, "Great! 26:03 How was your son's game last night?" 26:06 Well, after we had a brief exchange, 26:09 I turned back to the therapist. 26:12 And he was sitting there on the ledge, 26:14 a window ledge, just shaking his head. 26:17 And he said, "Shelley, you are your own worst enemy." 26:21 And I said, "What do you mean?" 26:23 And he said, "I know you well enough now to know that 26:26 when your pain is really intense." 26:28 He said, "You just breathe 26:30 in short gasps like a woman in labor." 26:32 And he said, "Perspiration beads 26:35 will pop-out on your forehead." 26:37 And he said, "Yet, when you're like this, 26:40 you still try to gloss it over with a cheery word." 26:44 And he said, "Let me tell you something, Sis." 26:47 He said, "Medical personnel 26:49 are not trained to read between the lines. 26:54 We're trying to go by people's facial expressions." 26:58 Well, he was right. 27:01 I was in excruciating pain. 27:04 And I'm just a grin and bear it kind of gal. 27:08 I don't wanna be perceived as a whiner. 27:11 I want to have people 27:16 to see me as a happy Christian. 27:18 So sometimes I'm asked the truth 27:20 with a smile. 27:22 And I use verbal camouflage to hide my brokenness. 27:26 Have you ever used this technique of deflection? 27:31 Let me ask you. 27:32 Have you ever arrived at church? 27:35 And your heart is broken, you get out of the car walk in, 27:39 and someone says, "How are you?" 27:41 And you say, "Oh, I'm great. 27:42 Happy Sabbath." 27:44 And then, at the end of the sermon, 27:47 you walk out just as devastated 27:51 as when you walked in, and nobody knew. 27:54 Nobody had the opportunity to pray for you 27:58 or perhaps maybe somebody 28:03 has cut you off 28:06 with a bad remark making a joke at your expense 28:10 and you laughed it off, 28:12 but you never confronted the abuser in private, 28:16 or maybe one of your loved ones. 28:19 A husband, a wife, a child has said, 28:24 "Is everything okay?" 28:25 And you, in your frustration, just say, "Yes, I'm fine." 28:30 Let me tell you something. 28:32 People are not mind readers. 28:35 Our words define us. 28:39 If we hide ourselves 28:43 behind a mask, 28:46 this verbal camouflage, we become invisible. 28:51 Our feelings are invisible, 28:53 but if we express ourselves openly and honestly, 28:56 then suddenly people know we are visible, 29:00 and then things can actually change. 29:06 Sadly, some people 29:07 put a wall up around their pain. 29:10 And when they do, nobody knows 29:13 what's going on behind the wall, 29:15 but these poor people think nobody really cares. 29:19 Verbal camouflage is deceitful. 29:24 Now I get it. 29:25 We don't want to just wear our feelings on our sleeves. 29:29 We don't want to when somebody 29:32 makes the casual comment, how are you today? 29:35 Oh, we don't wanna spill the beans. 29:38 And I'm not asking you to, 29:40 but what I am asking you to do is not to be deceitful. 29:44 If you're not doing well 29:45 and somebody says, "How are you?" 29:47 Just say, "I'll get better. 29:50 Or, well, I'm blessed no matter what. 29:53 Or I am looking forward 29:56 to something that God is going to do." 29:58 Now if somebody is unknown to you, 30:04 if there a stranger on a bus, that's enough. 30:09 You say, "I'm trusting the Lord." 30:10 Maybe that's enough. 30:12 Or if it's someone at church, 30:14 who's just too busy to stop and end for discovery, 30:19 they met, they'll go on. 30:20 You don't have to go into all the details, 30:23 but when you answer in an honest way, if you say, 30:28 "I'll get better." 30:29 And someone looks at you and says, "Tell me about it." 30:32 Then you'll know that God 30:34 just gave you a define appointment. 30:36 God has given someone to you, 30:40 to help you beyond 30:44 where you are and to comfort you. 30:47 So let's rip off the mask and get real. 30:51 All right, lesson number six. 30:54 Grieving differs from self-pity. 31:00 Grieving differs from self-pity. 31:05 Grieving, a grieving heart 31:10 actually looks for 31:12 and craves compassion. 31:16 Psalm 34:18. 31:20 Oh, I love this Psalm. 31:22 I love this verse. 31:23 Psalm 34:18 says, 31:28 "The Lord is near to those 31:31 who have a broken heart, 31:33 and He saves such as have 31:36 a contrite spirit." 31:39 Oh, when your heart is hurting, go to God. 31:45 Go to God and humbly ask for His help. 31:49 He is will be your source of strength, 31:52 and courage, and comfort, and hope. 31:56 You can go to God knowing that 31:59 He is especially close to those who are brokenhearted. 32:03 And that word contrite where it says, the contrite, 32:07 he saves such as have a contrite spirit. 32:12 In the Hebrew, you know what that word means? 32:16 It means crushed to a powder. 32:21 When we have a contrite spirit, 32:23 it's when we are absolutely crushed to dust. 32:29 And you know what? 32:30 God is close to you. 32:33 When you feel like that, 32:35 some of His greatest miracles have been with dust. 32:39 Let me tell you about my mama 32:41 because then you'll understand 32:44 how I came to learn that 32:45 grieving is different than self-pity. 32:48 When I was growing up, 32:50 my mama didn't tolerate whining. 32:52 Let me tell you. 32:54 If I woke up cranky as little girl, she'd say, 32:59 "You got up on the wrong side of the bed. 33:01 Go back to bed." 33:02 And she'd make me go get back in bed 33:04 and spring up from the other side. 33:07 Now it's interesting how the psychology of that 33:12 it was never a futile exercise 33:14 'cause I would always emerge from my room 33:18 and I'd be in an upbeat mood. 33:21 So she planted seeds 33:24 of cheerfulness in my heart. 33:28 Becoming a Christian harvested that attitude 33:32 because I really believe 33:34 when we recognize the love of God 33:37 and all that He's done for us, 33:39 that we can't help, but be cheerful. 33:43 Christians should have a cheerful face. 33:47 Well, what happened 33:50 was that during my experience, 33:55 I just have to tell you that 33:59 I didn't always feel that cheery. 34:02 You know, I heard JD say after 33 years of marriage, 34:06 he was talking to a friend and he said, 34:09 "Oh, the best thing about being married to Shelley, 34:11 she goes to bed happy every night. 34:14 And she wakes up happy every morning." 34:18 Well, the pressure was on. 34:20 I had a reputation that now I had to protect, 34:25 but when I was in the hospital in December, 34:30 I was in the hospital 14 out of 19 days. 34:34 And I can say that I went through it 34:38 with a sunny disposition, 34:40 but inside my heart, I was screaming. 34:44 It was horrific, truly. 34:47 So what happened is 34:48 after I got out of the hospital, 34:51 we were in our room and one of my therapists came 34:56 and when she came for physical therapy, 34:59 JD, my husband decided that 35:01 he was gonna make a pharmacy run 35:03 while she was there. 35:05 Well, I felt really relieved when he left 'cause I thought, 35:10 "Ah, thank goodness, 35:11 I don't have to try to protect my reputation of cheerfulness." 35:15 So I looked at her and I just said, 35:17 "Hey, I got to warn you, Becky." 35:20 And I confess, I was smiling in little force 35:23 note of cheerfulness. 35:25 I said, "I got to warn you. 35:27 I know that self-pity is straight 35:29 from the pits of hell, 35:31 but today, I'm feeling a little sorry for myself." 35:36 With the voice of an angel in a gentle tone, 35:40 she said, "No, you're not, Shelley, 35:43 you're grieving. 35:45 You are grieving the loss of your independence, 35:49 the loss of your dignity, 35:51 and the loss of your identity for now." 35:57 Wow. Here I was. 35:59 I couldn't get in and out of bed by myself, 36:01 couldn't dress myself. 36:03 I couldn't use my dominant arm, my right arm was useless. 36:09 I couldn't open a bottle of water by myself. 36:13 And I felt so helpless. 36:14 And she was right. 36:16 I was engulfed in grief. 36:18 And it was okay to admit that. 36:22 It's so amazing to me 36:24 when we think that 36:26 grieving differs from self-pity. 36:31 You know, I don't like to be pity, 36:33 but I found myself just craving understanding. 36:37 I craved the compassion that some people offered me. 36:41 And I just want to encourage you right now, 36:44 if you are grieving, if internally, 36:49 your spirit is crushed, 36:52 know that God understands your struggles. 36:56 He is near to those who are brokenhearted. 36:59 He will save those who are crushed in spirit. 37:03 Come to Him with a humble heart 37:06 and He will fill your heart with hope. 37:08 He will send the compassionate comforter, 37:12 the Holy Spirit, like a father pities a child. 37:16 So the Lord will pity you, and He will save you. 37:21 All right. Lesson seven. 37:25 Lesson seven is this. 37:29 When our prayer life is pinned to the mat, 37:34 we need stretcher-bearers. 37:38 Luke 5:18-19 says this. 37:42 Luke 5:18-19. 37:46 "Some men came to Jesus 37:50 carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. 37:55 They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 37:57 but they couldn't reach him because the crowd." 38:01 So what did they do? "They went up to the roof. 38:04 They took off some tiles. 38:06 Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, 38:12 right in front of Jesus." 38:18 Wow. 38:20 I just love this story 38:22 because what we're seeing is four men 38:27 who were the stretcher-bearers for his friend, 38:30 and they had to make 38:32 a great effort to get him to Jesus. 38:36 You know, in certain circles, 38:38 I'm considered a prayer warrior, 38:41 somebody who knows how to press 38:44 into God's presence to usher others 38:48 before His throne of grace. 38:50 And I can honestly say, 38:53 God has taught me 38:54 so much about returning His Word to Him. 38:58 The promises from the Bible knowing that 39:01 His word will not return void, 39:03 and it's a precious thing to pray with others 39:06 or to pray for others. 39:07 And I know in my 18 years here at 3ABN... 39:11 God has given me the opportunity 39:13 to pray for and with so many people, 39:16 I've lost count, 39:18 but I have to tell you honestly, 39:21 what happened to me. 39:24 When we came in today, 39:26 one of the cameraman asked me, 39:29 he said, "Shelley, I just got to know 39:33 during this time 39:35 that your prayer life really increase?" 39:39 And I said, "Well, I'm gonna talk about it. 39:40 So you'll hear." 39:44 During this recent predicament, 39:48 when I was in such mind numbing pain, 39:53 and it was so constant, 39:56 I could strangely pray for others, 39:58 but not for myself. 40:00 Really, it was just, 40:03 there was like a brain fog over me. 40:06 And I thought, "What's wrong with me? 40:10 Lord, why can't I keep my mind focused on you 40:15 for more than a minute at a time?" 40:18 I had the attention span of a hummingbird. 40:21 And I thought, 40:23 "Why aren't my eyes of faith focusing on myself?" 40:30 I kept a running chatter with Him all day long. 40:34 I mean, I would talk to God often on all day long. 40:38 But I thought was this chatter really prayer. 40:41 I recited a lot of my blessings, 40:44 things that I was thankful 40:45 for particularly that 40:46 He was carrying me in His everlasting arms, 40:49 but I just couldn't get focused in on the Lord. 40:52 I couldn't press into His presence, 40:56 like, normal. 40:58 I was suffering a kind of prayer paralysis, 41:04 and I learned to identify with a paralytic 41:08 who needed people. 41:10 He needed his friends to carry him 41:14 to the feet of Jesus. 41:16 I needed stretcher-bearers. 41:19 I needed people who would pray for me 41:22 and I thank God and I want to thank you. 41:25 I've had so many emails, 41:28 and cards, and phone calls, and letters. 41:32 Thank you. 41:34 If you were one of those who were praying for me, 41:36 I know we didn't make a public announcement. 41:38 I didn't want to make a big deal of this, 41:42 but I'm so glad for those 41:45 who interceded for me in prayer, 41:48 who acted as my stretcher-bearers 41:51 to get me to the feet of the Lord. 41:56 I will say this. 41:58 We human beings are an interesting lot. 42:02 You know, we think our experience 42:04 is so unique to us. 42:06 We don't always want to share what's going on, 42:10 especially if it's what we feel is a spiritual shortcoming. 42:14 We're afraid somebody is gonna judge us 42:16 or think less of us. 42:18 And it took me a little while. 42:20 I didn't even talk to JD about my prayer paralysis, 42:24 but I was talking with two friends 42:27 who had also been through major surgery. 42:30 And I told them, "Hey, I just can't pray for myself." 42:35 And they both said, "Yeah, me either." 42:38 And they were both strong Christians. 42:40 And I said, "Really?" 42:43 And so it's something 42:45 and I was just talking with someone yesterday 42:48 who's in the hospital with cancer 42:51 and a terrible diagnosis 42:52 and I was sharing some of these thoughts 42:55 with her, and she's a missionary. 42:57 She's a strong Christian and she said, 42:59 "Oh, Shelley, I'm the same way." 43:02 You know, our need is great, 43:05 but we've got great difficulty taking it before the Lord, 43:11 but even so I still felt a little bit hypocritical, 43:16 a little bit guilty 'cause here am I, 43:21 somebody who's written a book "on prayer," 43:24 and I'm having 43:25 such difficulty praying for myself, 43:28 but then God in His infinite kindness 43:31 and compassion, had someone at work, 43:35 send me this quote. 43:37 I want to read it to you 43:39 because this quote 43:42 brought my heart so much relief. 43:46 Let's look at it. 43:48 It comes, it's an Ellen G. White 43:50 quote from Ministry of Healing, 43:52 page 251, paragraph 5, and she says, 43:57 "Often your mind may be clouded 44:02 because of pain. 44:04 Then do not try to think. 44:06 You know that Jesus loves you. 44:09 He understands your weakness. 44:12 You may do His will 44:16 by simply resting in His arms." 44:21 Oh, I cannot tell you 44:23 what comfort those words brought. 44:28 Jesus understood my weakness. 44:30 He understood that the attitude 44:34 of my heart when I was sighing, 44:38 and moaning, and groaning, 44:40 He understood that this was an attitude of prayer, 44:45 even though I couldn't express my thoughts and words to Him. 44:52 So what did I do? 44:54 I took her advice. 44:56 I rested. 44:58 Oh, that is such a beautiful thing. 45:01 To remember how much God loves us 45:04 and to rest just to rest in His arm, 45:07 not to get into this pro-form of religion 45:11 where I've got to be praying, I've got to be reading. 45:16 Let me tell you something, back-to-back surgeries, 45:18 back-to-back anesthesia. 45:20 Wow, your brain is in a fog, 45:23 but I know that my pain's no worse than 45:26 so many out here 45:27 who've lost a loved one to COVID 45:30 or have lost their finances and sometimes 45:34 your brain is in such a fog. 45:36 You're in so much emotional pain 45:39 that you can't pray. 45:41 Just remember how much He loves you 45:43 and He demonstrated that love by coming down out of heaven. 45:48 Our God became a man and He died for us. 45:53 What love? 45:55 So what I recommend that you do if like me, 46:00 you find yourself in this place is rest. 46:06 Rest and thank God for stretcher-bearers. 46:11 Thank God for those who are praying for you 46:14 because you've told them, you need prayer. 46:17 They can't pray for you if you don't know. 46:20 So tell them, I need your prayer. 46:25 Don't be ashamed to talk about your own spiritual weakness. 46:31 Let me tell you something. 46:33 I don't care who it is. 46:35 I don't care if it is a pastor, an evangelist 46:39 that you've seen on TV for 30 years. 46:42 Everybody goes through the same thing. 46:45 Every one of us is human. 46:47 We all have our mountaintop experiences with God. 46:53 And we all have 46:54 our valley experiences with God. 46:59 Psalm 27:14 47:04 says this. 47:06 Psalm 27:14, 47:09 "Wait on the Lord, 47:12 Be of good courage, 47:15 and He shall strengthen your heart. 47:17 Wait, I say, on the Lord!" 47:23 When we are waiting on the Lord, 47:26 it is with hope in our heart. 47:29 And what is hope? 47:31 Eager expectation. 47:33 You can count on God. 47:36 When He has given us a promise in the Bible, 47:40 you can count on God bringing that about. 47:43 We've got to have faith that He will. 47:47 Without faith, we cannot please Him. 47:50 We've got to remember that 47:52 1 John 5:10-12 says that 47:55 if we don't believe in God's promises, 47:59 we're regarding Him as a liar, 48:01 but when you're waiting on the Lord, 48:05 it's not just sitting back and doing nothing. 48:08 You can spend time in the Word 48:10 reading His promises. 48:12 We're just saying, "Lord, move on my behalf." 48:17 I love Isaiah 40:31. 48:20 Isaiah 40:31 says this. 48:25 "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, 48:28 they will mount up on wings like eagles, 48:32 they shall run and not be weary, 48:35 they shall walk and not faint." 48:39 Are you in God's waiting room? 48:43 I want to encourage you 48:45 to yield to His sovereign timing. 48:49 I want to encourage you 48:51 to cast all of your burdens on Him 48:54 for He cares for you. 48:56 He loves you. 48:58 If you will keep your mind focused on Him, 49:03 trusting in Him, He promises. 49:05 Isaiah 26:3, 49:08 that He will give you perfect peace. 49:11 He will bless you with strength in the midst of your trials. 49:16 Truly, He will. 49:19 If you trust in the Lord, 49:21 leaning not on your own understanding, 49:24 but leaning on what His Word says. 49:27 Hope will build up in your heart 49:30 and the God of hope will cause your heart 49:34 to bubble over with joy. 49:36 Those who trust in the Lord 49:39 have unlimited strength 49:44 or an unlimited source of strength. 49:47 And He will give you grace to meet the day. 49:52 I encourage you today, wait on the Lord. 49:57 Be of good courage. 49:59 Now we're going to hear from my dear Pastor Ryan Day. 50:04 And Tim Parton will be accompanying him on the piano 50:08 with this beautiful song. 50:18 When peace 50:20 Like a river 50:25 Attendeth 50:29 My way 50:33 When sorrows 50:37 Like sea 50:40 Billows roll 50:46 Whatever my lot 50:52 Thou hast taught me 50:58 To say 51:01 It is well 51:05 It is well 51:09 With my soul 51:17 It is well 51:25 With my soul 51:33 It is well 51:37 It is well 51:41 With my soul 51:50 And Lord, haste the day 51:57 When my faith shall be sight 52:04 The clouds be rolled back 52:10 As a scroll 52:18 The trumpet shall resound 52:24 And the Lord shall descend 52:31 Where even so 52:35 It is well 52:38 With my soul 52:46 It is well 52:54 With my soul 53:02 It is well 53:05 It is well 53:13 With my soul 53:26 Hallelujah. 53:27 Hallelujah, amen. 53:30 Oh, I'm so glad that you were with us today. 53:35 And I just wanna take a minute 53:36 since we have a couple of minutes 53:39 to read something in and just briefly 53:43 recap what we talked about. 53:45 Lamentations 3:24-26 says, 53:51 "'The Lord is my portion,' 53:53 says my soul, 'Therefore I will help Him!' 53:57 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, 54:02 to the soul who seeks Him. 54:04 It is good that one should hope 54:09 and wait quietly 54:12 for the salvation of the Lord.'" 54:15 If you're in God's waiting room today, 54:23 I'm sorry, my heart is filled with compassion for you, 54:29 but know that there's gonna be an end to this trial. 54:34 God will bring you through this fiery trial. 54:37 He'll carry you through and bring you out 54:39 on the other side not smelling like smoke. 54:43 Remember that it's not a lack of faith 54:47 to admit that your partner is crushing you. 54:51 Paul did, some are just unbearable. 54:56 And remember to hope in the Lord. 55:01 You could have eager expectation, 55:04 God will fulfill 55:06 all of His promises in His Word. 55:10 Remember, don't strain 55:15 against the restraints the bands of love, 55:18 that God has put there for your well-being. 55:23 Remember that He is wooing you, 55:29 even now, can you sense His wooing? 55:35 With cords of loving kindness our God is calling you. 55:41 Please learn to accept 55:46 God's gifts from others. 55:49 Don't rob them of an opportunity to grow 55:54 in self-sacrificing love. 56:00 Rip the mask of verbal camouflage off. 56:04 Come before the Lord He already knows, 56:08 but share with someone 56:10 who will be your stretcher-bearer. 56:16 And please remember, 56:18 grieving is different than self-pity. 56:23 Grieving requires, it craves compassion. 56:29 God will be there for you, but I want to encourage you. 56:33 If you know someone in God's waiting room, 56:37 if you know someone who's going through 56:40 a difficult time, you be the one 56:45 who is going to offer God's grace to them. 56:51 Thank you so much for joining us today. 56:54 You know, we love you. We do. 56:57 We pray for you all the time. 56:59 You're are our family, but always remember this. 57:04 Nobody, nobody can love you more than God. 57:08 Oh, please accept His love, 57:13 allow Him to love you. 57:15 Don't reject your Creator 57:19 and the one who has an inheritance 57:22 saved for you in heaven. 57:25 God bless you now and always. 57:29 Bye-bye. |
Revised 2020-09-18