Dealing with worries in our lives

Last season we gave attention at our faith in trusting calling and ascribing to Jehovah. At our Sunday service today(2014/10/19) we continue looking at the importance of using God His Holy Name and look at the position Jesus took in this relationship to his heavenly Father and to his disciples.

Virgin Mary and Jesus, old Persian miniature. ... — Virgin Mary and Jesus, old Persian miniature. In Islam, they are called Maryam and Isa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Like any other person in this world, Jesus had to undergo the burdens of human life. He as soon as he was born on this world was an element of worries for his earthly parents, Joseph and Miriam (Mary). Mary as a specially chosen one of God could not stop the difficulties her son had to undergo and she too had to live with the pain in her heart the problems Jesus was to undergo.

She educated her son and learned him ‘good‘ and ‘bad‘, like any mother would do. She had many times she had to worry for her safety and for the safety and good name of her son. At certain moments her son told her not to worry so much or to be patient because the things had to happen in the time of his heavenly Father.

Jesus his time on earth was limited and soon after his public appearance he knew that his time was limited and that he had to do a task for God in that short time, but that he had to make disciples who would continue the task God had given unto him. Jesus was well aware of what was prophesied and how his heavenly Father kept word. So everything foretold beforehand was going to happen. As such Jesus soon had to face the death coming close to him. Not a pleasant thought. With his triumphal entry into Jerusalem he could see how the time was getting near. He could see prophecies being fulfilled as the time to his sacrifice went from weeks to days.

Can you imagine how he must have felt? How would you feel when you know your death was near?

Many of us do have a lot to worry, they think. In this world we we do have so much, there are still enough people who think they should have more. Lots of people are not yet satisfied. Several of them are “natural worriers” whereas others are more inclined to let events look after themselves. Having the days becoming shorter, the Autumn season brings the tiding of darker days and soon lots of people are going to mourn again and think about the many dead. In case if they think about those who died in the many wars, you could think it is not bad that they stand still by the centennial of World War I. But on the first of November they will also have a day off to think about the death people in the family, but also would take time to think about our situation when our life comes to an end.

You would think this would give enough reason for people to think about the future – our future, the future of the world in which our children and grandchildren have been born into.How many would worry about their relationship with the Creator and the position they have to take in this world?

Jesus worried about that future, not only for himself, but also for the many others, even for people he did not know personally. But also his own future worried him. He wanted to do God His Will and trusted his heavenly Father, but at the same time he also was afraid to what would happen to him.

There were also moments Jesus did not know so well how he would handle a situation or how he could speak to his heavenly Father.

John 12:27 The Scriptures 1998+ (27) “Now I Myself am troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this reason I came to this hour.

At the thought of his suffering and death Jesus his heart was also troubled. Like any human being Jesus also was frightened Jesus for what would come over him. He clearly showed us that he has known every experience of human weakness (apart from sin) that would fit him to be a compassionate priest or servant for God.

The first Greek words of John’s version of the Saviour’s utterance are an echo of a verse of the Judica, Psalm 42(43):6, which is also echoed in the Tristis est anima mea of Gethsemane. The parallelism with the agony in the garden is striking:

‘My soul is troubled ‘—’ my soul is sorrowful unto death’; ‘what shall I say? ‘—’ he fell on his face praying’ . . .; ‘Father, save me from this hour ‘—’ Father . . . take away this chalice’; ‘but for this cause I came unto this hour. Father, glorify thy Son ‘—’ not my will but thine be done’.

Psalm 42:5-11 The Scriptures 1998+ (5) hy are you depressed, O my being? And why are you restless within me? Wait for Elohim: for I shall yet thank Him, For the deliverance of His face! 6 O my Elohim, my being is depressed within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Yardĕn, And from the heights of Ḥermon, From Mount Mitsʽar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and breakers passed over me. 8 By day יהוה commands His kindness, And by night His song is with me; A prayer to the Ěl of my life. 9 I say to Ěl my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 My enemies have reproached me, Like a crushing of my bones, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your Elohim?” 11 Why are you depressed, O my being? And why are you restless within me? Wait for Elohim: for I shall yet thank Him, the deliverance of my face, And my Elohim.

Jesus probably knew that his soul (his being) should not have been in despair. He even wondered why he himself also felt so disturbed He always had looked at his heavenly Father, Whom he wanted others also to know. He always had himself hope in God and told others to place their life also in the hands of his heavenly Father, Whom could give fulfilment to their hope. Jesus always told others it was not him doing the wonders, but his Father. He told the people they should put their trust and hope in his Father, Whose name was made known as Jehovah. Jeshua (Jesu) always honoured his Father in heaven. It was to Him that Jesus prayed and gave praise.

Mat 4:10 The Scriptures 1998+ (10) Then יהושע {Jehsua} said to him, “Go, Satan! For it has been written, ‘You shall worship יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, and Him alone you shall serve.’ ”1 Footnote: 1Dt. 6:13.

Joh 5:15-27 The Scriptures 1998+ (15) The man went away, and told the Yehuḏim that it was יהושע who made him well. 16 And because of this the Yehuḏim persecuted יהושע, and were seeking to kill Him, because He was doing these healings on the Sabbath. 17 But יהושע answered them, “My Father works until now, and I work.” 18 Because of this, then, the Yehuḏim were seeking all the more to kill Him, ‘because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He also called Elohim His own Father, making Himself equal with Elohim.’ 19 Therefore יהושע responded and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son is able to do none at all by Himself, but only that which He sees the Father doing, because whatever He does, the Son also likewise does.
20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He Himself does. And greater works than these He is going to show Him, in order that you marvel. 21 “For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son makes alive whom He wishes.
22 “For the Father judges no one, but has given all the judgment to the Son, 23 that all should value the Son even as they value the Father. He who does not value the Son does not value the Father who sent Him.
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me possesses everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Elohim. And those having heard shall live. 26 “For as the Father possesses life in Himself, so He gave also to the Son to possess life in Himself, 27 and He has given Him authority also to do judgment, because He is the Son of Aḏam.

At the end of his public life Jesus still praised God for the saving help of His presence, but also gave notice of his soul being in despair within him. Jesus (Jeshua) was also sure that the Only One God, Jehovah will command His loving kindness in the daytime as well as in the night, in the hours when everything goes well but also in the hours when everything seems to go bad.

Though in the time close to his death also Jesus dared to question the Most High. He also brought a prayer to the God of his life, asking God, his rock, why he had forgotten him (Jesus/Jeshua).

We can find parallel passages where Jesus agony is described. Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, and Luke 22:42 which take place in the Garden of Gethsemane just before the arrest of Jesus show us that Jesus also was troubled. In all of these passages Jesus never asks for the Crucifixion to be prevented but does express his fears of the difficulties, pain and suffering that he is going to encounter over the next few hours, in the form of his trials, beatings, whippings, loneliness and alienation from people and him being nailed on the wooden stake.

Jesus knew he was going to face an ordeal but for him it was more important that God His Will and not his will would be carried out.

The Reading of the day in the gospel of John (12:27) takes place before the circumstances described above. It is said while Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people during the Passover Festival at the Temple in Jerusalem (in fact even before the gathering of the Twelve with Jesus at the Upper Room).

Jesus knows events are fast unfolding around him. Yet, this statement is said in reply to some Greeks who have just asked something of Jesus through his disciples. Were they there to offer him a way out of his upcoming troubles? Perhaps, but Jesus does not go to meet them and indeed replies to their request to meet him in this way. He found himself in a situation where it was not obvious how he could deal with the rising panic and so Jesus resorted to a statement, or better, a request. “Father, glorify thy name” was a format which Jesus felt he could use at this time. It doesn’t immediately bear on the specific worry Jesus had but rather is something he could use at any time in his life when he felt this kind of worry.

This is a process we as his disciples can follow too. Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:15) and therefore we should be able to identify with him when we have worries in our lives.

‘He that would serve Me must follow Me and be ready to hate his life; for My life has long since been tossed and torn with emotion and sorrow.’ ‘Is troubled’ = has been and still is troubled; a frequent meaning of the Greek perfect.

We have the figure Jesus. In the gospels enough is told about him to get to know him better. We can see that man of flesh and blood, who is placed in a special way in the womb of his mother. He is really a man directly from God, though still has his own fears. So then, if at a time of rising panic Jesus resorted to using a format (a motivational statement) then that’s something we can copy, even using the same statement.

In Jesus’ case, the intonation was a prayer and it found an immediate answer,

Joh 12:28 The Scriptures 1998+ (28) (יהושע {Jeshua said) “Father, esteem Your Name.” Then a voice came from the heaven, “I have both esteemed it and shall esteem it again.”

There came therefore, i.e. in answer to Christ’s prayer, the Voice of God, that some could distinguish the words, others could not, while some mistook the sounds for thunder. While they disagreed, some saying it was thunder, others an angel speaking, Jesus told them that the voice had not come to assure him but to assure them. He explains to them how God will be glorified in him. In that glorification we do find the glory to The One Name of the Most High (Jehovah) and the other glory of the name of Jeshua or Jesus.

The words which were spoken are of interest. They speak of the fact that God’s Name had been glorified in the past and would be so again. Yet for Jesus hearing these words at this time, they would remind him of how God’s Name had been glorified in the raising of Lazarus only a few days before and would be again at his crucifixion a few days later. The words did not take Jesus’ mind off the challenge, which lay ahead of him, but rather enabled him to view it with renewed strength and courage.

The words, too, were personal to Jesus and were a further encouragement that his Father was with him at that point in time and would continue to be with him through the coming sacrifice.

In case we would take on a similar attitude like Jesus we also could perhaps find ourselves at ease. For sure, when we would put our trust fully in God we should not have to worry that we are safe in His Hands. He is the Most Trustworthy.

The fear of Jesus was gone when he called on the Name of God. This can also work for us. Like Jesus his fear was been replaced by a feeling of accomplishment, purpose and strength, we too can when showing our trust in the Most High feel our close connection with God and His protecting Hand.

In the gospel reading of this Sunday, Jesus, we see, how he chose to deal with rising panic. This was effective in driving down the panic and replacing it with confidence. So why don’t we follow his example when we find ourselves in those circumstances when we feel that worry is about to drown us?
When we feel beset with worry we let our minds rest on a true statement as he did, or even say it out loud, even over and over again if that helps. It will help us feel back in control again, and with God’s help feel better able to deal with whatever the challenge is that is before us.

If you than worry about how to deal with the situation and how to speak to God, the Bible gives us enough answers how we can deal with different situations and how we can approach the Most High Creator of heaven and earth.

Most important is to remember what Jesus used,

“Glorify thy name”.

On several occasions Jesus also told his disciples to go out in to the world and to let the Name of God to be known. Taking the quote of Jesus in our mind, it is helpful in that it reminds us about God and also it is more about Him than about us. It helps us to frame our thoughts, actions and words into the overall context of wanting to bring glory to God’s Name. This is a very high calling.

We should know that it is a major task given to each follower of Christ, i.e. each person who wants to call himself a “Christian“.

No matter what difficulty we may come to face let us always remember the difficulties Jesus had to face and how he was humiliated and scorned. Also let us remember the other men of God, who wrote down the Words of God, so that later generations could learn from them. All those men of God were concious about the importance of God His Name. For years many have tried to fade out the Name of God. They had good reasons to try it, because it would have given them much more power to control more people. but today there are still many people who know the importance of God’s Name and who are not afraid to use this holy Name. They also know that in case they would come in such difficult situations that it looks like they would not be able to get out of it, they too can do like Jesus. They too shall find a way in which they can act in these difficult circumstances, which will bring glory to the Name of God.

Additional reading:

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Christianity Will Go (venitism.blogspot.com)
It is therefore with some fear and trepidation that we take advantage of this letter to suggest an operation that has already been undertaken by the Church in other Countries, namely that a an Independent Commission be set up to bring to light the numerous cases of this phenomenon that have so far remained hidden.

In our opinion this operation would undoubtedly be ecumenically positive: in such an environment the victims of this abuse could unburden themselves of a secret that they have perceived as shameful for many years and then go on to live less difficult and vindictive earthly lives, while at the same time the Church would positively and concretely repay the debt of truth with a reality that is not only tragic, but has also been consistently denied to date.
A Necessary Reminder of A False Seer (supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com)
From the days of Moses and Miriam, Deborah and Samuel, to the prophets of the Book of Acts, the people of God have been presented with those who claim, “Thus says the Lord.” The Church has had its share of visionaries and seers who give what they claim are revelations from God and messages to his Church—some of these prophets have been recognized by the Church as genuine. Others ultimately have been dismissed as frauds. These visionaries and the messages often attract a following. The hierarchies of the churches are called to verify the authenticity of spiritual experiences, whenever that is possible. In many cases no stamp of approval can be given.
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Many good Roman Catholics, clergy and laity, are attracted to several things in Vassula’s writings. She frequently invites readers to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She teaches that the Christian should die to oneself so that Jesus can be within. She calls readers to peace, love, and conversion from sin and unbelief, much like she has epxerienced. This conversion includes a call to holiness and strong faith in the Eucharist. She promotes belief in Scripture and a return to authentic Christian faith. Central to her message is the call for unity among the churches, which can only come from God. This unity should be under the petrine office embodied in the pope—this comes from a Greek Orthodox Christian, not a Catholic! Many Roman Catholic readers, amazed that someone untrained in theology could write such Roman Catholic doctrine, naturally accept it as strong evidence of her claim to be taking authentic dictation from Jesus Christ.
The Credo of the People of God (vultus.stblogs.org)
Priests, religious, and seminarians were thrust into a whirlwind of liturgical, theological, and moral confusion. Many lost their footing in the faith. Even “enclosed” monasteries were affected. It was not uncommon to find that Zen Buddhism, so-called “Catholic” Pentecostalism, and a fascination with Garabandal, with Mamma Rosa at San Damiano, and other apparitions had all made inroads into the same monastery. The Trappists, it seems, were especially hard hit by the rage for pluralism. The idea was that there should be something for everyone: “I’m OK, You’re OK” (published in 1967) was the new Summa. Everything was subject to redefinition and reformulation. And, not to be forgotten: The National Association for Pastoral Renewal came out with the “Make Celibacy Optional” bumpersticker.
Complete Compassion. 16th Sunday after Trinity 2014 (deprofundisclamaviadtedomine.wordpress.com)
Jesus’ compassion is complete. Itis directed toward people who are totally undeserving. And it is a completely consuming compassion. Jesus doesn’t just merely feel some sympathy for this woman and others suffering the pain of grief and death. He suffers their grief Himself. He takes it on His own body and soul. He makes it His own.The Lord’s compassion is never a mere emotion without action. Because He has compassion on the widow, He does something. He tells her, “Don’t weep.” He steps up to the funeral procession and touches the coffin, and immediately the pallbearers stand still. He speaks, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the young man is instantly set free from death. He sits up and begins speaking. And Jesus gives him back to his mother.
The Case of the Guilty Woman | John 8:1-11 (wordsforliving.org)
Oh the foolishness of these scribes and Pharisees! In their effort to humiliate this woman, and to discredit the Lord, they brought her to the best possible place. They brought her to the very man who could deal with her sins in grace and forgiveness. They brought her to the one man who could save her soul!
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They cared nothing about this woman, her sin, her soul, or her eternal destiny. They cared nothing about right and wrong. All they cared about was pressing their agenda, attacking their enemy, and promoting their brand of righteousness. Thing haven’t changed! All Pharisees are the same!
Eve’s offspring, the serpent, and his offspring-Part 3 (creation.com)
During the 400 years between the close of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ, Israel languished spiritually. They had moments of national victory, such as when the Maccabeans succeeded in taking control of Israel, but by the time of Jesus, they had been completely defeated by the Romans. In the first century, Israel was considered a backwater province of Rome.
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After the exile, Israel never returned to the idolatry that had corrupted their religion in the past, but their religion became increasingly distorted by unbiblical traditions that had become as binding as the Law of Moses. Originally, these traditions were well–meaning—they were intended to help Israel keep the Law. But over time, they began to overshadow and even contradict the Law of Moses. And because it was impossible to keep all these laws, it became an unbearable burden for the common people, and a tool of control that the religious leadership wielded over the people.
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Because Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of the Offspring of the woman, his life was characterized by the conflict God predicted between the Offspring and the Serpent and the offspring of the serpent. And this conflict started very early in his life.