Guest Post - When We Are Sick and Fearful

Original artwork by Carl Larson

When We Are Sick and Fearful

by Stephen Van Nattan

You have been having a hard time getting your breath for some time. Finally, you go to a specialist who does tests. The verdict is that you have a malignant growth in your lungs, and you have three to four weeks to prepare to die.

This is the experience of a good friend from a Bible study I teach. What will I tell her from God's Word to try to help her deal with fear of dying? 

And, let me hear no pious rubbish talk about the Christian not fearing death. God gave us fear to help us stay alive and avoid danger. We certainly have hope regarding eternity, but the physical, mental, and emotional experience of walking out the back door of this life is fearful. The way to deal with this fear is to seek comfort in our Bible and our Lord who showed us how to die.

Thus:

Here are some Bible verses to bring comfort and encouragement to those who are sick and fearful:

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴

Jeremiah 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.

Psalm 103:2-3 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 56:3-4 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

May these Scriptures provide comfort and remind those who are sick and fearful of God's love, power, and presence.

Do you know someone who needs to read these Bible texts?

Twenty Years of Pain...and Thankfulness - By Martha Snell Nicholson

 

Twenty Years of Pain...
and Thankfulness

by Martha Snell Nicholson
[lightly edited]

I am looking back over more than twenty years of illness and thanking God for them. Does that sound strange? Ah, but they have brought me gifts, those weary years. I do not enjoy sickness nor suffering, nor the nervous agony and exhaustion that are harder to bear than physical pain. And an invalid must bury so many dear dreams which have death struggles and refuse to die decently and quietly. But God has a way of taking away our toys, and after we have cried for awhile like disappointed children, He fills our hands with jewels which “cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.” [Job 28:6]

And what friends He has given me! Are there more loyal friends than those who stand by the sick through the years? My family and friends have prayed for me, encouraged me, quietly sacrificed for me, washed my dishes, rubbed my aching head, offered me everything from new books to their very life-blood for blood transfusions. I should like to speak of a very devoted and tender husband, but that is a matter too personal.

Continue Reading.

Guest Post - Stewardship

Stewardship

by Steve Van Nattan

The favorite sermon topic of the average Baptist preacher is stewardship. Of course, this short sighted preacher has only the offering plate in mind, and he always hammers the sheep to pay their tithes. Some even use Faith Promise, a totally unbiblical concept, to convince us to pay our tithes forward in the form of vows based on the gifts of God we do not yet have. "Take therefore no thought for the morrow..." [Matt. 6:34] Ever hear that from someone? God holds you responsible for ONLY what you have now. [Also see: 2 Cor. 8:11-14]

So, what is involved in stewardship?

In terms of everything God made, the part we can see and live in, stewardship involves Space, Time, and Matter. How we use these three is the bedrock of stewardship, that is, whatever part of the whole universe God has given to me to control and use. This is a rather large piece of stuff to try to conceptualize, right?

But, a simpler way to deal with the topic is in these three resources which God gives us all, whether much or little:

Time, money, and energy. 

I suggest you take your share of these resources into the laboratory of your mind and soul for examination. For the next week, end your day with a quiet time, and list the ways you used your Time, Money, and Energy, and how much of it clearly was for the benefit of Jesus Christ. Write it down.

Do not make lofty goals for a week. Do the self-examination. Then the next week, look at your previous week, and every evening decide one thing you will do different the next day. It may be to stop by and visit some old lonely saint. It may be to take another Christian out for coffee or lunch. It may be to vigorously watch for a homeless person and see that they have a good lunch, either with you, or deliver it to them.

The notion that tithing is the beginning and end of stewardship is cheap stewardship, and it asks very little of you.

You see, stewardship is so often about doing to others, and the money is the resource that makes it possible. Our time we must also factor in and make space for the deed to play itself out. It is cheap stewardship to hand a ten dollar bill to a homeless person. What is a noble use of my resources is when I invest all three, time, money, and energy to meet someone's need.

I Peter 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

In this text we see no money in stewardship, at least a minimum of cash. What we see is that we are given gifts from God to use to minister to others, both the saved and the sinners. Those gifts are always one or all of the three: Time, Money, or energy. And, God does not expect the same amount of energy from me as he does from you. Verse 11 is the Energy aspect. God may give you lots of energy or ability. I must not use you as my model for ministering. But, I must be a steward of the energy He has given me.

Are we so busy, or plain selfish, that our home is seldom used to entertain the saints? Peter commands us, "Use hospitality." Time, Money, and Energy may mean leaving an evening open, buy some good cuts of beef, and invite some struggling saints to your home for fellowship. It simply all depends on who has the preeminence in your life, Jesus and his people, or YOU?

How about those college students in your church who are far from home and may be lonely? If you have them over, I suggest you also invite some older extrovert senior in your church who loves Jesus so that the students can mix up and learn about the old ways from the past. Ask your senior friend to prepare a short Bible devotional to end the evening.

Jesus does not only give you resources based on your need. He also gives you gifts based on what you did with what He already gave you. To see Him teach this, read Matthew 25:14-30.

Enough said. Now, go be a good steward, not for me, but for Jesus.

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Editor's Note: Some of us have limitations - physical, financial, mental, time - that seem to make it harder to do these things. Some may actually have been tricked into believing that if they don't have money to give there isn't much they can do or that money is the only thing that really counts. Some preachers will even belabor the idea of "giving till it hurts," implying that if you don't you lack faith. But, that isn't what the Bible says. In fact, the church in Corinth gave themselves before they gave their money. 2 Corinthians 8:4-5 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Have you ever stopped to consider what the health of the body of Christ would look like if Christians gave themselves to God's work before they gave their money? I have a feeling it would be a lot better than it generally is at present.

Maybe you should ask the Lord to help you use your imagination or to stretch yourself a little. Set aside some time and energy to phone a Christian lady who could use encouragement (can't we all?) and just talk. Take the time to send out some Bible verses or Christian poetry in texts or email to ladies you know. Ask someone what you can pray for them this week, and then make sure you do it. Buy one or two extra items to give to someone in your church or neighborhood who is struggling to make ends meet. Pray extra for your friends on social media who are going through hard things. Give some flowers from your garden to someone. Send snail mail to someone. Share the bounty of your garden or fruit trees. Use the wakeful hours of the night to pray for others. 

Your list may have things that apply to your God-given abilities very specifically, but whatever the case, there are things you can give beyond the offering plate. There are many ways we can be better stewards of our time, energy, and resources. We just need to ask the Lord to help us find them. 

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 

The Brightening Path of Pain - by Martha Snell Nicholson

The Brightening Path of Pain

by Martha Snell Nicholson
[lightly edited]

Everyone needs to work in order to remain normal, and it is such a comfort that none of us are too ill to know the joy of accomplishment, the opportunity to win crowns, sheaves to lay at the feet of the Lord of the harvest. Years ago I was reading the Bible to a little boy of nine who had recently given his heart to Christ. He had had no Christian upbringing and thus the truth of the Word of God was new to him. I found that he caught the marvel of it in a way that shamed me at times. I was explaining about the five kinds of rewards, and read to him the verse, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness...” [2 Tim. 4:8]

His eyes grew bigger and bigger, and at last he fairly gasped, “Oh, are there going to be crowns too? I should think it would be enough just to save our souls!”

There is so much we who are the Lord’s can do. I have long had the habit of praying for those whose stories of sin and sorrow are spread all over the pages of our newspapers, even for the murderers awaiting execution. And, of course, I pray for all Christian work and workers everywhere.

Then there is that very quiet work of grace. All summer I have thrilled to a miracle in our back yard. We had a sapling fig tree, only knee high. We poured on the water, and it drank it in and spread its little branches to catch the sunshine. I took such pride in it and would stroke its straight strong trunk and limbs so unlike my twisted body. It grew so quietly, never a sound nor a stir, yet now it is six feet tall, and this fall gave us largess of gifts, great fat figs bursting with their own sweetness. So we, on quiet beds of pain, may drink in His Word, and open our hearts to His Holy Spirit until we too bear fruit.

It is such a blessing to know that God makes no mistakes, that this illness is not something that just happened to me. “Shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He hath no understanding?” [Is. 29:16]  No, the enduring is mine, to be sure, but the responsibility for it is entirely His, and what a difference that makes! Nothing can even touch the child of God without His permissive will. It is not necessary for me to know the reasons, for they are safe with our dear Lord, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” [Col. 2:2-3]

I am no wise theologian, but I have thought that surely God will be glad when this is all over and He will no longer have to watch His children suffer, when all tears will be wiped from our eyes, and a song put upon our lips. Until then cannot we “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” [2 Tim. 2:3] and spare Him the sound of our wailing?

Living for Christ In Chronic Illness

I have added a new section to The Home Makers Corner. I hope that it will be of help to your or someone you know. This is a menu page of various articles, poems, thoughts, and helps.

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Link to the page: Living for Christ In Chronic Illness

Excerpt:

John 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

Having dealt with chronic health conditions for much or all of my life, this is a subject that is close to my heart. I have been, perhaps, slow in making it a separate subject here on The Home Maker's Corner, but in some respects this may have been a good thing since experience tends to lend better understanding. At this point in time (2022) we are beginning to feel the lasting effects of Covid-19. Some people are struggling to regain their previous health and there is no timeline to tell us how long it will take, so this section of the HMC may be more needful than it even was before.

If you are dealing with chronic illness or health conditions yourself, or if you have a loved one who is, I hope that you will find something here that will encourage, edify, instruct or otherwise bless you. I have already written a series of articles and I hope to prepare them to be published here over the next months.

Dear Struggling Mother, We See You...

Dear Struggling Mother,

We see you. We see you and we are not judging you the way you may be feeling judged. No, I'm not speaking for everyone. Obviously I can't. But there are more of us than you may think.

We see you struggling with that baby that is giving you sleepless nights or is constantly sick. We see your tired eyes and that you don't believe that it will ever end. Sometimes we wish we could do more to help. We also know that this time is limited and won't last forever. We can't make it go away. We watch and feel your pain as you stand quietly and try to politely listen to that lady who has lost touch with reality offer more "helpful" advice than you need. We know she is thinking that somehow that will make it better. You know it won't and we know it won't, and we appreciate your frustration and your patience with people hard to bear. We see you. We're on your team. Even, when we forget ourselves and are that "helpful" lady.

Continue Reading.

Reader Comments - Face to Face by Carrie E. Breck

After seeing the poem "Face to Face" by Martha Snell Nicholson a few weeks ago, a reader asked about this hymn, so I looked it up and thought it would be interesting to post it. This is an old familiar hymn to me, but some people may not have heard it before, or just need to be reminded because of the great message.

1 John 3:2-3  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

John 14:2-3  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Face to Face

Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?

Refrain

Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!

Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

Refrain

What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.

Refrain

Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.

Refrain

by Carrie E. Breck

Cyberhymnal.org tells us this about Mrs. Breck -

"Carrie’s family moved from Vermont to Vineland, New Jersey, and she spent most of her life in southern New Jersey. She married Frank Breck, and they moved to Oregon between 1910 and 1920. A devout Christian, she was devoted to her husband and five daughters. She had no sense of pitch, and could not carry a tune, but she had the gift of poetic rhythm, and wrote more than 2,000 poems. She was not particularly robust in health, and had to take frequent rests while doing chores. At such times, she would sit in her favorite rocking chair, take up a notebook, and write poetry, often with a baby on her knee, or playing at her feet."

Being a person myself who is "not particularly robust in health" and has to take breaks often between things, this was very encouraging and inspiring. It reminds us that we can use those many bits of time some of us are forced to take in order to keep going and use them for the glory of God. It may not be in writing. It might be in praying or in reading to the children or in communicating with other believers in the body of Christ or any number of other things. Sometimes it must be to simply rest, but not always.

Ephesians 5:15-17  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

It is also interesting to see that she could write such good poetry although she had no musical ability. This is a reminder that just because our area of ability is not the same as someone else's we should not feel deficient. The gift or talent that God has given to each of us is meant to be used for His glory in the way He intended. Comparing one ability to another is pointless and unwise.

2 Corinthians 10:12  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.