DEADENING SILENCE? - CROSSPURPOSES 145

DEADENING SILENCE?


A friend wrote to me recently – I’ll call her Jazz – about where she is currently ‘at’.

Here is a part of her email:

“I am really struggling with my faith – our mutual friends gave me “The Shack” to read and suggested the ‘read the bible in a year’ so I will do that at least. Until last week I hadn’t been to church at all for quite a few months, I had just given up (again). I have had really bad depression for the last 2 years – taking medication and seeing a psychologist (useless)…I look back now and know I had some kind of spiritual burnout of breakdown – I thought things would get better as time went on but it really hasn’t, and bit by bit I gradually removed myself from the church community and God, it all happens so easily if you let it. Not sure why I have just ‘dumped’ all that on you – shouldn’t write emails in the middle of the night, one is often more emotional…”

Did my heart bleed for her? Of course. I know a lot of what’s going on in there. Been there, done that. Am there, doing that. There is nothing so hard as hearing all the promises of scripture about ‘streams of living water welling up to eternal life’ and my sheep hear my voice, I know them and they know me’, and to feel as though you are living in a personal arid wilderness.

It truly does seem that God has absconded and you are on your own. They say silence can be deafening but sometimes silence is deadening! It’s painful, in ways you can never explain, to feel that you are not on God’s radar. It’s not difficult to slide into despair.

There is much comfort in knowing that Jesus was in that place too. He experienced that silence, that forsakenness. “My God, my God, why…why have you forsaken me?’ He had done nothing to deserve being cut-off, yet he experienced the cut off with an intensity no one has ever known before. He allowed it to happen for you and for me.

Jazz’s journey is my journey too. I too have despaired. But one thing changed my approach. One insight. I was challenged to choose whether I was going to believe what I felt or what I knew was written in scripture. People might talk about being drawn closer to God. Good for them. The scripture says something different to strugglers.

“I am with you always”. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing! Not death, not life. Not noise, not silence. God is for us! This and this alone is the beginning and foundation of hope. Jesus died and Jesus lives!

Yes there might be homework to do, rebellion to repent and confess. Yes it might be a painful journey. But Jazz, and Fred, and all you others, you are never, ever, off the Father’s radar!

Bless you all.

Fred

THE DIG!!! CROSS PUIRPOSES 144

Hi Friends, Fred here.

Thought it was time to kick in with CP again, but wondered “With what?”

Since life will get serious again, pretty quickly, lets start 2009 with something to tickle the funny bone. It came via email a few years ago and I never knew what to do with it. So here it is. Make sure you read the whole thing.

Lord Jesus Christ, bless us in 2009.

Fred

THE DIG !!!!

WHAT IS A PRAISE CHORUS?

An old farmer went to the city one weekend to attend the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this – If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well, that would be a hymn.”

“If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: ‘Martha Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN” – Then if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”


THE REPLY !!!!

WHAT IS A HYMN?

A young, new Christian went to his local church usually, but one weekend attended a small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this – If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well, that would be a regular song.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

‘Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn.
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.’

“Then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well, that would be a hymn.”