"Where to Do When You’re Hopeless, Helpless and Haggard"
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness
among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people
brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering
severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the
paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the
Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed
him." Matthew 4:23-25
Jesus was just beginning His ministry. Before He began He went into the
wilderness to fast and pray for forty days. I imagine He went to seek
the Father’s direction and strength and blessing.
Why forty days? I’m not sure - but there’s something special about 40
days. The flood lasted forty days. The ten spies explored the Promised
Land for forty days; Moses went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days to get the
commandments of God. Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days before David
killed him. After the resurrection Jesus showed Himself to be alive for
40 days before He ascended into heaven. When there is a major change
needed in life - 40 days seems like a necessity. I don’t understand it.
I can’t explain it. But 40 days is important. 40 days of prayer; 40
days of Scripture study; 40 days of rehab. I think there is something
Spiritual about 40 days. If you need a major change in your life -
commit to doing something about it for 40 days.
Well, at the conclusion of those forty days of intense prayer and
intimacy with God the Father, Satan came sneaking in at Jesus’ weakest
time. Physically, He had to be very hungry. Emotionally, He must have
been drained. Satan thought he saw a chink in the armor - and he went
for it. Isn’t that just like Satan? He hits us where it hurts the most.
He strikes when we are weakest. He kicks us when we are down. Jesus
said,
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." John 10:10
We need to learn that about our enemy. He is out to destroy us.
Peter warns us,
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
Peter should know. Remember what happened to him? He vowed that he
would die before he deserted Jesus. But that night he denied he even
knew Jesus, not once. Not twice. But three times. Ever have good
intentions like that - only to fail? You swore you would stop drinking
or taking drugs or seeing that other person or looking at porn or
cursing- but before you knew what happened - you were right back at it.
The very thing you hated so much - had you again.
Listen to how determined Peter was.
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have
prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have
turned back, strengthen your brothers." But he replied, "Lord, I am
ready to go with you to prison and to death." Jesus answered, "I tell
you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times
that you know me." Matthew 22:31-34
Peter swore he would go to prison or even die for Jesus. Good intentions
are not enough are they? Our flesh is so powerful. Our own desires and
needs and urges are sometimes our worst enemy. The Bible says,
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the
Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with
each other, so that you are able to do what you want." Gal 5:17
Do you know what Paul is talking about? In your spirit, have you ever
really wanted to live a certain way; stop a certain thing; do something
different in your life - only to be sabotaged by your own flesh? You are
not alone. We all struggle with that - or have at some time in our
lives. You don’t know what that one who seems so perfect is struggling
with. You don’t know what that one who seems so mature has overcome in
his life. We are all pretty much in the same boat. The Bible says,
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all." 1
Corinthians 10:13
You are no worse than anyone else. You may not be as experienced or as
mature or as educated in the school of hard knocks - but you can be sure
that everyone has gone through something like you are going through or
they WILL go through something like your trial eventually. So don’t beat
yourself up. Satan is a false accuser of God’s people, Revelation 12:10
tells us, and he wants to beat you down. He wants you to feel whipped
and beat up. He wants you to feel defeated and hopeless. But God has
helped others and He can help you, too.
In our Scripture, the Bible says,
"people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those
suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and
the paralyzed, and he healed them."
I don’t know what kind of people these folks were. But I know they had
problems. Probably none of them had drinking problems or drug problems
or the kind of problems we have today. But with no medi-care, medi-cal,
or health insurance - with no welfare stamps or unemployment, no
pensions, no retirement or anything else like that - they had problems.
Some were in pain. Some had seizures. Some were paralyzed. Some were
even demon-possessed. They were hopeless, helpless and haggard. But
they had help. His name is Jesus. He tenderly held the hopeless until
they were filled with love and could go on. He gently touched the
untouchables and healed their ugly, smelly sores. He stopped the
insanity when the flesh overcame the spirit. He brought peace to the
anxious. He cast out demons from the tormented. And He can do the same
for you.
These folks were probably going through their own private versions of
hell - when hope walked in. They heard someone speak about a man called
Jesus. They said He could work miracles. He could heal the sick,
restore sight to the blind, make the lame to walk again. And a little
sliver of light ignited in their souls and they thought, "Maybe He could
help me!" And they got up and began to look for Jesus. They pursue Him.
They wouldn’t stop until they found Him. And when they did - Jesus
healed them.
The first thing necessary for Jesus to restore sanity to your insanity;
hope to your hopelessness; energy to your emptiness is for you to go to
Him. That seems like a simple thing to do - but the fact of the matter
is that we are so reluctant to do that. We want to buy a self-help book
or go to a seminar or just tough it out in our own strength. It’s tough
to admit defeat. It’s tough to admit failure. It’s tough to confess
faults. But that is always the first step to growing or changing our
lives. We must admit, first to ourselves that we need help, then we must
admit to God we need help. The Bible says we are to confess our faults
to others, too. Ourselves, God and others. That about covers it,
doesn’t it?
Our problem is our pride. We don’t want people to know we are hurting.
We don’t want people to think less of us. So we put up our phony fronts.
We hide behind our facades. And we smile behind our masks and cry
behind closed doors.
I wonder how many people didn’t come to Jesus. The Bible says that all
who came to Him received help. But how many were too proud or too
insecure to seek Jesus out? We don’t know. But don’t you be one of
those people. Seek Jesus out. First, confess your need to yourself and
to Jesus. Secondly, Seek Him. Read the Bible. Pray. Seek godly
counsel. Third, Humble yourself and ask. Jesus said,
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who
seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
Now, I wished I could assure you that if you ask that you would
immediately receive help. I can’t do that. The fact of the matter is
that God seems to usually require that we do everything we can. He
usually asks us to give 100% to overcome our addiction or sin before He
steps in. Jesus gave a little illustration about that. He said,
"In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared
about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with
the plea, ’Grant me justice against my adversary.’
"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ’Even
though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow
keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she
won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ "
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not
God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and
night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they
get justice, and quickly. Luke 18: 1-8
If you are trying half-heartedly; if you are not giving your all - don’t
expect Jesus to miraculously deliver you. Sometimes we need to begin by
desiring to have a desire. Sometimes we need to pray that God will give
us the will to do what we know we should do. Once we do that - it then
frees God to work on our behalf. And nothing can stand before Him.
Nothing can hinder or defeat Him. God said to Paul,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
It is when we acknowledge our weakness that we free God to use His
strength. His grace is sufficient. His power is perfect. And that
makes our weakness okay. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to
have it all together. God does. And because He does - we can, too.
It’s through Him we are made perfect. It is through Him we can do all
things.
This morning I’m going to ask you to confess your weakness before God.
No one needs to know what it is - but you and God. Confess and then ask
for His help. It could be the beginning of a new chapter in your life.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me just like I am. Thank you for seeing past my
sin. Thank you for seeing something precious in me. I know I am failing
in ________.
Please forgive me. Give me the strength I need to overcome this
addiction. Help me to help someone else this week.
In Jesus Name,
