My sermon to myself

Had someone told me 10 weeks (and five days, but who’s counting) ago that a ‘small’ muscle injury would still be causing pain and limiting my ability to do my favorite activity (running) today, I wouldn’t have believed it. Or, If I did, I would have become really (really) angry, frustrated, you name it. Granted, I have been pretty angry and frustrated over the last many weeks anyway, but sometimes it’s a good thing that we don’t know at the start of a trial how long it will last! 

When bumps in the road come, be they big or small, I try to recognize the spiritual truths I can learn from them. (Don’t be too impressed. For every 1% of my time I’ve spent on this effort, I’ve probably spent 99% of my time frantically scouring the Internet trying to figure out how long this thing is going to take to heal.)  

But here are a few things I’ve been mulling over.

First, the unchanging goodness of God. 

So often, we hear God is good ‘because he did X,’ or ‘because of this blessing.’ Yes, it’s right that we credit God for blessings. Scripture tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)  But God is good, period. He did not inflict this injury on me. Instead, He is my healer (Exodus 15:26). His grace is sufficient day by day (2 Corinthians 12:9). And He carries me day by day (Isaiah 46:4). 

Second, beware of ‘small’ things that take us away from God.

Before my muscle went into full-out rebellion, it had occasionally been a little stiff. Nothing major (or so I thought). And I was focused on other things that I deemed more important to my running. So, I ignored it, and ignored it, and ignored it. After all, how bad could a little stiffness really be? 

How often in life do we do this when it comes to the things we deem ‘little’. Maybe they’re not even sins in and of themselves, but habits, or hobbies, or even people that we elevate above God. We know we should be putting Him first, but this ‘little’ thing isn’t really causing us problems, right? It’s minor, and we can live with it, right? Well, it’s the little foxes that ruin the vineyards (Song of Solomon 2:15). We should never deem ‘little’ what God is trying to draw our attention to. 

Third, don’t be surprised at trials.

I hesitate a bit to write this one, as I realize some people reading this are facing trials much more difficult than a 10-week-old painful muscle. And the verse in 1 Peter 4:12 – Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you – is directed at Christians being persecuted for Christ. Yet, Scripture is clear that trials are inherent in the lives of those who follow Christ – but God’s deliverance is promised. 

• Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)
• God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
• Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

To be sure, I’m preaching at myself with all this, as I’ve hardly been all optimism and roses the past few months (just ask my family and friends). But even this reminds me of the truth of Scripture: “If we are faithless, he [Jesus] remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

Here’s a song I’ve had on repeat a lot over the last weeks. No matter the trial, God is faithful. He is good. And He always delivers His people.