https://www.bible.com/events/49608127
Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus
Never Alone Part 4
“Minor” or on-going health challenges and trials
Today we continue in our teaching series called “Never Alone”.
Throughout this series we are going to talk about common struggles that many of us experience but don’t always feel comfortable talking about in church.
Part of our goal over the next few weeks is that we might disrupt one of the devil’s primary tactics of getting us to believe that we are alone in our struggle. Or that nobody else is dealing with it and therefore there must be something wrong with us and we should keep quiet about it. When we give into that temptation, we risk missing the healing that is available in Christ and in community with other believers.
The truth for us today is that we are never truly alone.
Today we are going to talk about minor or on-going health challenges.
Of course, there is nothing minor when you or someone close to you is the person being affected by it. We are making the distinction in this series because it’s one we often make in our day to day conversations in relationships.
We tend to view chronic allergies different than cancer. Celiac disease more casually than a quadruple bypass surgery, and so on.
While these cases are different, but we don’t want to minimize the plethora of ongoing health challenges that people face.
Things such as life-impacting allergies, celiac disease, eye floaters, Irritable bowl disorder, back pain, migraines, eczema, or asthma. These things can and do impact our daily lives, but we are often reluctant to talk about them.
We don’t want to seem like we are whining, or making a big deal out of it, after all, people have it much worse. And in taking that approach, we keep it all to ourselves, we don’t ask for prayer, and we don’t receive the support of our community in those very real challenges we face.
James 1:2-3
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.
When he says “Consider it pure joy”, that word there for consider gives us the idea that we have a choice to make.
We need to choose our perspective, or make the decision to view our suffering differently.
It’s not automatic just because we are Christians, it’s an effort we have to put forward in faith to see things differently.
Without minimizing the challenge, the pain, or the impact of these trials in our lives, James is pointing us towards a different perspective
To make the conscious decision to view every challenge we face in light of what God can do through it.
Because God is so good, he is so present and active in our lives, he can use each and every thing we face to grow and mature us in our faith.
James 1:4
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James wants us to see that when we face trials, it’s like exercise for our soul. It might be miserable, it might be painful, it’s ok to pray that it would be over soon.
But in the midst of it, we can choose to view those times and an occasion to grow in our maturity as a follower of Jesus.
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
If you don’t feel like you are at the place yet to view your trials this way, James says we are to ask the Lord. To whole heartedly seek the Lord for the wisdom and grace to live this out. To see our trials strengthen us, rather than to destroy us.
If we waver back and forth between doing it our way and seeking the Lord’s way- we arent going to get very far. Just tossed around.
But commit to seeking the Lord and his way, and he will give you what you need.
James 5:13-15
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
You are never alone in your trials, you are never alone in facing ongoing health challenges.
Take the step of faith, into community, and receive the care and comfort that comes from sharing life’s burdens with brothers and sisters in Christ.