PLUS

Romans 5:3-5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:  knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:  he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

The days, the weeks, and the months at Valley Forge tested the endurance of the American Continental Army.  General Washington wrote the following about their conditions, their constitution, and their character:

“For without arrogance or the smallest deviation from truth it may be said, that no history now extant can furnish an instance of an army’s suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men, without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes, by which their marches might be traced by blood from their feet, and almost as often without provisions as with them, marching through frost and snow, and at Christmas taking up their Winter Quarters within a day’s march of the enemy, without a house or hut to cover them till they could be built, and submitting to it without a murmur, is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.”

It is easy for us to consider the challenges of our day as unprecedented and unparalleled.  It is easy to grow weary because we are overwhelmed by the burdens we carry.  We easily forget that our predecessors faithfully carried burdens, and those burdens sometimes make ours look mild by comparison.  Our Savior certainly did.

We are to be encouraged by the faithful fortitude of our forefathers.  Their tribulations created patience, endurance, experience, and hope.  We should harness their hope, and more importantly their source of hope, to help us through our times today.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PATIENCE AND FORTITUDE IN HANDLING OUR DAILY CHALLENGES.  Our forefathers’ endurance could scarce be paralleled, but their source of hope is readily available for us today.

I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:  and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”

Two-hundred and forty years ago, the American Continental Army spent the long, cold, harsh winter in Valley Forge twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia.  The winter of 1777-1778 was a pivotal one for the revolutionary cause in America, and is rich with lessons for Christians today.  It will be the topic of the next several PLUS posts, as we consider the powerful example and lessons of our courageous and visionary forefathers.

In order to professionalize the untrained military force at Valley Forge, General Washington brought in the Prussian battle-tested soldier Baron Friedrich von Steuben.  Upon seeing the force early on in his tenure, von Steuben commented that “with respect to military discipline, I may safely say that no such thing existed in the Continental Army.”  Baron von Steuben would be the Continental Army’s Inspector General and even in the harsh conditions of Valley Forge, the Americans invested their time in learning military tactics and developing into a professional force.  By the time they left their winter encampment, the Americans were trained and disciplined soldiers.

Baron von Steuben made an interesting observation about the American soldiers as compared to the others around the world:  “You say to your soldier, ‘do this’ and he does it.  But I am obliged to say to the American, ‘This is why you ought to do this’ and then he does it.”  He saw the need to be ready to give an answer to every American soldier when asked ‘why’?  Once armed with an understanding and motivation, Americans were an unmatched force.

American Christians today, in accordance with God’s Word, need be to ready to always give an answer to every man about our hopefulness.  We are to answer why we are hopeful.  We are to answer why we are faithful.  We are to answer why we are steadfast.  We are to answer why we are principled.  We are to answer why we are humble.  We are to answer why we are filled with conviction.  We are to answer why we are filled with joy.  We are to answer by directing attention away from ourselves and to the source of all our strength.  Doing so will provide understanding and motivation that can make us an unmatched force.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD BE READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER FOR THE HOPE THAT IS IN US.  Be ready to say, ‘this is why’.

I Thessalonians 5:11 “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

In light of the environment of despair and hopelessness that surrounds us, we must first steel ourselves against it.  We must resist it, rebuff it, and repeal it.  With all of the attention, passion, and energy that remains, we must edify and exhort others.  After all, they are facing the same thing.

As Christians, we must show the love of Christ by our positive attitudes and our uplifting demeanors.  We must encourage others with our hopefulness.  We must warn those around us about the dangerous cycle of despair.  We must urgently appeal to the inner desire of everyone to see a future that is brighter than the challenges of today.  After all, the fingerprints of a hopeful God are embedded in each of us.  His intent is for everyone to counter discouragement, sorry, misery, and pain through a firm reliance upon Him.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD INVEST OUR LIVES TO UPLIFT OTHERS FOR CHRIST.  After all, God has charged us to edify one another.  Let us do so!

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Even Christians can be overwhelmed by what it going on around us.  It is easy to fall into the traps of pessimism and hopelessness.  The devil would like for nothing more than to sideline a Christian through feelings of doubt and despair.  It should never be so!

We have a God who can prevail in even the direst of situations.  He can succeed when the only outcome we can imagine is failure.  After all, he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.  He can show us great and mighty things that we knowest not.  He will answer our call!

You can get through the setbacks of your life by relying on the One who gives you strength when you have none on your own.  When you are wandering in your wilderness and wondering what will happen next, please know that God can change things in an instant.  He can shift our circumstances to overcome the toughest of earthly challenges.  He may even cause things to turn out better than you could even imagine.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE POWER OF HOPEFULNESS THROUGH GOD REGARDLESS OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.  When we are wandering and wondering, He is working!

For related thoughts, please view the following:
https://prayatlunch.us/never-know/
https://prayatlunch.us/call-unto-me/
https://prayatlunch.us/limitless/

Titus 2:13-14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

There is a sense of despair all around us – an environment of divisiveness and hopelessness.  It exists in our communities, in our workplaces, in our schools, and sometimes even in our churches.  It is pervasive and ubiquitous.  It is powerful and impactful.  It is dragging us down with it.

The world is desperately looking for hope.  It is looking for togetherness.  It is looking for a future that is brighter than the darkness of today.

The world should see all of that in us as we reflect our hope-giving God.  They should see it in our demeanors.  They should see it in our attitudes.  They should see it in the spring in our steps and the rosiness of our outlooks.  They should see it in our lives, in our families, and in our congregations.  They should see it as pervasive and ubiquitous.  They should regard it as powerful and impactful.  It should lift them up with us.

We have the good news of the blessed hope.  We serve a God who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.  We have something that is freely given and impossible to replace.  We have the perfect antidote to despair, hopelessness, and divisiveness.  We have a great God and Saviour!

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD CONVEY HOPE TO A NEEDY WORLD.  May we inspire, encourage, and uplift those around us.  After all, we have the Blessed Hope!