August - Coping with the Summer Heat
Week 1 Get in the Shade
Week 2 Don’t Forget your Assigned Summer Reading!
Week 3 Avoid Creating Unnecessary Heat
Week 4 Quench Your Thirst
Week 5 Encourage Yourself
Week 1 Get in the Shade
It is not unusual during the summer months for the temperature in Florida to be 100 degrees or higher. When this happens, shade is such a welcome relief from the heat of the day.
No matter where you live, you may, this very moment, be seeking relief from the fiery trials produced by the circumstances in your life. The Lord himself is our shade, and what a blessing He is when we are feeling the heat. You can probably relate to the writer of these verses from the psalms.
“I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120:7 NKJV).
“I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?” (Psalm 121:1 CSB)
“My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand” (Psalm 121:2,5 NKJV)
How thankful we are when the intensity of the heat directed at us is diminished as a result of the interception and absorption of it by our Lord. Granted, being in the shade is still not equivalent to the comfort of an air conditioned building, but the shade does make the heat bearable.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NKJV).
God has not yet moved us to the tribulation free eternal home He has prepared for us, but He is willing to make the heat bearable until we get there.
Whether your trial involves pain caused by others, as the psalmist’s did, or whether it involves serious financial problems, or even discouraging health issues, shade is available. Remember, “The Lord is your Keeper.” The word “keeper” comes from a Hebrew word which means to keep within bounds, to guard, observe, have charge of, and keep watch.
Unfortunately, some are stubborn and determined to avoid the shade. The regret is often realized years later with the appearance of leathery skin and skin cancer. In the same way, facing the fiery trials of this life alone can leave us hard and burdened down with emotional, physical, and mental baggage.
Why not find the “Shade”? You won’t have to look too far. “The Lord is your shade at your right hand.” What a blessing!
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 2 Don't Forget Your Assigned Summer Reading!
School will be starting soon and many students are realizing the deadline for completing assigned summer reading is fast approaching. Many will opt for shortcuts. They will buy the Cliff Notes or talk to someone who has read the book. Those who have tried these shortcuts, however, realize that, depending on the difficulty and type of test given, there is a real possibility they could fail the test.
As surely as the heat of summer eventually comes each year, there will also be seasons of trials and testing in every Christian's life. Will we pass the test? We can talk to others and learn from their experiences, but ultimately, the most effective course of action is to prepare by “reading the Book”. The writer of Psalm 119 gave a first hand testimony about the importance of reading God’s word in the midst of the trials and pain of this life.
“The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from Your instruction” (Psalm 119:51 CSB)
“ The proud have forged a lie against me, But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:69 NKJV).
“ . . . they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts” (Psalm 119:78).
“ My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:81 NKJV).
“ The wicked wait for me to destroy me, But I will consider Your testimonies” (Psalm 119:95 NKJV).
“Trouble and distress have overtaken me, but Your commands are my delight” (Psalm 119:143 CSB).
“Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word” (Psalm 119:61 NKJV).
The writer of these verses also believed his affliction had been beneficial because it helped him learn God’s “statutes”.
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71 NKJV).
The Hebrew word for “statute” is “qxo choq {khoke}” and means “ordinance, limit, something prescribed”.
God’s prescription for what we are dealing with is in His Word. Just knowing a prescription will help is always reassuring.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 3 Avoid Creating Unnecessary Heat
As a rule, I don’t build a campfire and roast marshmallows in Florida during the summer. I also don’t turn on the self cleaning feature of my oven at noon on a hot summer day or wear my coat to the beach. A thermos of hot chicken soup has not been taken on any of our summer picnics. And, last but not least, I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that our fireplace has not been used all summer. During the summer season, I try to avoid producing any unnecessary heat.
A prescribed amount of heat is beneficial during specific times or seasons and for specific purposes.
“Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12 CSB).
Unnecessary heat, however, is detrimental and even destructive. That’s why I set the timer when I bake cookies or rolls. Burned, hardened cookies and dinner rolls cease to be useful. In the same way, hardened hearts limit our usefulness to God.
“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as . . . In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Beware, . . . lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;” (Hebrews 3:7-9,12 NKJV).
We can learn a lesson or two from the Israelites who wandered around in the wilderness much longer than necessary because they made their “fiery trial” hotter and longer than it needed to be. The result was hardened hearts and as a result, a missed purpose and promise.
Psalm 78 and Hebrews 3 both make reference to the same unfortunate experience and provide a list of the ways the Israelites produced unnecessary heat during their trial in the wilderness.
1. Instead of moving forward in the victory they had been promised, they lost their courage and turned back in the midst of the battle.
“The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle” (J Psalm 78:9 NKJV).
2. Instead of being faithful in doing their part to receive the promise God had made, they refused to obey God..
“They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law,” (Psalm 78:10 NKJV).
3. Instead of building up their faith by remembering the miracles God had already performed for them, they forgot what He had done.
“And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them” (Psalm 78:11 NKJV).
4. Instead of speaking of their confidence in what God would do, they spoke words of concern and unbelief.
“But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. Yes, they spoke against God: They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? . . . Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?" (Psalm 78:17,19,20 NKJV).
Ironically, their coping strategy made the experience hotter and more uncomfortable than it already was.
“Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation” (Psalm 78:21,22 NKJV).
Before it was over, their hardened hearts had limited their usefulness to God.
“Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41 NKJV).
Very few from this group entered the Promised Land. Instead, they died with hardened hearts in the “oven” of the wilderness. What was to be a place through which to pass became a place in which to harden.
The wilderness was intended to be an oven in which measured and then blended amounts of ingredients that are not necessarily tasty on their own would be subjected to heat for a prescribed period of time and for a specific purpose. The product of all this could have been a renewed belief in the faithfulness of God and then the enjoyment of the Promised Land to which they were traveling. It’s too bad bad they made the experience harder and hotter than it needed to be. It’s unfortunate they became hardened in the process. There is a lesson here on the tragedy of unnecessary “heat”!
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 4 - Quench Your Thirst
What memories do you associate with the words "extreme thirst"? Those words transport me back to the summer baseball games I watched my sons play in one hundred plus degree temperatures. The boys’ uniforms were often soaked with perspiration by the end of the game. Occasionally, the paramedics were called to treat a spectator or player for heat exhaustion which can develop after exposure to high temperatures and inadequate replacement of fluids.
David experienced extreme thirst in the wilderness of Judah.
“A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1 NKJV).
Thirst is instinctive, but quenching it wisely does not necessarily come naturally.
Have you ever reached for a syrupy, caffeine laden soft drink to relieve your thirst? Did it totally satisfy? David knew what, or perhaps I should say “Who”, to reach for when thirsty. Based on his response, I offer four tips for a thirsty soul.
Tips for a thirsty soul:
1. Look for Him in the sanctuary and desire to see His power and His glory. Spend time in group worship.
“ So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory” (Psalm 63:2 NKJV).
2. Spend time in individual worship and praise.
David said, “my mouth shall praise You”.
“Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. . . I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied . . . , And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:3,4,5 NKJV).
3. Rejoice as you reflect on how He has helped you in the past.
“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice” (Psalm 63:6,7 NKJV).
4. Follow the Lord closely.
“My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8 NKJV).
“I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me” Psalm 63:8 NKJV).
Exactly what does it mean to “follow closely” ? According to the Hebrew language, these words mean to cling, stick to or with, stay close, and join to.
I remember finding myself in the midst of a riot during high school. I was in an unattended classroom as the teacher had been called out to help quell the disturbance. Fighting was taking place inside the building, as well as outside on the school grounds. A friend’s father quickly heard what was taking place, checked his daughter’s schedule and came directly to the classroom she was in to escort her through and from the dangerous situation. I remember quickly deciding to leave school with my friend and her dad. As he escorted us through the tear gas, we stayed very close - one on his right side, the other on his left. I wasn’t about to wander off and lose sight of him. If he took a few steps to the left, I did too. If he took a few steps to the right, I did also.
That’s how thirsty people follow the Lord.
Are you in a “dry and thirsty land”? Does your soul thirst for Him? In John 7:37, Jesus said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” I hope you will.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 5 - Encourage Yourself
Yesterday after the church service, a young woman who just recently came to know the Lord approached me crying and clutching her cell phone. Her husband was in jail for violating probation and she requested that I speak to him because he was very discouraged. I introduced myself to him on the phone and silently asked the Lord to provide the right words. I obviously did not remind him of what he had done to get in this situation and I did not explain to him all the consequences that could possibly be ahead. He is a broken man and very aware of those aspects of his circumstances.
I can’t say, however. that I would have been as encouraging to myself had I been in his predicament. Have you ever noticed that encouraging others comes more naturally to us than encouraging ourselves?
There eventually comes in the life of each person, a time when we will find ourselves in a situation where there is no encouragement to be found unless we initiate it. What will we do? The passage below describes the seemingly hopeless predicament in which David found himself. Read this passage and notice how David responded.
“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives . . . had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:1-6 NKJV).
This passage reveals that David and his men wept until they could weep no more. However, as the men approached the next stage of their grief, they took two different paths.
The men with David decided to take their anger out on David, while David chose to encourage himself in the Lord.
1 Samuel 30:6 in the King James Version reads, “but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
Encouraged comes from a Hebrew word which means to strengthen, prevail, become strong, be courageous, or be resolute.
The city where David’s family resided had been burned and his wives taken, but David held on to the one thing that had not - and could not - be taken from him - his relationship to the Lord. And David “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” Pay close attention to the words “his God” which I have underlined.
When our only source of encouragement is in possessions, achievements, or relationships that can be taken or lost, bitterness and anger are often the result.
Have you ever found yourself in a place where human comfort was useless or was not present? David did and, inevitably, we will also. Though this is a discouraging thought, read on. You will be encouraged.
“So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all" (1 Samuel 30:8 NKJV).
David had wept until he could weep no more and surely didn’t have the energy to put one step in front of the other, but he asked God what his next step should be. That question most certainly required faith and was an act of his will.
The city was burned and, even if rebuilt, would not be exactly the same. David, however, directed his focus to God and that which could be salvaged and restored.
When David asked the Lord what he should do next, he was acknowledging that God is sovereign, that God sees the whole picture, and that God has a plan.
He was also recognizing that God was interested in his grief and that he believed God would actually answer his very practical question.
God did indeed answer him and gave him not only a plan, but a promise.
Have you wept until you can weep no more? Encourage your heart in the Lord your God and ask him to show you what your next step should be. Your answer will not likely be the exact one that David received, but He, no doubt, will give you a plan and a promise as well.
And, as devastating as David's situation was, yours may in some ways seem even more hopeless. In the midst of pain that seems inconsolable, it is encouraging to remember that God’s ability to restore is not limited to the tangible. He has been known to restore even the priceless intangibles of joy and the peace that passes all understanding.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV).
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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