We’ve heard in the news this spring of terrible storms that have ravaged many parts of the country. Tornadoes wiped out entire neighborhoods in the south. Floodwaters reached near record levels along the Mississippi River. Countless lives and livelihoods have been affected.
You should know that the church has responded to help those in need. Money that you have given to the church – to Disciples Mission Fund and Week of Compassion – is at work, helping to rebuild lives and communities. And the best thing about the work we do through these ministries is that it doesn’t end as soon as the media spotlight moves on to some other issue. Rebuilding efforts like these take many years, which is why we are still supporting work in Nashville a year after that city experienced some of its worst flooding ever. It’s why we are still working in Haiti, more than a year after the devastating earthquake there. It’s why we are still working in the Gulf Coast, quite a few years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And it’s why we will be in the Mississippi River region for many months to come, at least; as long as it takes. Through the work of the church, God lets those in difficult circumstances know that they are not alone; God is with them, even in the darkest valley.
The images in the news of houses flooded almost up to their rooftops reminds me of a story I once heard:
It had been raining for days and days, and a terrible flood had come over the land. The waters rose so high that one man was forced to climb onto the roof of his house. There, he prayed for God to save him.
As the waters rose higher and higher, a man in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the man in the rowboat went away, while the man on the roof prayed for God to save him.
The waters rose higher and higher, and suddenly a speedboat appeared. "Climb in!" shouted a man in the boat. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the man in the speedboat went away. The man on the roof prayed for God to save him.
The waters continued to rise. A helicopter appeared and over the loudspeaker, the pilot announced he would lower a rope to the man on the roof. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the helicopter went away. The man on the roof prayed for God to save him.
The waters rose higher and higher, and eventually they rose so high that the man on the roof was washed away, and alas, the poor man drowned.
Upon arriving in heaven, the man marched straight over to God. "Heavenly Father," he said, "I had faith in you, I prayed to you to save me, and yet you did nothing. Why?" God gave him a puzzled look, and replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"
Trusting in God: it’s not always easy, is it?
Another story:
A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and, to his horror, saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn’t hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff.
So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something. HELP! HELP! Is anyone up there? “HELP!” He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.
“Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?”
“Yes, yes! I can hear you. I’m down here!”
“I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?”
“Yes, but who are you, and where are you?
“I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere.”
“The Lord? You mean, GOD?”
“That’s Me.”
“God, please help me! I promise if, you’ll get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve You for the rest of my life.”
Easy on the promises, Jack. Let’s get you off from there; then we can talk.” “Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully.”
“I’ll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do.”
“Okay. Let go of the branch.”
“What?”
“I said, let go of the branch.” Just trust Me. Let go.”
There was a long silence. Finally Jack yelled, “HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?”
Trusting in God. It’s not always easy.
The book of Psalms contains 150 hymns through which God’s people express their troubles and fears, their hopes and aspirations, and their trust in God. Among the psalms of trust, none is more well-known than Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
In times of darkness and difficulty, we trust in the Lord to lead us to the green pastures. The green pastures are located beside still waters. And yet, as we rest there, and look out across those waters, it often seems as if everyone else is over on the other side of those waters. They’re over there on the other side, having what looks to be a grand ol’ time, while we’re over here all by ourselves. And to our eyes, it even appears as if the grass is greener, over there on the other side.
And so we start to question God: is this really the right side for us to be on?
Over on the other side we see big houses. Over on the other side we see bright lights. Over on the other side we see the latest 3-D digital entertainment.
And enjoying it all are all the people, rushing back and forth from one thing to another. There’s so much to do over there, they never have a dull moment. Life is one big rush.
Over here, on this side, it’s just … you.
Or is it?
I must confess that, too often, my words and actions are influenced by all those on the other side. I want to be part of the crowd. That’s just human nature. We are social creatures. We want to be part of a group. We want to be liked. We don’t like to be over all by ourselves.
In my best moments, though, I dare to stand up, stick my head out, above the tall grass of the pasture, and declare that this side really is better, that life isn’t all about bright lights, big money, and non-stop entertainment. The Lord led me to this green pasture, where life is simpler, and even though everyone on the other side thinks I’m crazy, I have learned that the Lord was right, that a peaceful simplicity is actually far more satisfying than all the hussle and bussle of the other side.
It’s hard to say things like this. It’s even harder to actually live like this, to remain on this side and not be tempted to cross over to the other side. It’s hard to trust in the Lord like this, especially when I’m the only one.
But when I do stand up and say things like this, a surprising thing happens. A couple yards away, a head will rise above the grass and say to me, “It’s so nice to know you think that way, because that’s how I think, too, but I thought I was the only one.”
And then another head will rise up, and say, “I thought I was the only one.” And then another will rise up, and then another, and then we all look around, and we discover that there’s a whole crowd of us, and that each of us who are a part of the crowd had thought that we were the only one.
But it doesn’t stop there. When just one or two of us stick our heads up, the people on the other side look over and see us, and they are simultaneously filled with several contradictory emotions.
First, there’s a longing to come over and join us. Life on that other side, though glamorous, comes at a price. They’re too busy. Too busy working, too busy rushing from place to place, to enjoy life. They don’t know each other, except at a superficial level, because they’re too busy for real conversation. There’s no time to rest, and no real satisfaction.
However, they also see that there’s just one or two over on this side, and the influence of those around them is too strong; the pressure to stay where they are is too great. So they consider us idealists, fools, or even freaks. And they go back to their own hectic, crazy lives.
When a few more heads rise up out of the grass on our side, they’ll look again. The longing to cross over will return; but, with sadness, they’ll say, “I just can’t.” They’re too invested where they are to move. They’d like to trust God, believe God, that things really are better over here, but they can’t.
But as the number of heads rising up on this side continues to increase, people on the other side will dip their toes in the water. A few will begin crossing over. And, slowly, they’ll realize that God was right, that goodness and mercy and joy and happiness really do exist on this side.
And so, we become a group; a group with ties that bind us close together as a family. And our happiness grows. The wealth and glamor on the other side, we discover, is really just an illusion. Even the grass that appeared so much greener, we now realize, is nothing but artificial turf.
I’ve been reading a fascinating book lately. It’s by journalist Tina Rosenberg, and it’s called Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World. We often think of peer pressure as a negative: it’s what keeps people on the other side, and what keeps people on this side from coming out of hiding. But it can also be positive, as when those on this side realize that they have something in common, that their lives are in fact better because they trusted in the Lord, and they can hold one another accountable so that they can continue to resist the temptation to go back over on the other side.
Also, on this side, our relationships with one another are stronger. There’s no time on the other side to develop lasting relationships. Over there, we’re more of a herd; over here, we’re more of a family. Over there, we feel alone, even though we’re surrounded by people. Over here, we feel connected.
On page 181 of her book, Tina Rosenberg has this to say: “Joining a group increases your happiness as much as doubling your income.” Feeling truly connected, in a deep (not superficial) way, to God and to other people, has real value.
I’ve talked about this side and that side, but the truth is that all of us live on both sides. We have one foot in each of these two different worlds.
Will you follow the Lord to where the pastures are truly green? How much do you trust? How much do you believe?
Does it look lonely over there, where God is leading you? Do not fear, for God is with you. God’s rod and God’s staff will comfort you. Besides, odds are you’ll discover that you really are not alone after all, that there are others waiting to join you … if you will but take that first step.
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