Temporary

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Luke 6:20-23

Jesus is ministering to “a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.” People had come from all around to hear him and be healed. You get a picture of Jesus with His disciples in front of a crowd of those needing help, those recognizing that they were powerless without Him. These were those that were humbled by the difficulty of life. Their humility and desperation brought them to Christ.

The desperate needed hope. They needed faith. Life was difficult on this crowd. They needed something more. So, in addition to healing the masses, Jesus taught a message of encouragement.

Jesus said, blessed are you if you are poor, hungry, sad and weeping, or if people mistreat you, hate you. He told the people that this is temporary and encouraged them to look forward, to better things to come. If you are poor, you will have a Kingdom. If you are hungry, you will have plenty to eat. If you are sad, you will be happy. If men hate you because of Jesus, you will be full of joy. It was as if He looked over the multitude, saw the pain and suffering, the weeping and wailing, and told them, “your time is coming.”

I can only imagine after the miracles that had taken place, the healing of the diseases, that everyone’s heart was full of joy and faith. Christ was giving them hope in the middle of the desolate situation. Their pain was temporary.

We will all have these seasons in our life. The seasons when nothing makes sense. The seasons of grief and difficulty. Maybe the seasons when our faith wanes. During these times, we recognize the world has little to offer. Like the multitudes in the story above, we are humbled by the battles of life. It is during these times when these same words that Jesus delivered to the multitudes that day, also bring hope to us and our situation. It is inevitable that life will be difficult. Jesus told the people and us where to look. Perpetual joy awaits.

Job lost his wealth and his kids in an instant.

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:20-21

Somehow, he looks forward and exclaims, “blessed be the name of the Lord.” His hope and faith in God sustained him.

In the morning, as I read the Bible, I have a book marker from my dad’s funeral on the desk next to me with his obituary and Psalm 23 written on it. The obituary tells me that he was 81 when he died. I use dad’s bible often. In the back of the book, on a post-it note, Dad had written a couple of verses.

I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 2 Samuel 19:35

I read that verse, and I remember what He was going through at the time battling Parkinson’s Disease, after many other health battles. He seems to have read this verse and used it as a descriptor for his own life. Dad must have written this soon before he passed away.

But there is also another passage written on the post-it note, Psalm 90. This chapter contains the following verses.

The Opening – Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:1-2

The Middle – Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10

The Closing – O Lord, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. Psalm 90:13-16

The Psalm begins by calling God everlasting. He was, is, and will always be. Then, the Psalmists talks about the brevity of life, with one passage saying, ” teach us to number our days.” Then, the writer ends with surety and hope, “Lord come back to us!”

Now, I am not sure exactly what was going on in my Dad’s mind when he wrote these verses. He had been through some major difficulties. But, in these verses, when he is weak, I do see him recognizing how temporary his situation is and pointing to God and the future with hope. I see Dad’s cry for God.

The twists and turns of life will always bring difficulty, just like the multitudes that came to Jesus, just like Lot, just like my dad. But, there is an anchor to cling to during the storm. This anchor is the only thing that holds.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:23-34

Every day, The Anchor is with us. Find hope in the recognition of the temporary.

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