Standing on the Promises

This is an old joke. Where does a 400 pound gorilla sleep?  And the answer is, "anywhere he wants to."  Few of us would try to stop a gorilla from sleeping where he wants to. We exercise our "smarts" and quickly decide we wouldn't attempt it.

The 1985 NFL draft brought a player named William Perry to the Chicago Bears. He stood 6' 2" and weighed 382 pounds. It is not surprising he was nicknamed "The Refrigerator."  He was a very successful defensive lineman for the Bears, except on special occasions when they were near their opponent's goal line, William Perry would either carry the ball as a fullback, or would lead the way in blocking for another running back, leading him into the end zone.

A more contemporary joke might be, "Who wants to tackle William Perry?"  The answer comes back, "nobody wants to try!"  Even for a football player, an opponent can become too big to handle.

Do you ever face problems or difficulties in life that you would compare to a 400 pound gorilla, or an attempt at tackling William Perry? If we are human and honest with ourselves, we all have. We deal with such difficulties in our work, our schools, our marriage, in raising our children, in dealing with our neighbors.....and you can add to the list.  We may be successful in coming away from our problems without physical injury, but our spirits are bruised, and our emotions are tattered, and we often don't know which way to turn.

For the Christian who deals with the issues we have described, there is hope. From 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your cares on him, for he cares for you."  There is great comfort in knowing that we have the assistance of the Divine when it comes to dealing with our problems.

While the above scriptural verse offers an answer to our cares and anxieties, we are usually unwilling to give them to the Lord. We think we are strong enough or rich enough to handle our own affairs and any move in the direction of seeking help, even from God, is a sign of weakness.  The truth of the matter is that our God, in preparing the way for our sinful lives to be brought back to him, provides the remedy for all our anxieties, and offers to shoulder the weight of our burdens.

The one who extends his forgiveness for our sins through the blood of his Son, wants us to know that we have the very power of heaven within us to be our Comforter, our Strength and our Provider.  Peter  refers to God's power and his promises by saying "he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature."   God does not want us to be weighted down by the things and situations of this life, so his promise to us to be our helper, and keep us from cares and anxieties, is actually God inviting us to be a participant in his divine nature.

Yes, we still have our troubles and calamities, but our helper is with us and in us to guarantee our success and victory.  And here is the part that is difficult to understand.  The only explanation to God doing this for us is he loves us.  Rather than face our troubles with our own strength or intellect or success, God promises us a share in his very own divine nature.  Those are the promises upon which we can stand.

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