RECOVERY part 2
Believe and Receive
Last week we began our new series on RECOVERY. The first step is the first letter—"Realize I’m not God, admit I’m powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and my life is unmanageable.” The first step centers on being honest about yourself, your circumstances, and even more importantly, who God is. This blunt honesty can feel deflating. After all, admitting that we have such little control over our lives can feel like a fatalistic nightmare. But, the Good News is that God does exist, and He does have the power to transform our lives. And that is the second step.
E-Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that he has the power to help me recover.
Now, when we forget who we are and who God is, it inevitably will bring about pain. How we address this pain determines whether we will head toward healing or destruction. Celebrate Recovery talks about three things God uses to get our attention, and I believe these are spot on.
The first is Crisis. It could be some sort of illness, extra stress, or losing a job.
The second is Conflict. Someone, or more than one, care enough to say, “Something is wrong, and you are about to have some horrible consequences, if you don’t get it together.”
The third is Catastrophe. This is when the bottom falls out, because God steps back to let you feel the effects of trying to be God in your life. We learn that the truth “you reap what you sow” can be just as destructive as it can be life-giving.
These three things are really versions of the same thing—pain. Pain is no fun, but it is gift. Pain is what tells us to stay away from fire. It tells us when something is wrong in our bodies. It tells us when our relationships are not what they should be. Our world today is in a never-ending search for removing pain in our lives, and yet, God is using our pain to get our attention.
Consider physical pain. When you are walking in the dark, and you smash your little toe against a piece of furniture, what does that pain tell you? Two things—one, turn on a light, and two, there’s some furniture, so watch out. When you are a child, and your finger is heading towards a hot stove. That pain says, “Hey, don’t touch that! It’ll burn!”
Emotional and spiritual pain is the same, it just feels different. When relationships are out of whack, when your sin has not been dealt with, or whenever someone else has hurt you, that emotional/spiritual pain notifies you that something is wrong.
Now, if that is true, then whenever we feel pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, but we can’t identify the immediate cause, then God is getting our attention. And the thing to keep in mind is that if we are going through a crisis, conflict, or catastrophe, those are actually the symptoms of the problem, not the actual problem.
The actual problem lies in the heart. The heart has some wound that may be years, even decades, old, but it never fully healed. We find other ways to deal with the wound hoping to mask the problem, but it never works.
The hope that we have in this next step is that we can go to God and receive true healing.
The Three Parts of Step 2
There are three parts to Step 2 that work together, but they’re easier to understand separately. This step is best summarized in Hebrews 11:6.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Now, this verse is one of those great memory verses that is sandwiched in a passage that isn’t necessarily about what the verse says. Hebrews 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because the whole chapter is a list of examples of Old Testament heroes of faith. The point of Hebrews 11 is found in the first verse.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3
Verse 1 is the definition of faith. It is the assurance of things hoped for. It’s not just hoping something will happen. It’s knowing that it will happen, even though it hasn’t yet. It’s the “conviction of things not seen.” This is the definition of faith that skeptics love because they can call our faith ‘irrational,’ but the problem is our faith is not irrational. We actually have a large amount of evidence for our faith. In fact, that’s why Hebrews 11 lists all these Old Testament characters. He is saying, “If God has been faithful to His people through all these stories, we can be absolutely sure He will be faithful to us!”
The first example is the existence of the universe itself. By faith we understand God created the universe, and it was created by His word, or His utterance. The universe exists because God said it should. It is a reminder of who God is.
So, verse 6 is something of a tangent to this point. God is faithful to us, and He has proven Himself faithful generation after generation. If we want to please Him, we must approach Him in faith knowing that He will do what He promises, even if it does not appear like He will. We believe that He exists, and we believe that He rewards those who seek Him. He has rewarded those who sought Him before, so we can boldly seek Him knowing there is a reward for us, as well.
That is what these three parts are about—seeking God in faith.
The first part is ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S EXISTENCE.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Romans 1:20
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
Psalm 14:1
These two verses point to the same truth found in Hebrews 11:2. The universe clearly proclaims there is a God above all other things in Creation who made the heavens and the earth. For some time, the fools who say there is no God have tried to persuade humanity that we are all some cosmic accident. It has become common knowledge for the wider world. But, if you press the highest academies of Biology, Astronomy, Physics, and all the other sciences that supposedly discredit the Bible, what you will find is that our science has brought us full circle. The new traditional academic standard of the ‘cosmic accident’ does not hold up to scrutiny. That is why you will hear things about aliens seeding the Earth, or the universe being some hologram, or some other such nonsense. It is easier to develop far-flung theories than to accept the truth—There is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.
The second part is UNDERSTAND GOD’S CHARACTER.
Once we acknowledge the truth of God’s existence, then we have to ask, “What is God like?” We already have that answer through Scripture. God has told us what He is like.
Primarily, He revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Col. 1:15
Jesus is the picture of the invisible God. He reveals the character, mission, and love of God to us. Likewise, because God walked among us as a fellow human, He understands exactly our situation.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15
God knows all about my situation.
He knows about our situation, because He has walked in our shoes. Sure, He walked 2,000 years ago, but not much about humans has changed. We may look a little different, but we still deal with the same problems.
In Psalm 103, the psalmist writes:
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame he remembers that we are dust.
Ps. 103:13–14
God cares about my situation.
He can sympathize, and He does sympathize with our situation. He loves us with an everlasting love, as Jeremiah writes in Jeremiah 31:3.
As a side note, God is not sensitive. We get our first impression of what God is like through our fathers. Some fathers are unreasonable when their children approach them. They don’t like being questioned. They don’t like being argued with. Now, I am not saying we should make a habit arguing with God, but I am saying He is big enough to handle your frustrations, your anger, and your doubts. The Book of Job is a long story about such an occasion. Job is dealing with catastrophic circumstances outside of his control and his understanding. He spends 30+ chapters arguing with his “friends” and God about his situation. When God responds, His response includes a reminder to Job of just how big He is. And, keep in mind, God does not chastise Job for the questions, He only reminds Job of who is who in the story.
Last, God can change me and my situation.
But [Jesus] said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Luke 18:27
God can transform you. He has done it for millions upon millions of people throughout history. If you ask other Christians around you, “How has God transformed you?” You will hear testimony after testimony of what God has done. He can do it again.
The third part is ACCEPT GOD’S OFFER TO HELP.
He is able to help you. He cares for you. He will help you, but you have to accept His help.
God never forces His way in. In Revelation, Jesus tells one of the churches that he is standing at the door knocking. He will knock on the door of your heart, but He will never barge His way in. He loves us too much. True love never forces its way. It is patient to wait for the recipient of that love to offer their love in return.
But, if we accept His help, God promises to complete His work of transforming us.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6
Think back to the pain we talked about in the beginning. If God is allowing you to feel the sting of that hurt. Then that means He is getting ready to do something. It may be a lesson. It may be a life change. You may not see it right now in the pain, but through faith we know the change is going to come. We don’t see it yet, but it’s on the way.
But before we can see the reward, we have to seek Him. Before we can understand the lesson, we have to be listening. Before we can walk in the victory over that sin, we have to turn from it.
The crisis, conflict, or catastrophe is there because God is getting your attention. He already told you not to touch the stove, but you did it anyway. The pain is there, so you will listen to what He is saying next. There is something good to come, but before it comes, we have to turn to Him in faith.
Let me give you one last promise from Scripture.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:2–3a