Jeremiah 29 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

 

The Beatles wrote many songs but my favorite has always been “Yesterday.” Remember….Yesterday

All my troubles seemed so far away

Now it looks as though they’re here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly

I’m not half the man I used to be

There’s a shadow hanging over me

Oh, yesterday came suddenly

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Beatles-Yesterday-lyrics.html

All of us have some yesterdays to be remembered and for the most part are referred to as the ‘good ole days’. Suddenly, it seems with little or no warning we are no longer who we used to be. Age and time leave their marks while past and current events change and mold us into who we are. This is not a ‘blame game’ it is about a selective silence, a faith of convenience and what makes people uncomfortable, the accumulation of life’s every day events. The world and the country are changing and in the minds of those of the faith not for the better. I have readers from around the world… a gift of the internet and Bill Gates. It would be a case of bad manners to be judgmental of other countries when here in the USA we can’t manage our own house…so to speak. Now back to ‘Yesterday’… Yes the world has changed and Yesterday is Gone…  In a book by Dan Boone, “A Charitable Discourse” Mr Boone in the preface lists about 12 things that bother most people but they are not comfortable talking about them, much less confronting them. Some of these items minimize or eliminate meaningful conversations. No doubt the pressure that surrounds societal changes, the evolving culture changes they bring, such as, this new thing that has come to be known as cancel culture. What is that? My definition is a bit harsh I suppose. I view it as a social phenomenon of refined hate by the social elite. Below is a more rational definition.

Cancel culture or call-out culture is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person. Those subject to this ostracism are said to have been “cancelled”. Wikipedia

Biblically speaking it undermines and shatters the very message of Jesus Christ. It strikes at the very heart of God’s Commandments to his people. In his article Dan Boone has a list of things and I will not list those here…buy the book…It’s a good and insightful read. The point of this blog is to answer a question. So in a world that is hostile to Christian thought or precepts what do we do, where do we go? In times of trouble and distress there can be found a universal desire… Most folks just want to find a source of comfort, inner peace and a place or time that takes them there. God has provided for his people a means that does just that. In the Book of Psalms we can experience the power of prayer, which I believe is simply a conversation with our creator… the creator of all things and the place where He who will sustain us in our time of uncertainty dwells and listens for our voice. 

But first do this…

Philippians 4:5-7 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalms offers a way to bypass the negative feelings that life sometimes puts on us. Psalms focuses on prayers, poems, and hymns that bring us closer to God in praise and adoration. Many of these were used as a hymnal in the worship services of ancient Israel. God hears our prayers…Turn to the Psalms in time of distress.

We are never alone in times of…

Trouble:

Psalm 25:16-18

16 

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 

Relieve the troubles of my heart

and free me from my anguish.18 Look on my affliction and

my distressand take away all my sins.

He hears our voices:

Psalm 34:4

4 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 121:1-2

1

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from? 2 My help comes

from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 116:1-2

1 

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned

his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

The Confidence and Assurance, that is ours through our God:

Psalm 23:4

4 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil,

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Life is Good

jk

 

Resource:  Boone, Dan. A Charitable Discourse, Volume 2: Uncomfortable Conversations 

 Kindle Edition.