"Murphy" Me

Most of us are familiar with "Murphy's Law" which states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Some of us may even believe it; if anything can go wrong, it will ... at the worst possible moment. Murphy seems to have implied some correlations to his law. One is that if you improve or tinker with something long enough, eventually it will break. Another is the light at the end of the tunnel will probably turn out to be the headlamp of an approaching freight train. If you were to boil down the essence of Murphy's Law and all its correlations into one concise statement it would probably be this: "Life is miserable and nothing is going to turn out right."

Joseph Felix wrote a humorous exposition of Murphy's Law from a spiritual perspective and called it, "Lord, have Murphy". The title is appropriate because it makes us think about a cry heard from the lips of miserable people all through the gospel records, "Lord, have mercy"! Mercy has a direct relationship to misery. Nobody seems to know exactly who Murphy was, but whoever he was, he did not seem to know much about God's mercy.

I think from a natural view, "Murphy's Law" probably holds pretty good truth, but from a spiritual look it doesn't jive with the Bible nor the experiences of the believer. A person that dwells on Murphy's Law is a pessimist in a way. How can a child of God really believe that nothing will turn out right? So, we should not be moping around today having a pity party and thinking, Oh "Murphy Me". Here are some reasons to rejoice and have peace every day no matter what our circumstances are. Instead of thinking "Murphy Me", we should be thankful for God's "Mercy to Me".

First, God can make crooked things straight. "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." (Isaiah 40:4,5) Now if you are a "Murphy Me" person you live with the attitude that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. To be sure, there is a lot of wrong in this world, wrong which we would all like to straighten out. Remember too that even the child of God can go wrong and is prone to wander from the right path.

No wrong though, is bigger than God. The amazing thing about God is how He can make the wrong in life right. God has promised that all things work together for good for His elect people who love Him. God forgives the wrong we have done in life and makes them right when we confess our wrong to Him. God can even take wrong ways we are treated in the world and make them good. Think of Joseph in Egypt when his brothers and his friends put him in a crooked pace, yet God meant it for good not only for Joseph, but for the ones who wronged him.

God is most glorified when crooked lives and curves in the road of life are straightened out by His grace and mercy. Jesus was stretched out on a cross to redeem a crooked and sinful people whom He loved to much to let them go wrong just because they would.

Second, God can make hard things easy. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30). One thing that is true about "Murphy's Law" is that nothing is as easy as it looks. It's amazing how the Olympic athletes make skiing and skating look so easy. I was watching a downhill ski event the other night on TV, and the view from a distance made the downhill event look easy, but all of a sudden a camera shot an up close view of the skier and I realized how steep that mountain was. I can only imagine the impact of the difficulty if I had been there in person, or better yet, actually been on the skis.

The reason a "Murphy Me"person will sink when the going gets tough is because of the "look". Nothing is as easy as it looks because we're looking at our problems and not at God. Peter thought that walking on water was easy, and it was, until he looked at the waves and the storm. That's when he started sinking.

Nothing is too hard for God! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! What we need is faith. That is what we're looking for. To look for something we cannot see but know it's there, is faith. Noah built an ark, Abraham left his homeland, Paul finished his course with joy, not because their task was easy, but because they believed God and looked to the One who is the author and finisher of faith.

I remember as a boy seeing a needle move across a table apparently on its own. I wondered how that could be. Then I found out that one of my cousins was moving a magnet underneath the table. So does the Lord with His mighty magnet of mercy and grace in our lives.

Third, God can make time pass quickly in our trials. "And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days for the love he had for her." (Genesis 29:20). The "Murphy Me" in us says that everything takes longer than you expect. Here is where our focus is important. Have you ever tried to watch a clock when you were somewhere you didn't want to be? When I was in elementary school it seemed it took forever for the last bell to ring. Often, our lives take us in such places and events that try us and prove our love. Wether waiting on a sick loved one or sitting in a church pew on Sunday, we would remember that love is the most important thing. When we focus on God's love to us and how we should love one another, then we'll make the most of our time and that's what God meant for us to do when He told us to "redeem the time". To know that God has allowed this trial in our lives will cause us to look back over our life's problems and say "God, you have been so merciful to me, where has the time gone?"

Brother Randy

The morning of December 20, 2005 was to be a tragic day in the life of my mother and for all that had the privilege to know and love her. For that was the day the phone call came to my office at the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church informing me that a neighbor had spotted my parents' house on fire. The drive from the church to my parents' home was the most prayerful journey I've taken in a while. Even before reaching the home, a follow-up call indicated that mama was inside the burning house. Upon arriving at the scene, the driveway was filled with EMS, fire trucks, law enforcement officials, and friends and neighbors. I suppose I won't ever forget standing beside a large pine tree near the front of the house and bowing to the news that my mother was dead.

Some of you have dealt with similar tragedies in your lives and I guess these storms can easily unsettle our spirits and even toss us into the depths of despair, except for one thing - "God's unspeakable gift".

    w  How can we describe God's eternal promise, "He will never leave us nor forsake us"? That means
         something when your heart is broken.

    w  How can we go on unless we know that this great gift encompasses life eternal - so eternal that a fire
         can't put it out?

    w  How do we know what grace is unless a prayer is not answered and we still find that God is
         sufficient?

It's times like this that makes you feel real thankful to be a part of God's church on earth. Truly, where could we go without the Lord and whom would we have without God's people?

While the smoke was still smoldering at the scene, a brother in Christ walked up to me, embraced me and said a prayer chain in the church had already began for me and my family. During the next few days, including the memorial services, it was truly overwhelming to see and feel all that you did to make a storm at sea reach a peace with understanding. More than ever, I am convinced that we need grace for ore than eternal life, that it must come from God alone, but He uses His people to deliver it. Thank you for every prayer, card, phone call, love offering for her memorial, flowers, and especially your genuine compassion.

I hope that God will bless me to be as comforting to you as you have been to my family, and me if such a time should come to your life.

          Brother Randy

Perhaps the most quoted part of the Bible during a time of pain and suffering is Romans 8:28. It reads, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This verse has often been misunderstood and perhaps misused, but its truth can bring a great deal of comfort.

The context of Romans 8 emphasizes what God is doing for us. The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us spiritual life, reassures us that we are children of God, and helps us with our prayers during our times of weakness. Romans 8 also puts our sufferings in the bigger picture of what God is doing - that God is working out His plan of redemption. It also reassures of God's love for us, that no one or no thing could ever keep God from accomplishing what he wants to do, and that nothing could ever separate us from His love.

Romans 8 powerfully reassures us that God is working on behalf of all who have trusted His Son as Savior. The verse does not promise that we will understand all the events of life or that after a time of testing we will be blessed with good things in this life. But it does reassure us that God is working out His good plan through our lives. He is shaping us and our circumstances to bring glory to Himself.

"The good news is not that God will make our circumstances come out the way we like, but that God can weave even our disappointments and disasters into His eternal plan. The evil that happens to us can be transformed into God's good. Romans 8:28 is God's guarantee that if we love God, our lives can be used to achieve His purposes and further His Kingdom,"

"But," you may ask, "how can God be in control when life seems so out of control? How can He be working things together for His glory and our ultimate good?"

As the sovereign Lord of the universe, God is using all of life to develop our maturity and Christlikeness, and to further His eternal plan. In order to accomplish those purposes God wants to use us to help others, and He wants other people to help us.