Floundering Through My Troubles Like They’re Going Outta Style

Sitting on the porch last Sunday morning—Just Jesus, my coffee, a Bible and me—reading Psalm 56. Alison Krauss and the Cox Family sing bluegrass gospel in the background as my mind toils with the troubles burdening my mind. On that particular morning, I found myself floundering through my troubles like they’re going outta style.

I am a creature of routine. At the church we visited I counted rows until I got to seven. “This is where we sat last week when we visited,” I told Sweet T.

She giggled. “Is it?”

I wondered. Was this where we sat last time? I counted again, this time using my finger to count the rows. I thought Terri was going to pass out from amusement. My idiosyncrasies can be quite entertaining.

My recent morning reading in The Read Through the New Testament in One Year Plan included several parables from the Gospel of Luke, including prayer persistent widow. Of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), I admittedly have had an aversion to Gospel of Luke due to it evoking memories of our former senior pastor at our old church. An exploration of Luke served as the thesis for his doctoral dissertation that our church paid for prior to him leaving. He completed his Doctorate in Leadership and promptly quit the church. And not just church—but ministry all together. After a lifetime of in depth study of God’s Word, he just up and left—walking away never to preach again. It’s worth noting, he and I’ve met in person and discussed this part of our journey together—I spent several years working for him and I consider him both a brother in Jesus and a friend. We manage to sporadically stay in touch. Yet, it is also worth remembering the blow this dealt to our then home church and to us individually. It happened during what was already a difficult season. We are still coping with the after effects five years later. But, you move forward.

Last Friday night, we returned to our old stomping grounds at UGM. The message, which bloomed out of a men’s Bible study I had attended earlier in the week, focused on trusting Jesus and getting to the root cause of our problems.

The Gospel of Matthew 11:25-30 reads:

²⁵ At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. ²⁶ Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

²⁷ “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

We don’t have a people problem. We have a sin problem. At the end of the day, Jesus is the answer to rescuing us from ourselves.

I realized sitting there in my patio chair Sunday morning and reviewing the past few days that I need not flounder. I knew the answer. As I continued chewing on the passage from Matthew, I realized that I had forgotten to take my people problems to Jesus. And Holy Spirit quickly reminded me that I don’t have a people problem—I have a sin problem. No need in floundering any longer.

I spent some time in prayer before going back inside to get ready for church. T and I are hopeful that we may have found a good place to worship with the family of God.

May the Lord, in His goodness, bless you and shine favor upon you.

The Devotional Guy™

Bible Gateway