For over 20 years, Dr. Jay Strack has been working with young Christian leaders throughout the U.S. and teaching them have a better understanding of God's Word and His calling in their lives. The topics chosen for the Student Leadership University Study Guide Series represent part of the teaching model that Dr. Strack has developed over the years and address tough questions that young people are asking today.

WORSHIP IN THE STORM

By JAY STRACK DIANE RASO STRACK

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2006 Student Leadership University
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4185-0597-4

Contents

INTRODUCTION...................................................................5KEY............................................................................61. STUFF HAPPENS: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?.....................92. STUFF HAPPENS: Why Does It Have to Happen to Me?............................233. I KNOW THE VERSES: Why Am I So Afraid?......................................434. LEAVE ME ALONE!: But Doesn't Anybody Care?..................................595. THIS STUFF IS TOO HARD: Why Am I So Stressed?...............................756. THE ADVERSITY OF NO CHOICE: What Does God Want from Me?.....................957. THE ADVERSITY OF BAD CHOICES: Why Did I Do That?............................1118. WORSHIP IN THE STORM: Is God in Control?....................................129NOTES..........................................................................148ABOUT THE AUTHORS..............................................................153

Chapter One

STUFF HAPPENS

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

KEY SCRIPTURE

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9

IT COULD BE YOU!

As a young boy who experienced six broken homes (yes, I know it sounds like a soap opera, but that's only because it was!), I spent much of my childhood and teen years on the decks of commercial fishing boats that belonged to various stepdads, some of whom I don't even remember now. Probably, I just choose not to remember them any longer.

On the deck of a ship in the middle of an ocean or gulf somewhere, I spent many evenings staring at the stars and trying to figure out the many questions of life.

* Why am I here? * What does the future hold? * Why did this God they say is so powerful allow my life to get so out of control?

I never doubted there was a Creator or that He was powerful. Living on the sea, studying the heavens, and watching the incredible beauty and variety of creation told me He was real.

But I did doubt that I mattered to Him.

Each night on the fishing boats, there was a sorting process. Some fish made it, and some didn't. Those that didn't were thrown overboard because they didn't sell well-too many bones, too difficult to clean, or too strong a flavor. As I watched the sorting process, I was painfully aware that I might be once again sorted from my family just like those fish-too much trouble, not well liked.

Some days and nights the storms we faced on the boats were so severe that I thought we wouldn't live through them. I couldn't wait to get to land. But then I found out that life on shore held storms of its own.

The broken homes I lived in led to many fights, moving from one town to another, abandonment, and abuse. I was physically abused, sexually abused by a temporary stepbrother, labeled as slow, and the victim of much verbal abuse. Trust me, the storms in my life were just as real as the storms I encountered on the ocean. I don't know which was harder to live through.

The hardest part was trying to understand why this stuff was happening to me. I was just a kid. Didn't anyone really care?

WHY KNOW IT? Adversity is defined as: * A state or condition contrary to one of well-being. * A state of hardship or affliction; misfortune. A calamitous event.

transfuse (trans FYOOZ): to cause to pass from one to another; transmit

On the bridge from childhood to adulthood, we become painfully aware that life can be disappointing and challenging. Because you have never experienced these adversities before, even a small conflict or problem can throw you off track emotionally. Some of the adversities you might face as a teenager are: * Death of a family member or friend * Divorce * Injury * Personal or family illness * Decrease in family income * Friendship/relationship issues * Learning differences * Financial stress * Feelings of depression or hopelessness * Family conflict * Disappointment in people In a matter of moments, you go from innocent childhood to the thought that life can't get any worse. That's when frustration takes over and doubt pours in. You think, How can a kind and just God allow me to be in this situation? Don't feel embarrassed or guilty about this natural response. Even Jesus uttered on the cross, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). * * * "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9 God is God. We will not understand all of His workings in this life, but all will be revealed to us in eternity. So what do we do in the meantime? Don't fret! He has given us all that we need to not only navigate the storms in life, but to worship Him as we go through them as well.

infuse (in FYOOZ): to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better

Three "Why" Questions There are three why questions that tend to take over our thought patterns when we are faced with difficult circumstances: 1. Why did God let this happen? 2. Why doesn't God care? 3. Why is there evil in the world? 1. Why did God let this happen? The first question of why may never be answered in this life. We can ask it over and over and torture ourselves with the need for an answer, but the reality is that we simply might not get one. God tells us, "I am God. Trust Me." Our faith multiplies when we understand the majesty of God and the fullness of His power. * If you don't get your question of why answered, how will it affect you? Are you willing to believe that God wants the best for you and that He will work good for you even in difficult times? THINK ABOUT IT God has demonstrated His great power through creation. You see it everywhere: * Animals so different and unique; * The grand beauty of nature; * Science that reveals the intricate workings of His creation; * The human body so complex that it has the ability to heal itself and to reproduce; * Stars that hang in place next to planets in a sky so vast it has no end; * Immense oceans with powerful currents and multitudes of living beings, all wonderfully different. * List at least three things in nature or science that help you to understand how powerful and creative God is. Describe why they are fascinating to you or unique. What makes that part of God's creation speak to you about His power? 1. __________________________________________________ 2. __________________________________________________ 3. __________________________________________________ * When the world seems difficult and evil, then take some time aside to do nothing but let the wonder of creation take over your mind. [(1)] Choose ONE THING for which you can be thankful for-your family, friends, health, God's mercy, His love, His judgment, His patience, etc.-and focus on it throughout the week. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2. Why doesn't God care? The second why question has already been answered. We never need ask it again, for God proved His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, who willingly endured the pain of the cross. Does God care about you? Absolutely! The real question is, do we have the right to cross-examine this God who has already revealed His great love for us, who has sent His Son to die in our place? The Bible says that Jesus was "wounded for our transgressions" (Isaiah 53:5) and "suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). The word suffering comes from the Latin word that means to bear up under work or illness. It was also used to describe a penalty or an expense in the form of a punishment. Christ has indeed suffered for us. When we understand the scope of His love, then we get to know Him personally and understand the power of it. 3. Why is there evil in the world? In the Bible, God is described as loving, good, and compassionate. * "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). * "The kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared" (Titus 3:4). * "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). * "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8). OK, we believe God is love. But why is there so much hate in the world, why so much evil? When circumstances cause a crisis, and a crisis leads to a whirlwind of confusion, Satan is quick to rush in and whisper accusations against God's love for you. His favorite strategy is to make us feel victimized by God and even abandoned by Him. Don't fall into his trap, but instead, understand and stand on the simple answer found in God's Word. The Bible begins with the assuring words, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Over and over in the early chapters, we read, "It was good." God indeed created a perfect world. Well, it was perfect, except for one thing-man was in it. Adam and Eve, created with a free will, lived in paradise. We don't know how long it took before they listened to Satan's whispers and rejected the Word of God, the way of God and the will of God, but they did. God did not create evil, but He did allow free choice and the potential for evil. Man has the right every day to choose to love or hate, to do good or evil. diffuse (di FYOOZ): to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely; to extend, scatter The contrast of God's love with the overwhelming evil in the world causes us to over and over ask why? Dr. James Dobson calls this "the betrayal barrier," the sense that God is abandoning us in the midst of the storms of life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The apostle Paul, who endured imprisonment, illness, beatings, and all manner of evil, gives his best advice for answering the whys of life in Hebrews 12:3: "Consider Him (Jesus) who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." Paul tells us to "consider" Christ-that is, to reckon up, to count up, to compare, to weigh. The word appears only once in the New Testament and no doubt it was chosen carefully. Worship in the Storm God wants us to seriously meditate on the love of Christ, on His suffering for us, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His personal, intimate call to us in salvation and to compare or weigh this out against the temporary setbacks and pain we are facing. * Consider all that He has done for the world. * Consider all that He has already done for you personally. During a hurricane devastation recovery interview, Author Rick Warren (Purpose-Driven Life) was asked by Larry King, CNN host, "What do you say to these hurting people?" Rick said, "Count up what's left, not what's lost, and focus on that. Put your hope in what cannot be taken away, your personal faith in Christ." Simple, clear advice. That's what Paul was trying to say when he said consider Jesus in these difficult days, or you will find yourself weary and discouraged, ready to quit and give up on life.

[FUSE BOX]

Your journey to peace in the whys of life begins today as you spend time this week considering or counting up all that Christ has already done for you.

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

PRIVATE WORLD DEVOTIONS

MONDAY: See it. Read the surrounding passages or chapter for the Key Scripture so that you can get an understanding of the background and context. This helps you to really see the verse.

TUESDAY: Hear it. Read the daily Key Scripture and/or surrounding passage out loud, putting your name in, if applicable. For example, John can do all things through Christ. Thieves have come to destroy John, but Jesus has come that John might have eternal life.

WEDNESDAY: Write it. Write the verse and then what it says about:

* Others: Respond, serve, and love as Jesus would. * Me: Specific attitudes, choices, or habits. * God: His love, mercy, holiness, peace, joy, etc. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

PRIVATE WORLD JOURNAL

I am grateful for-I praise You for-I am feeling-I am thinking-I need help with ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

THURSDAY: Memorize it. Take the verse with you-write it on a card or put it in your phone, iPod, or PDA. Go over it throughout the day so that it begins to live in your heart and mind.

FRIDAY: Pray it. Personalize the verse as you pray for yourself or for others or in praise to God. To pray is literally "to think about." Try thinking out loud or writing in your PRIVATE WORLD JOURNAL.

SATURDAY: Share it. Ask the Lord to bring someone to mind or in your path today who needs good news. Don't be shy-just let it out! Whether you IM, write, text, tell, or send it, the joy of God's Word will flow from your heart into theirs.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from WORSHIP IN THE STORMby JAY STRACK DIANE RASO STRACK Copyright © 2006 by Student Leadership University. Excerpted by permission.
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