The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Sample

Spiritual Highs and Lows

As I look back on the past forty years as a Christian, there have been times of great spiritual highs – experiences of the Holy Spirit, God’s love, the joy of seeing people encounter Jesus for the first time, amazing answers to prayer and seeing the kingdom of God advancing. On the other hand, there have also been spiritual lows – desert experiences, bereavements, disappointments, failures, temptations, opposition, health issues and exhaustion. In the passages for today we see how spiritual highs and lows are closely connected.    

Psalm 22:1-11

1. Trust that ultimately suffering will end in victory

This psalm forms the background to Jesus’ cry on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (v.1a). It is not a coincidence that Jesus quoted this psalm (Matthew 27:46).

Psalm 22 lays out a prophetic background to the cross and resurrection, which we see fulfilled in Jesus. He was ‘scorned by everyone, and despised by the people’ (Psalm 22:6); mocked and insulted (v.7). They hurled insults at him, shaking their heads (v.7b). ‘He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him’ (v.8a).

This accurately describes the suffering of Jesus (see Matthew 27:31–46) and yet it ends in victory.

The message of the psalm is about the importance of trust at our very low points (Psalm 22:4–5,9). Jesus, at the very lowest point of his life – crucified and God forsaken – trusted in God to deliver him. The apparent defeat of the cross turned out to be the greatest victory of all time.

If you are at a low point, remember that suffering does not have the last word. In Jesus, the resurrection and the victory of God have the last word. Keep trusting him.

Lord, thank you so much for the times when I have cried out to you and been saved; trusted in you and not been disappointed. Help me even at the lowest points in my life to keep trusting in you.

Mark 1:1-28

2. Grow in authority through the battles and blessings

Pippa and I recently watched a video of Billy Graham preaching in Los Angeles in 1963. The film is in black and white. He preaches from the Authorised Version of the Bible. But even after fifty years there is power in the message. What is most striking of all is the authority with which he speaks. This kind of authority is a reflection of the supreme authority of Jesus.

In this passage we see that God prepared Jesus through the spiritual highs and lows in the blessings and battles he experienced.

Mark is the shortest Gospel. It covers three weeks of Jesus’ actions and twenty minutes of his words. It is the liveliest gospel; it races from event to event with an air of breathless excitement. It is the announcement of the good news of Jesus Christ. There is a sense of urgency. Mark cannot wait to tell us.

Mark’s favourite word is ‘immediately’. Jesus knew all about a pressurised life. He experienced both spiritual highs and lows: at his baptism Jesus experienced a great spiritual high. He saw a vision: ‘He saw heaven being torn open’ (v.10b). He experienced the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spirit descending on him like a dove’ (v.10b). He heard God’s voice: ‘A voice came from heaven’ (v.11a). He received an assurance of sonship: ‘You are my Son’ (v.11b). He knew deep down God’s love for him: ‘… whom I love’ (v.11c). He enjoyed God’s pleasure: ‘With you I am well pleased’ (v.11d).

From there he went straight into a spiritual low out in the desert where he was tempted by Satan for forty days (v.12).

We must not be surprised by the spiritual attack that follows great spiritual experiences. We always try to warn people on the Alpha weekend that if they have had amazing experiences of God they should not be surprised by the attacks – in the form of doubts and temptations – that often follow. This is all part of God’s economy – it was ‘the Spirit’ who sent Jesus into the desert (v.12). In some ways, the battle gives us an assurance that it really is true.

Jesus emerged from this period of testing with an extraordinary authority.

• Authority to evangelise
  Jesus preached the gospel and called people to follow him. Our number one priority is to cultivate a relationship with Jesus.
•  Authority to lead
  When Jesus wanted someone to leave their job and work directly for the kingdom, he went up to them and asked (vv.17,20). The earliest disciples’ lives were changed completely from being centred on fish to being centred on people.
•  Authority to teach
  People were amazed at Jesus’ teaching because ‘he taught them as one who had authority’ (v.22). All the people were so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!’ (v.27).
•  Authority to heal
  Jesus heals the man possessed by an evil spirit. He has authority to say to the evil spirit, ‘Come out of him!’ (v.25). People are amazed not only at his teaching, but also at the way in which he ‘gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him’ (v.27).

Whether you are going through a spiritual high or low or neither, believe that God is preparing you and giving you an increasing authority for whatever it is that he is calling you to do.

Lord, thank you for the spiritual highs, the visions, the experiences of the Holy Spirit and for the times of hearing your voice. Thank you for the times of deep assurance that I am a child of God, an awareness of your love for me and a knowledge of your pleasure.

Thank you also for the times of testing. Thank you that although these seem very painful at the time, I can look back and see how significant they were in preparing me for what lies ahead. May I grow in authority in my evangelism, leadership, teaching and healing.

Exodus 17:1-18:27

3. Pray and act to turn the lows into highs

Moses had moments of great spiritual lows. The people ‘quarrelled with Moses’ (17:2); they ‘grumbled’ (v.3); they were ‘almost ready to stone [him]’ (v.4); the ‘Amalekites came and attacked’ them (v.8). Yet God turned the lows into highs. How?

• Support and encourage one another
  First, Moses prayed for himself. He ‘cried out to the Lord, ‘ “What am I to do” … [and] the Lord answered’ (vv.4–5). Second, he interceded for Joshua and the people: ‘As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning’ (v.11).

When Moses’ hands grew tired ‘Aaron and Hur held up his hands – one on one side and one on the other’ (v.12). ‘So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword’ (v.13) … ‘for hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord’ (v.16).

This passage reminds us of the power and necessity of intercessory prayer. It also reminds us of the importance of the loving support and encouragement that we can give to one another when we are weary.

•  Learn how to delegate
  Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, gave Moses some excellent advice (18:19). He pointed out that if he didn’t delegate, he would wear himself out: ‘The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone’ (v.18b). Moses was humble and wise enough to listen to his father-in-law.

Trying to do everything yourself is ‘not good’ (v.17). It is a bad form of leadership and leads to exhaustion: ‘You’ll burn out’ (v.18, MSG). It also leads to the underutilisation of other people’s gifts, time and ability. They are likely to get frustrated and so are you.

However, delegation in itself will not solve the problem. We need the right leaders. If you delegate to the wrong people, no amount of micromanaging will solve the problems. If you get the right leaders you can trust them and not interfere in what they do. You can release and empower them.

Moses follows Jethro’s advice. He uses three criteria when selecting and appointing leaders. First, he chose capable people (v.21a). We need people of ability in order to have confidence as we delegate. Second, he chose leaders on the basis of their spirituality – those who ‘fear God’ (v.21b). The third criterion was character. We need people who are ‘trustworthy’ (v.21c) – loyal, discreet and reliable.

Moses gave leaders a variety of responsibilities (‘thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens’, v.21c), presumably depending on their ability to cope. He delegated a certain amount of the decision making but not all. The simple decisions were delegated but not the difficult ones (v.26). The result was that Moses was able ‘to stand the strain’ and the people went home ‘satisfied’ (v.23).

Lord, help me to follow the example of Moses. Help me to make prayer and my relationship with you the number one priority in my life. Help me also to learn to delegate. Help me to find capable people who fear God and are trustworthy. Help me to release and empower them so that I can ‘stand the strain’ and that ‘people will go home satisfied’ (v.23).

Pippa Adds

Exodus 18:9,17–19

Jethro was a very good father-in-law. He rejoiced over all Moses’ successes and offered advice where he saw there were problems. 

Notes:
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.